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Recipe: Michael Ruhlman's Pot Roast

Pot Roast

MARLENE’S CLASSIC POT ROAST (AND A YANKEE POT ROAST VARIATION)

DESPITE ITS NAME, POT ROAST IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF the braise technique: it takes an inexpensive, tough, relatively flavorless cut of beef and transforms it through slow cooking into a soul-satisfying, rich, nutritious, and delicious meal.

There are a number of ways to vary the basic technique. You can cook it with a parch­ment lid or completely covered, you can swap out any of the ingredients in the braising liq­uid, and you can add more vegetables an hour before finishing to bring it into Yankee Stew territory. And you can finish the sauce in various ways. 

You may find yourself with lots of leftover braising liquid, depending on your pot and roast size. If so, freeze it and use it as the braising liquid next time you make any beef braise.

The method below is from my chief recipe tester, Marlene Newell, who has perfected her recipe over many years and with much love and devotion to this humble dish. I serve the meat and sauce with buttered egg noodles or spaetzle; Marlene chills leftovers for beef dip sandwiches the following day, reheating it in a low oven. Of course, if you’re doing the Yankee Pot Roast variation (see the box on page 34), the potatoes and vegetables make this a one-pot meal. As with most braises, this is a great dish to make 1 to 5 days before serving.

  • 3 thyme sprigs (optional)
  • 3 flat-leaf parsley sprigs (optional)
  • 10 lightly cracked peppercorns (optional)
  • 1 (5-pound/2.25-kilogram) chuck roast
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Vegetable oil
  • 8 ounces/225 grams bacon, cut into medium dice or lardons
  • 1 medium Spanish onion, cut into medium dice
  • 2 carrots, cut into medium dice
  • 2 celery ribs, cut into medium dice
  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed with the flat side of a knife and then minced
  • ¼ cup/60 grams tomato paste
  • ¼ cup/60 milliliters brandy
  • 1½ cups/360 milliliters dry red wine
  • 2 cups/480 milliliters beef stock
  • Beurre manié (optional)

 

SERVES 4 TO 6, WITH LEFTOVERS

  • PREHEAT your oven to 300˚F/150˚C
  • To make the optional sachet d’épices, COMBINE the thyme, parsley, and peppercorns in a small square of cheesecloth and TIE with string. SET aside.
  • PAT the roast dry and SEASON on all sides with salt and pepper. ADD about ¼ inch/6 millimeters oil to a heavy 5-quart/5-liter pot and SEAR the roast over high heat till nicely browned on all sides.
  • REMOVE the roast to a plate and WIPE out any blackened pieces from the bottom of the pot. REDUCE the heat to medium-low.
  • ADD the bacon and SAUTÉ until the fat has rendered out. POUR off all but a few tablespoons of bacon fat and INCREASE the heat to medium. ADD the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and SAUTÉ, scraping the bot­tom of the pot as the onions release moisture, until softened, 5 to 10 min­utes. ADD the tomato paste and STIR to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. ADD the brandy to deglaze the pot.
  • RETURN the roast to the pot, along with the wine, stock, and, if using, the sachet.
  • COVER the pot, PUT it in the oven, and COOK, turning the roast once or twice, till fork-tender, about 4 hours.
  • REMOVE the roast from the pot. STRAIN the braising liquid, REMOVE the fat that rises to the top, and, if desired, THICKEN the defatted sauce with beurre manié. SLICE the roast and SERVE with the sauce.

• Alternatively, REMOVE the roast to a platter, COVER, and REFRIGER­ATE it overnight or up to 3 days. STRAIN the sauce into a container, COVER, and CHILL. When you are ready to serve, REMOVE some of the fat from the sauce (leaving as much as you wish for flavor). REHEAT the meat in the sauce in a low oven or separately in the microwave. SLICE and SERVE as is or on bread for beef dip sandwiches.

 

To Turn This Into a Classic Yankee Pot Roast:

FOLLOW the above recipe, but LEAVE OUT the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. About 1 hour before you’ll be finishing your braise, REMOVE the pot from the oven and PLACE it on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Now ADD the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, along with 2 peeled and diced potatoes. BRING the liquid to a simmer, COVER the pot, and RETURN it to the oven until the potatoes are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. SLICE the meat and SERVE it with the sauce and vegetables

Recipes reprinted courtesy of Little, Brown and Company Copyright © 2015 by Ruhlman Enterprises, Inc.