Classic Pot Roast

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY RENÉE KOHLMAN

If there’s one food that tugs at the thread of childhood memories for me – it’s a Sunday roast. Mom always cooked a chicken or sometimes pork, but more often than not it was a beef roast.

The piece of chuck was placed in a pot alongside potatoes and carrots and left to cook low and slow for a few hours. The house smelled glorious. She always made a thick gravy to pour over the meat, and if she’d also baked fresh buns, you better believe I dunked them into the pools of gravy. How lucky I am to have this meal etched into my precious food memories. However, beef prices today are definitely not what they were 40 years ago, and with today’s grocery budget in mind, a roast like this is more than likely reserved for special occasions, and not just a random Sunday supper. That being said, every home cook should have a pot roast recipe up their sleeve, one that will serve up perfect results every time.

Cooked in just one pot, and full of rich, beefy flavour, a good pot roast should be melt-in-your-mouth tender. So, how do we get there? First off is the choice of roast you’ll want to use. Pot roast generally uses a tougher, more inexpensive cut of beef. Look for chuck roast, cross rib roast, or rump roast. If you don’t see any of these, talk to the butcher - they’re always happy to help. The meat should have plenty of marbling. This means fat, and fat equals flavour. Cooking these roasts at lower temperatures for a longer time means that those tough connective tissues break down, resulting in tender meat and flavourful juices.

The first step is to pat the roast dry then season it generously with salt and pepper. I like to sear it in the pot so a beautiful crust forms on the meat. This is where all that gorgeous flavour begins. Next, tuck in large chunks of onion, and pour over a mixture of beef broth, red wine, garlic, tomato paste and Dijon mustard. Bring it to a simmer then put it in the oven for just over an hour.

We don’t want to add the vegetables at the beginning because they’ll get overcooked. It’s best to add them halfway through the cooking time. I use potatoes, carrots and celery, but you can also add some chunks of butternut squash or rutabaga. After cooking for another hour or so, the vegetables should be very tender and the meat should easily fall apart with the tug of a fork. If not, continue cooking until it does.

Note that the timing here is for a 900 g (2 lb) roast. You’ll have to increase the cooking time for a larger piece of meat. A 1.35 kg (3 lb roast) will take a total of 3.5 hours. A 1.8 kg (4 lb) roast will take about 4 hours. Remember to add the vegetables at the last hour of cooking. In the end, that one single pot will yield tender, fall apart beef served alongside soft and savoury vegetables smothered in a rich brown gravy. One bite and it’s easy to see why this meal is synonymous with classic comfort food.

Classic Pot Roast serves 4

2 Tbs (30 mL) canola oil

900 g (2 lb) chuck roast, cross rib roast or rump roast, patted dry

1 large onion, chopped into large chunks

1½ cups (375 mL) reduced sodium beef broth

¾ cup (180 mL) red wine

4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 Tbs (30 mL) tomato paste

1 Tbs (15 mL) grainy Dijon mustard

½ tsp (2 mL) salt

½ tsp (2 mL) pepper

3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme

1 bay leaf

454 g (1 lb) baby potatoes

5 carrots, chopped into 5 cm pieces

2 celery stalks, chopped into 3.75 cm pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 300º F.

2. Season the roast generously with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sear the beef on both sides until browned, about 4 minutes per side. The beef should release easily from the pan when it’s ready to be turned.

3. Arrange the onions around the roast. In a medium bowl, combine the broth, red wine, garlic, tomato paste, mustard, salt, and pepper. Pour this over the beef. Add the rosemary, thyme and bay leaf.

4. Bring the mixture to a simmer on the stovetop over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Once the broth is simmering, cover with a tight-fitting lid and place in the oven. Cook for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

5. Add the potatoes, carrots and celery to the pot. Cook for an additional hour, until the vegetables and meat are very tender. You should be able to pull the meat apart easily with a fork. If it doesn’t do this, cook for an additional 10-20 minutes.

6. Remove the pot from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.

7. Discard the bay leaf and any stems from the herbs. Place the vegetables on a serving platter. Place the beef on a cutting board and gently pull into large pieces with a fork or slice into thicker pieces. Arrange in the centre of the platter. You can pour some of the beef juices on top of the beef or serve with gravy (recipe follows).

8. Gravy: Strain the beef juices into a smaller saucepan. Place over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk 2 Tbs cornstarch with 2 Tbs (30 mL) cold water, until a smooth paste forms. Whisk this into the simmering beef juices. Cook for 2 minutes, until the gravy thickens. Season to taste, if desired. Serve with the pot roast.