For years, I have been on a quest… perfect pot roast. We ate terrible pot roasts growing up.  They were grey, lumps of tough, boiled meat. So I was never a fan.

As I worked in restaurants in college, I began to see great pot roasts… caramel crusted, glistening and fork tender. There the quest began.

Over the years, I have made some good pot roasts and some great pot roasts  but never quite the dream pot roast.  They all failed to hit the mark of perfection, rich and decadent.  I am happy to report that the quest hath ended.  Last night was culinary nirvana!

Chuck roast is the magic cut and the quality makes a difference.  The marbling in this shoulder cut makes it so tender and superior to any other cut for the perfect pot roast.  We are fortunate to buy grass fed beef from a famer in our area! If you have the opportunity to do so, I highly recommend it! If not, look for a well marbled, bone in cut from the grocery.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs well marbled chuck roast
• 1 cup of cabernet sauvignon
• Beef stock
• 2 Tablespoons of oil (or bacon grease)
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire (not NSF)
• 1 Tablespoon Tamari Soy
• 2 Tablespoons of NSF “tomato” paste or regular
• 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 a yellow onion chopped
• 1 red beet sliced
• 1 golden beet sliced
• 2 good sized carrots sliced
• 1 cup of Brussels sprouts cut in half
• 2 pounds of potatoes, turnip root or celery root chopped for a mash
• 6 sage leaves
• Parsley for garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Liberally salt and pepper beef on all sides. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.  Cooking ice cold beef makes it tough so you want to let it warm up a bit.  As it site, prep your vegetables.
2. Heat a dry, cast iron skillet over medium high heat until it barely begins to smoke.  Add the oil ( I prefer bacon grease) and wait 30 seconds so that it comes up to temp.  Add the meat and let it sear.  Color equals flavor so you want a good hard sear on both sides.  This will take 3 to 5 minutes per side.  Sear the edges too.  Toss in the onions and garlic at the end and caramelize them.
3. As the meat is searing, heat the stock.  I heat mine in my pressure cooker with the lid off.  Add the beef, garlic and onion to the pressure cooker.  Make sure there is enough stock to nearly cover the meat.
4. Add the wine and additional salt to taste (I add about a half a tablespoon) and cracked black pepper (I add 20 cracks)
5. Put the lid on the pressure cooker and place over medium high heat until it begins to steam.  Reduce heat to low and let it cook for 1 hour with the valve on 2 or the meat setting.
6. Slice the root vegetables: Brussels, carrot, beets etc. Toss with salt, pepper & olive oil.  Set aside until the roast has been in the pressure cooker for 30 minutes. Put your root vegetable mix in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes while the meat rests.
7. Turn off the heat and let the pressure cooker cool until there is no steam coming from the valve. Then release the steam valve.  When all the steam has been release, open the pressure cooker.
8. Start a salted pot of water for your mash.  Drop your potato, turnip or celery root and cook for 8 minutes.
9. Your pressure cooker should be cool enough to open.  Remove the glorious, falling apart  meat miracle from the pot and allow to rest.
10. Reserve the gorgeous stock and create a gravy with cornstarch and a splash more red wine while your mash and root vegetables finish.
11. Spoon that glorious gravy over everything.

I served this roast with roasted root vegetables, cauliflower puree and Directors Cut cabernet!

Let me know what you think when you try it. Wishing you perfect pot roast!

~Michelle