Braised Pot Roast of Beef |
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Prep Time: 40 Minutes Cook Time: 180 Minutes |
Ready In: 220 Minutes Servings: 20 |
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I have divided this recipe in half for a 3-4 pound roast but, as written here, this delicious pot roast serves 15-20 people. Perfect because it's best when made 1-2 days before serving. It will pick up additional flavor from sitting in its braising juices, will slice more neatly because the meat fibers will have compacted as they cool and will hold together nicely when reheated. Great tasting pot roast for 6 or 20. Prep and cook times include reheating. Ingredients:
10 -12 lbs trimmed whole bottom round beef roast |
vegetable oil |
6 tablespoons flour |
4 cups beef stock, about |
2 teaspoons salt |
2 carrots, roughly chopped |
2 large onions, roughly chopped |
1 large celery rib, roughly chopped |
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled |
1 large bouquet garni, tied in cheesecloth (10 parsley stems,4 bay leaves,1 tsp thyme, 6 allspice berries) |
1 bottle healthy young wine, zinfandel,chianti or of like quality |
Directions:
1. Tie roast firmly with string; brush all sides with oil and set on a jelly roll pan; brown slowly on all sides under the broiler; watch closely and do not burn.
2. In a heavy saucepan, stir 5 T oil with the flour; continue stirring over moderate heat until roux turns a dark nutty brown,about 10 minutes, do not burn;remove from heat, let cool a bit and stir in beef stock; set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°; using 2 tsp (less if using salted bouillon), salt the meat on all sides and set fat side up in a large, covered roaster or roasting pan with 3 -4 high sides.
4. Place the vegetables, garlic and herb bouquet around the roast and pour in the wine and stock/roux mixture; add more stock if necessary to come almost halfway up the meat.
5. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove; cover (use aluminum foil if necessary) and set in the lower third of the oven; bake 1/2 hour or until sauce is bubbling quietly; baste with the gravy and turn heat down to 325°.
6. The gravy should continue bubbling gently throughout the cooking so regulate oven accordingly; baste and check every 1/2 hour for another 2 hours; begin testing for doneness with a meat thermometer; remove pan from oven.
7. Allow roast to rest 1/2 hour, basting every 10 minutes and turning it several times; remove roast from pan; sieve contents of roaster into a saucepan and squeeze juices out of the braised vegetables into the saucepan.
8. Simmer liquid and skim fat from its surface for 1/2 hour; simmer down until the sauce coats a spoon as it will the meat; taste for seasoning and strength; if necessary thin with more stock or thicken with 2T or more of potato flour or cornstarch stirred into several spoons of stock or wine, simmer for 2-3 minutes.
9. (Roast may be carved and served at this point but is better if cooked several hours or a day in advance).
10. If not serving immediately, pour the sauce around the meat, cover with foil and refrigerate; the roast may be reheated whole or sliced and sauced.
11. To reheat whole, cover the meat closely and place in a 300° oven or simmer it over very low heat on top of the stove, turning it every 15 minutes until internal temperature is 120°, about 30-40 minutes; just before serving, cut and discard the trussing string.
12. To reheat sliced and sauced, return the sliced beef and sauce to the roaster or a large baking pan; cover; baste with the sauce every 10 minutes and warm through slowly in a 300° oven.
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