Third Time's a Charm

What could be easier than a basic pot roast, right? Unfortunately, I've had some disappointing pot roast meals, but I think I've found a winning recipe now. The first time I tried cooking a pot roast, I was looking for a recipe I could use that day. I didn't have time to marinate the meat for days, so I settled on a recipe for grass-fed beef that cooked a 3-5 pound roast for a 2.5 hours in a cast iron dutch oven. Only problems were that my roast was only 2 pounds and I didn't have a cast iron dutch oven. I decided to use my largest pot and put aluminum foil over it. After cooking the roast, I was going to use the liquid in the pan to make yorkshire pudding and gravy. Epic fail. I checked the meat after 2 hours, and the meat was dried out and the liquid was gone. There went my plans for the rest of the meal.
The second time I tried a pot roast, I decided to use my crock pot. I found a recipe for regular beef in one of my crock pot recipe books. At least this meal was edible, but the beef was tough and didn't have much flavor.
For my third attempt, I gave myself plenty of time, and I found the Nourishing Traditions recipe for Pot Roast on www.food.com. Miracle of all miracles, I remembered to pull the meat out in time to thaw and then marinate for 2 days. I think I'll try 3 days in the buttermilk next time and see if that makes it even more tender. I watched a YouTube video on searing meat, and I used my large pot to sear the meat and heat the cooking liquid. Then I transferred the meat and liquid to my ceramic dutch oven with a lid. The meat was still a little tough, but it had good flavor, the vegetables were tender, and there was plenty of liquid in the pot to make the yorkshire pudding and gravy. Success!

Sally Fallon's Pot Roast - serves 6-8
Ingredients
3 lbs rump roast (chuck roast or other cut suitable for pot roast is okay)
1 qt. buttermilk
2 Tblsp. butter
2 Tblsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 cup red wine
2 cups beef stock
3 springs French tarragon, tied together (subbed for fresh thyme)
1/2 tsp. green peppercorns, crushed or 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, crushed, placed in tea infuser
1 dozen small red potatoes, unpeeled, left whole
1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 Tblsp. arrowroot
2 Tblsp. filtered water
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Pot roast: Use a metal skewer to poke the meat all over.
2. Place the meat in a bowl or glass loaf pan that is just large enough to fit it. Pour the buttermilk over the meat.
3. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator, for 2-3 days, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove the meat from the buttermilk (discard buttermilk) and dry off with clean lint-free towel.
5. On med. heat, sear the meat on all sides in a Dutch oven in the butter and olive oil.
6. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
7. Remove meat to platter; pour out the browning fat and discard.
8. Next, add the red wine, stock, French tarragon and peppercorns to the pot. Bring to boil and skim off the top.
9. Return the meat to the pot and bake, covered, for 3 hours or until tender. One hour before serving, add the potatoes and carrots.
10. Gravy: Transfer the meat and vegetables to a platter and bring the sauce to a boil on the stove top.
11. Spoonful by spoonful, add the arrowroot and water and whisk in the pot to make a gravy of desired thickness. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the pot roast.

Pot roast, carrots, potatoes, and yorkshire pudding with gravy

Yorkshire Pudding 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place muffin pan into oven and heat until drippings are boiling. Meanwhile, place in medium mixing bowl:

1 1/2 C. flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1 cup sprouted whole wheat)
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup milk
4 large eggs
1 cup water

Beat well. Remove muffin tin from oven. While still hot, fill cups with batter and quickly return to oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake 10 minutes longer until puffy and golden brown. Serve immediately. 


After the meal I saved the marrow and the bone for my next beef stock. I've read somewhere that people eat marrow on toast. That sounds a little gross and strange to me, but I'll keep reading and keep you posted when I figure out what to do with marrow. 

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