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Recipe by: Chef John V., A Good Cooking Recipe!
Serving size: 4 with leftover for another meal or two
Preparation time: about 3 1/2 hours
About: I have fond memories of pot roast that
was made by my maternal grandmother! Ah the tenderness,
the flavor and the rye bread to sop-up the juices. My
mom's wasn't bad either, nor was my mother-in-laws' or
her mothers! I make a pretty darn good one too---I'd
better, mine has been served to a King, a governor, some
pretty important people and even to the average person.
My cooking career has provided me with this opportunity
and I'm proud of it!
A few weeks ago, while shopping at Costco, I saw
boneless short ribs, which is the meat cut off the short
rib bones themselves, well trimmed and nicely marbled. I
knew immediately what I would make---pot roast a.k.a.
braised boneless short ribs. You can make a pot roast
from most cuts of beef but less tender cuts such as
those from the rib and fore area are the best choices
for me. These chuck, rib and the shank pieces have the
most flavor and have an appealing gelatinous and lip
smacking stickiness after cooking.
I didn't need to search for a recipe, although there are
hundreds, I would cook them as I have cooked them for
years and it's all in my head. So here is my basic
pot roast recipe, which is part my grandmother's, part my
mother's and part mine, developed by testing and tasting
and making it a hundred or more times!
Amount/Measure/Ingredient:
4 pounds
boneless short ribs; you may also use a lean boneless
cut of chuck such as a top blade roast or boneless chuck
shoulder roast---but---there is nothing like the
boneless ribs
(This is a piece of a whole boneless short rib portion before trimmed of fat and cut
into 2 inches wide strips)
1 tbsp. coarse salt i.e. Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, a
professional chef's preferred salt
1 tbsp. ground black pepper, freshly ground if possible
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup salted butter and 1/4 cup canola oil, this might
seem like a lot but it is needed to get a good sear and
to cook the mirepoix. Most will be skimmed off the
resulting sauce before serving.
1 tbsp. paprika, Hungarian or Spanish
4 cups Mirepoix---50% yellow onions, 25% carrots, 25%
celery which are rough diced at 1/2 inch
2 tbsp. garlic, chopped, not too fine
1 bay leaf, total size of a silver dollar
1 tsp. marjoram leaves, fresh if available
2 tsp. thyme leaves, fresh if available
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
3 cups red wine, cabernet or syrah---even beer as my
grandmother used (reduce, cook down, ahead of time so
only 1 cup of liquid remains)
4 cups beef stock or broth
1/2 cup roux---A cooked mixture of about 55% flour and
45% fat, (clarified butter, oil or both, i.e. canola
oil. In a sauté pan or heavy bottom pot warm the
butter/oil but not too hot over medium heat, start
stirring in flour with the wooden spoon. Stir
continually with the wooden spoon over the heat so the
roux bubbles and cooks. Cook about 5-7 minutes to make a
blonde roux, it will be very hot! Transfer the roux to a
metal or ceramic container and keep warm.
Braising---is a method of cooking that uses both moist
and dry heat. Usually a meat is first seared at a high
temperature and then slowly cooked in a covered pot with
vegetables, herbs, spices and liquid, which results in a
tender and flavorful dish. Pot Roasting is a form of
braising with a bit more liquid which then tends a
little towards stewing. Stewing tends to incorporate
additional vegetables in the cooking process that are
left in the finished dish. With braised items, these
vegetables, mirepoix, are usually removed after they
have left their flavors in the resulting sauce. In both
methods additional thickening may be needed which is
usually in the form of adding a roux.
To be successful use a heavy bottom pot such as a Dutch
oven.
Note* Browning of the meat and vegetables will be done
on top of the stove and the actual cooking will be in a
350 degree F. oven.
When ready to make this recipe, pre-heat your oven to
350 and just before starting the searing, pre-heat the
Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Preparation:
Trim and pat dry the meat, season with salt and pepper
and dip into the flour on all sides. Add oil and butter
to the pot, then add the floured beef and brown on all
sides---keep the heat medium-high so the searing keeps
going strong. This recipe works for the quantities
listed. If increased, you will need to sear in two or
three batches and maybe use a few different pots and
pans.
When the meat is equally browned on all sides, sprinkle
on the paprika and cook 2 minutes longer turning the
meat a few times to coat it with the paprika. Remove the
meat to a plate/platter and add the mirepoix, garlic,
bay leaf, marjoram and thyme. Fry for 8-10 minutes to a
golden brown color. Add tomatoes, the beef from the
plate, reduced wine and stock. Bring to a boil.
(After searing the meat and browning the mirepoix the
reduced red wine is added to deglaze the pan.)
(After cooking the red wine, beef stock is added.)
(The ingredients in the pot were brought to a boil and
then the pot was covered with the cover ajar in a 350 F.
degree oven to braise for about 2 hours. )
(After 1 1/2 hours of cooking the cover was removed to
allow the liquids to reduce and for the meat to continue
cooking until tender. A fork inserted into the meat
pulled back out easily indicating the meat was cooked.
It's still a little chewy and not mushy or falling apart
as it is removed from the pot.)
The pot now comes out of the oven and the meat is
carefully removed with spatulas to rest while the
cooking juices are thickened with roux. The warm roux is
added to the hot liquid and stirred with a wire whisk.
The liquid is brought to a boil and the liquid thickened
as you continue to whisk the sauce. Upon coming to a
boil the heat is reduce so the sauce can simmer for 30
minutes, before straining and seasoning with more salt
and pepper as needed.
To serve: Reheat the amount you want to serve in
a pan with hot gravy. Any number of vegetables and
starches from zucchini and noodles to green beans and
mashed potatoes will work. I like salad with cucumbers
and dill and lots of sliced seeded rye bread---yum!
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