This week I made a roast; the first of the cool-weather season. Talking about it now makes my mouth water. Pot roasts are decidedly simple and nourishing. Here are tips to take yours up a notch without using a soup mix packet.
Gather ingredients. Of utmost importance is salt and pepper. Vegetables I use: onions, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, garlic, banana peppers. Leave any of those out. Or add celery (I forgot). If you have a family of mushroom haters, I still recommend mushrooms for flavor. Also recommended: broth and an acidic medium like vinegar, dry (not sweet) wine, tomatoes or lemon juice.
Be generous with salt and pepper. If you can think ahead, unwrap the roast, pat dry, add salt and pepper and let sit uncovered in the fridge for 24-72 hours to dry age. I wrote more merits and how-tos of dry aging here.
Let the meat sit at room temperature at least an hour, maybe two. Of course you can skip this step. The reason I do it is from the exhortation from professional chefs. When meat is undergoing rapid temperature change like from the fridge to frying pan the protein fibers will seize up. If allowed to come to room temperature before searing, you’ll have better results.
Sear meat on high heat then cook low and slow. There were days when I skipped searing and just plopped the meat in a slow cooker. That method still gets the job done, especially if using enough salt and pepper. But I’m a fan of searing for the extra flavor and presentation. There’s something about the Maillard reaction (those yummy brown bits on meat) that makes my mouth squirt.
How to sear: heat pan or pot on medium high heat. If using an InstantPot, set function to saute and wait for the setting to say HOT. I prefer a higher walled pot for searing meat because it helps contain splatter. Once pot is hot, add fat of choice. This week I used left over bacon grease. Avocado oil is another good choice for high heat. Use a fat with higher smoke point because fat starts to break down when heated past a smoke point, releasing free radicals and a substance called acrolein, the chemical that gives burnt foods their acrid flavor and aroma. Olive oil has a lower smoke point and should generally be saved for making salad dressings and low temperature sautes.
Let it sit and sear. Sometimes I set a timer for 3 minutes so I don’t get impatient and interrupt the process. If you try to move the meat and it is stuck chances are you need to let it sit longer. Trust me. If you’ve used enough fat, once the sear is complete, the meat will release from the pan when it is ready to flip.
You may need to add more fat to sear all sides.
Once meat is seared on all sides, sear the onions. If there is room in the pan, sear onions as the last side of meat sears. If not, remove meat and sear onions and even potatoes.
There will be brown bits on the bottom of the pan. This is stored flavor! Pour 1/2c of broth, dry red wine, or tomatoes in juice. This week I used 2T of balsamic vinegar to clean the pan. Gently remove bits from bottom with a wooden spoon or spatula. The pan is hot and there will be a big show of steam when you pour the liquid in. Once bottom of pan is clean, add more broth or liquid. At least 1” in the bottom of your pot. More if you want to make gravy in the end.
Add the rest of your veggies. If making mashed potatoes obviously cook those separately. I prefer the taste of mashed potatoes with roast but prefer the ease of everything in one pot. Don’t forget to salt the veggies! It is so important to salt as you go - don’t wait until the end to salt everything.
Cook time: so many factors to consider! How big is the roast? Was it room temperature when you seared it? Did you sear? What else is in the pan? Is the oven preheated? What temperature is the oven? How much liquid? Using enameled cast iron like LeCruset or stainless steel? My roast was about 4lbs with about 2lbs veggies, seared with 1.5 c broth, stainless pot in preheated 300* oven. I left it alone (didn’t open the door) for 3 hours. When I checked it by slicing with a knife it was tough. I turned the oven off because I had to get kids from school and left the roast in the oven to continue cooking. Once home I checked again and it needed more time. I turned to 325* for about 10 minutes and didn’t check when I turned off the oven to run another errand. We ate hours later, reheated one last time and it was perfect. If I’d cooked it continuously, it probably needed 4-4.5 hours at 300*. Higher temp = less time. Lower temp = more time. Low setting on a slow cooker = 190* and high setting = 300*. High pressure in an InstantPot for at least an hour. Consider cooking the meat alone for most of that time.
If using meat from a local farmer, know it will likely need more time to become tender. Local meat is usually less fatty, which can translate to toughness. Go low and slow and you’ll be just fine.
Gravy - add 1-2T corn starch (look for non-GMO) in a small bowl then add cold water and stir. Then add this slurry to the hot liquid. Adding corn starch directly to hot liquid will produce clumps you’ll never get smooth. Alternatively, use arrowroot powder as a thickener instead of corn starch. Arrowroot powder might be the healthier, paleo option but it is a bit more fussy. Beginners, stick with corn starch. Once the gravy simmers that will be the consistency/thickness of the gravy. If you want it thicker, start again with corn starch in cold water.
Serve with a side of lacto-fermented sauerkraut to aid with digestion. My children must eat one tablespoon as medicine and usually choose more.
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Grab a roast this weekend and let me know if these tips bring the flavor! Note the absence of pictures after the roast was in the oven. It smelled so good, I didn’t think twice about pictures!
Life is hard, food doesn’t have to be,
Julie