Beef, Dutch oven, dinner... Help!!

[JenaW]

I have a large beef roast defrosting. I'd like to sear it whole ( or in two chunks - I'm too lazy to cube it and brown individually) and then braise it in the Dutch oven in beer or wine into something edible for dinner. Any good recipes or ideas??

[lil_acorn]

sautee some onions & carrots, add a cup of red wine, add a can of pureed tomatoes, beef broth, thyme, salt, pepper, put the seared beef back in. Put in the oven for 3-4 hours. Best made one day ahead so you can skim off the solidified fat. Reduce the sauce to thicken and serve..yum! I have some braised beef in the fridge right now!

[kristenk]

This doesn't meet the no-cubing requirement, but I love this recipe: Beef Daube Provencal from Cooking Light http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=780341

DD even likes it.

[m448]

this is our family favorite although depending on how big the hunk of beef is, cooking takes a while

http://maricucu.blogspot.com/2009/10/so-about-that-pot-roast.html

[urquie]

this is the best roast i've ever had, from america's test kitchen.



Simple Pot Roast with Root Vegetables
Serves 6 to 8
5 hours 20 minutes (4+ hours simmering)

1 boneless chuck roast about 3 ½ lbs
salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped medium
1 small carrot, chopped medium--more can be added if you prefer
1 small celery rib, chopped medium

2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup canned chicken broth
1 cup canned beef broth
1 sprig fresh thyme -- can use 1 tablespoon dried thyme
1-1 ½ cups water

1 ½ lbs small red potatoes (about 9), halved if larger than 1 ½ inches in diameter
1 ½ lbs carrots, peeled and sliced ½ inches thick
1 lb parsnips, peeled and sliced 1/2inch thick

1/4 cup dry red wine


Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Thoroughly pat roast dry with paper towels; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Brown roast thoroughly on all sides, reducing heat if fat begins to smoke, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer roast to large plate; set aside.

Reduce heat to medium; add onion, carrot and celery to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and sugar; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth & thyme, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits.

Return roast and any accumulated juices to pot; add enough water to come halfway up sides of roast. Bring liquid to simmer over medium heat. Then wrap pot lid in foil (it seals the gap between the lid & the pot to keep in the steam), and cover the pan tightly with the lid. Transfer pot to oven. Cook, turning roast every 30 minutes, for 3 ½ hours.

Add the potatoes, sliced carrots and parsnips, submerging them in the liquid. Continue to cook in the oven until the beef and vegetable are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Transfer roast to carving board; tent with foil to keep warm. Transfer the vegetables to a serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Let the liquid in pot to settle for 5 minutes, then use wide spoon to skim fat off surface. Add red wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut meat into ½ inch-thick slices, or pull apart into large pieces; transfer meat to warmed serving plate and pour about 1/2 cup sauce over meat. Serve, passing remaining sauce & veggies separately.


http://www.recipezaar.com/37554 (http://www.recipezaar.com/37554) this link is the recipe for the same pot roast, minus the veggies added at the end. i got the original recipe from the america's test kitchen cookbook and used the link to make it faster to type the recipe :)

my changes -
doubled the garlic and veggies added at the begining
added wine instead of water
didn't have parsnips - used extra carrots
used two large baking potatoes

[newg]

you could probably put it in your crock-pot with some water and italian seasoning............I think my MIL does this and it's pretty yummy.

[boolady]

This doesn't meet the no-cubing requirement, but I love this recipe: Beef Daube Provencal from Cooking Light http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=780341

DD even likes it.

This is IN my crockpot right now. Should be just about done. Great minds think alike, I guess. :)

[daisymommy]

m448--beautifully done food blogging! :bighand: I was sooo drooling over your pot roast! Such nice pictures, and great writing as well. Your blog is one to watch!

[m448]

thanks although I just posted the link since it's quicker than retyping. That recipe is a blend of the cooks' illustrated recipe and the one from Ina Garten. It's truly a favorite meal around here that my husband could eat on a daily basis if I let him.

[kristenk]

This is IN my crockpot right now. Should be just about done. Great minds think alike, I guess. :)

We're having the leftovers tomorrow night. :)

Amy, how do you make it in the crockpot? I see that it's an option (although the online recipe says after step 2 and doesn't actually separate the recipes into steps...) but I've never made it that way. It annoys me that I'd have to use a pot to brown the meat and the crockpot!