Meat every week | Imamother

Amarante

Mon, Feb 19 2024, 7:51 pm

Chuck roasts are generally inexpensive relatively because they are tough and need to be braised for a long period of time so the meat becomes soft. Which is fine because stews and pot roasts and other braised dishes are delicious and seems to be what you want - easy to make as you prep and then let them stay in the oven or even a crock pot for long periods of time.

Here's a basic pot roast from America's Test Kitchen - they give very good instructions to get the best results. I sometimes vary the veggies I add

Wine Braised Pot Roast

Ingredients

Servings: 6-8

3 -pound to 4 -pound boneless beef chuck roast, preferably tied
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large yellow onions, halved through the root and thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons onion powder
One (28 -ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 cup beef stock
3/4 cup dry red wine
1 pound new potatoes, halved if large
2 large carrots, halved lengthwise if thick, and cut into 1/2 -inch chunks

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees; position the rack in the middle.

Thoroughly pat the roast dry and season generously all over with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven or other large ovenproof pot with a lid, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the roast and sear, turning until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Transfer the seared roast to a cutting board. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pan, followed by the onions, garlic and bay leaves and cook, stirring often, until the onions soften and start to caramelize, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the onion powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes with their juice, stock, wine and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Gently break up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon and bring the mixture to a boil. Nestle the seared meat into the sauce, spooning sauce on top.

Cover the pot with a piece of parchment paper, followed by the lid, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours; then remove from the oven, uncover and carefully flip the meat over. Add the potatoes and carrots, tucking them into the sauce. Re-cover with the parchment and the lid, and continue to cook until the vegetables are soft and the meat is fork-tender, about 2 hours.

Transfer the meat to a carving board, drape loosely with foil, and let rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Arrange the sliced meat on a serving platter and surround it with the potatoes, carrots and any large pieces of tomato. Discard the bay leaves. Set the pan over medium-high heat and boil, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced by one-third, about 10 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the meat and vegetables and serve warm.

NOTE: To make the meat in a slow cooker, follow the searing instructions for the meat and vegetables, then transfer them to a slow cooker, add the remaining ingredients, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Here is a variant

ITALIAN POT ROAST

Excerpt From: America's Test Kitchen. - The Complete Cook's Country TV Show Cookbook

Why This Recipe Works The bolder cousin of American-style pot roast, Italian Pot Roast trades the potatoes, carrots, and gravy for mushrooms, onion, and a thick sauce based on tomatoes, red wine, garlic, and herbs. For our version, we started with a chuck-eye roast for its beefy flavor and ample fat. Canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste gave us a thick, rich sauce; a double dose of red wine added depth and brightness. Simmering a whole head of garlic with our roast ensured the meat and sauce were infused with mellow garlic flavor.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Start checking the roast for doneness after 2 hours; if there is a little resistance when prodded with a fork, it’s done. Light, sweeter red wines, such as a Merlot or Beaujolais, work especially well with this recipe.

1 (3½- to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, trimmed, tied at 1-inch intervals
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 celery rib, minced
1 pound cremini or white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
½ cup canned tomato sauce
½ cup water
1 cup red wine, divided
2 teaspoons sugar
1 large garlic head, outer papery skins removed, halved
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat roast dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown roast on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer roast to large plate. Reduce heat to medium, add onion, celery, mushrooms, and tomato paste and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, ½ cup wine, sugar, garlic, and thyme. Add roast, with accumulated juices, to pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Place piece of aluminum foil over pot, cover with lid, and transfer pot to oven.

3. Cook until roast is just fork-tender, 2½ to 3½ hours, turning roast after 1 hour. Remove lid and foil and let roast rest for 30 minutes, skimming fat from surface of liquid after 20 minutes. Transfer roast to carving board and tent with foil.

4. Remove and reserve garlic head and skim remaining fat. Add remaining ½ cup wine to pot, bring to boil over medium-high heat, and cook until sauce begins to thicken, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, carefully squeeze garlic cloves from their skins and mash into paste. Add rosemary to pot and simmer until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove rosemary and thyme sprigs, stir in mashed garlic, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Remove twine from roast and slice meat against grain into ½-inch-thick slices or pull apart into large pieces. Transfer meat to serving platter and pour ¾ cup sauce over meat. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

Fit to Be Tied

A tied roast will cook evenly and won’t fall apart during the long cooking time. If your roast doesn’t come tied, simply tie pieces of kitchen twine around it at 1-inch intervals.

Getting the Garlic Right

Here’s how we tone down the garlic in our Italian Pot Roast so it offers mellow, not overpowering, flavor.

1. After slicing whole head of garlic in half, add it to pot to simmer with roast.

2. Once roast is done, squeeze garlic cloves from skins and mash garlic with fork to form paste. Stir garlic paste back into sauce.