Pot Roast
Braised in Coffee, Red Wine, and Bourbon
Pot roast. Brisket's poor relation. Brisket was for holidays and special occasions. Pot roast could show up at any time. It was a cheap cut of meat that, when braised for hours, became tender and succulent. Grandma's pot roast was good. It wasn't amazing, but it was good.
Nowadays, there's no such thing as a cheap cut of meat. But a chuck roast is still less expensive than the fancy cuts...
Grandma's recipe was simple. Salt the meat and sear it over high heat in a splash of oil until browned on both sides, then add cut up onions, carrots, and garlic, and pour in enough water until the meat is about 3/4 covered. Slap on a cover and let it cook for 2.5 hours, turning the roast every half hour. Then remove the cover, add cut up potatoes, and let it cook for another 30 minutes, until the gravy is thickened and the potatoes are tender. Add salt and pepper as needed. Done.
I don't want pot roast that's good. I want pot roast that's fabulous. This one, I promise you, is fabulous.
There's something so innately satisfying about a thick, succulent, tender, beefy slice of beef. This is a wonderful roast to make for Shabbat, or for any time that you need to have a nice meal that's prepared in advance. Like anything braised or stewed, it's even better the second day.
But what to braise it in?
Here's a peek into the ramblings of my mind... Adding beef stock, rather than water like Grandma did, will enhance the beefiness of the dish. Braising beef in red wine is classic. Think beef bourgeon. And what could be better than an Irish coffee at the end of the meal? I know! Swapping out the Irish whiskey for good old Tennessee bourbon. I do like my bourbon.
But why wait until the end of the meal, when you can toss it into the pot now?
And so...I offer you my pot roast braised in coffee, red wine, and bourbon.
You'll find the flavors are rich, complex, and nuanced (I'll think of more adjectives later).
It's fabulous.
The ingredients list is a bit long, but it's mostly all tossed in together so don't be put off by it.
Keep in mind that this is a rustic dish. Don't be concerned if your chunks of vegetables aren't uniform in shape or size. In fact, that's part of its charm.
As for the potatoes, leave them in or leave them out, according to what works with the other dishes you're serving.
Leave the mushrooms whole—they're going to shrink a lot.
Add carrots and potatoes for the last half hour of cooking so that they're very tender without being mushy and falling apart.
Ingredients:
3-4 pound chuck roast
olive oil as needed
2 large onions, sliced into 1/2 inch half moons
10 ounces mushrooms, such as baby bellas or good old white mushrooms
1-2 stalks celery, stringy part peeled (optional, but I do it), and cut into 1 inch chunks
4 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups red wine (pinot noir works well)
1 cup good espresso or strong brewed French roast coffee
1 cup beef stock or broth, more if needed
1/4 cup bourbon (plus another shot for the cook, optional)
2 springs fresh rosemary
a few sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
the grated zest of one large orange
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4-5 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
Optional: baby potatoes (I like gold potatoes here, but any will do), 2-3 per person
kosher salt and pepper
flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
Method:
Preheat a Dutch oven on the stove top.
Lightly season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper.
Add a small glug of olive oil and add the chuck roast, searing it until browned on both sides. Then remove the meat from the pot and set it aside on a plate.
Add the sliced onions to the pot, adding a little more oil if needed. Sauté until they're translucent, then add the mushrooms (cut in half if they're very large) and continue to sauté until the onions and mushrooms are golden.
Add the garlic and celery and sauté another minute.
Add 2 tablespoons flour to the vegetables and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes to cook the flour.
Deglaze the pot with the red wine, scraping up the tasty frond from the bottom. Let the wine come to a boil and then turn the heat way down to keep it at a slow simmer.
Stir in the coffee and the stock. Stir in the brown sugar.
Add the meat back into the pot, with any juices that have accumulated on the plate.
Toss in the grated orange rind, the rosemary, the bay leaves, and the thyme sprigs.
Bring the pot roast to a gentle simmer, then cover the pot and cook for 2 hours, using tongs to turn the meat every 30 minutes. Keep an eye on the liquid—if it seems to be cooking out, add more stock. Don't let the bottom of the pot burn!
After 2 hours, stir in the bourbon and braise for another 30 minutes.
Add in the chunks of carrot and the potatoes if using.
Cook for another 30 minutes, taste for salt and pepper, and adjust as needed. At this point, you want to fork-test the meat. It should be very tender, almost falling apart, but not quite. If it's not "there" yet, let it cook another 20 minutes and test it again.
If the gravy seems too thick, add more stock. If it's too "soupy," let it cook for a few more minutes with the cover off until the gravy cooks down and thickens.
Let the meat rest in the pot until it's cool enough to handle, then remove it to a cutting board and slice it against the grain.
At this point, you can refrigerate the pot roast to use the next day. I like to use a pyrex baking dish for this, keeping the meat slices to one side and the vegetables on the other, and covering it all with the gravy. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.
When you're ready to serve, warm the dish with the foil in a 350° oven.
You can serve it in the baking dish or transfer the pot roast to a serving platter. Garnish with the chopped parsley. It not only adds color, it also adds flavor.
