Well, he went down to dinner in his Sunday best
Excitable boy, they all said
And he rubbed the pot roast all over his chest
Excitable boy, they all said
Well, he’s just an excitable boy
~Warren Zevon, Excitable Boy
The first day after turning the clocks back to standard time seems like a good day to make pot roast. Matt and I did some grocery shopping on Saturday and I picked up an English cut chuck shoulder roast for under $10.00. This boneless chuck section comes from the shoulder and neck of the beef, and is one of the most economical cuts you can buy. It’s also one of the most flavorful. There is a downside: these cuts tend to be tough and fatty, and the 7 bone cuts can have quite a bit of bone and gristle. (They’re called 7 bone because of the shape of the bone, which looks like a 7.) Perfect for low and slow cooking in a liquid, the typical chuck steak is rectangular and about 1″ thick.
This is a recipe based loosely on one found in my 1972 edition of James Beard’s American Cookery. The measurements are guesses because I just added ingredients as I went. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 medium onion
- 1 cup of sliced mushrooms
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 t rosemary
- 3 cloves of garlic, diced
- 1 cup tomato juice
- 1 12 oz bottle of good craft beer (I used a Misery Bay IPA from Erie Brewing Company)
- 1/2 t coriander
- 3-4 medium potatoes cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 T vegetable oil
Begin by adding 1-2 T of oil to your Dutch oven and it over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes to get it nice and hot. While it’s heating up, mix some flour with salt and pepper in a Zip-loc bag big enough to hold your roast. Put the roast in and toss it to coat evenly with the flour mixture. Add the roast to the Dutch oven and brown on all sides. When it is well browned, remove it and set it aside. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook until softened, then add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30-45 seconds. Add additional oil if necessary. Return the roast to the pan and add the liquid, herbs, and coriander. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 2 hours. Add the vegetables, cover, and continue to simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until you can pull the meat apart with two forks. Remove bay leaf and serve.
This dish serves as a great example of how you can turn a lesser cut of meat into a terrific meal. It’s as comfortable as comfort food gets and like many dishes, it’s even better the next day. It freezes well, too, so don’t worry about leftovers.
Now put on a little Warren Zevon and get cooking! But please, just eat the pot roast.