(I've been cooking up a storm for the past two weeks. Tonight, we're grilling pork chops with a hoisin marinade. and tomorrow there's chicken cacciatore. I just typed up my pot roast recipe for my sister in law. Sorry, no pictures right now.)
Slow Cookin’ Meats
The Pot
Yes, a Dutch oven is good, but you can achieve the same effect with a big roaster pan and layers of aluminum foil. That method works best if you’re cooking for a big hoard of relatives or wayward college buddies.
The Meat
Beef is the traditional favorite for a pot roast, but any kind of meat is fine. You want to go with a cheap cut of beef, like a boneless chuck roast or a shoulder. I’ve also used beef ribs and lamb. I want to try sausage and chicken some time. I’ve also put different kinds of meat in the one pan. It all turns out the same – mushy and yummy.
The garlic step. Cover the meat with generous amounts of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Like really generous. If you’re using the lamb, put slits in the meat and shove in a whole clove of garlic. Don’t be skimpy with the salt. This is not the time for a heart healthy meal.
Put the roaster pan on the stove and heat it up using two burners. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Sear the meat on all sides. Put aside.
The Vegetables
Any good root vegetable will do. My favorite combo is leeks, onion, potato, carrots, and tomatoes.
One bunch of leeks. Slice off the bottoms and the dark green part. Slice it length-wise several times. Put it in a strainer and rinse until all the dirt is gone.
Three onions. Cut into four big chunks.
Four or five potatoes. Cut into half. Or use little potatoes and don’t cut them up. You want big chunks, so that they don’t get too mushy when the meal is done.
5 carrots. Cut into three finger slabs.
Arrange the meat on the bed of leeks. Add the onions and potatoes and carrots around the meat.
Tomatoes. Roughly cut up a can of whole tomatoes. Pour on top.
Add more salt and pepper.
Add 4 whole cloves of garlic, still in their skins. Garlic be good.
Pro Tip - Make extra vegetables. Make more than you plan on eating and then freeze them in zip lock bags. Add it to soups and such. Pot roast veggies are awesome in lentil soup.
The Herbs and the Liquid
Add sprigs of rosemary, thyme, or sage. Sometimes I use two of those, sometimes I use all of them. A bay leave is also nice.
Add about 1 cup of beef broth and about 1 cup of red wine.
Cooking Time
275 degrees for 3 hours. Or so. Cook it until the meat is flaky. If it isn’t cooking fast enough for ‘ya, then bump the oven up to 300 or even 350. This isn’t rocket science.
Fancy Stuff
Pull out the meat. And cut it up roughly, so it’s all stringy and sitting in lots of the juice from the pan. Put the vegetables in a separate bowl.
You have three important choices at this point. You could deglaze the pan with some wine and then add more roasting liquid. Reduce everything and then serve. Or you could first make a flour/water roux, add the pan liquids, and make a traditional gravy. Or you could just say screw it and eat it all up without the fancy gravy step. We do that a lot.