Red Wine Pot Roast

I confess.  I am a promiscuous pot roast maker.  I don't have one "go-to" pot roast recipe.  I have previously shared a few of my pot roast suitors, rosemary thyme pot roast, and a newbie to my recipe collection, pot roast with cider-maple gravy.  Today I have another one to introduce.  Everybody, I'd like you to meet red wine pot roast. 

I made my first red wine pot roast several years ago.  I'm no wine sommelier, but I do know that red wine and red meat go together like a hand in a glove (I wanted to say meatball and tuna fish, but I wasn't sure everyone would get the Adam Sandler reference).  So it seemed like it would be a good idea to cook red meat in red wine.  And it is a great idea!  Not only do the tastes complement each other, but wine helps tenderize tougher cuts of beef, which roasts typically are.  That's why you roast them!

To be fair, I have even made a few different versions of red wine pot roast, but this one is based on a recipe I found in Cook's Illustrated.  So you know it's good!  However, I did make a few changes.  Sorry, test kitchen.  I used dried herbs because fresh is out of season and my teeny-tiny grocery store doesn't have a good selection of fresh herbs, and I added red potatoes to my roast.  I know I have said it before, but I think it's worth repeating that if you are going to have potatoes with your roast (and why wouldn't you?) you might as well stick 'em in the pot so you don't have to prepare them separately.  The original recipe has you cook up veggies with the roast, but then blend them up to make the sauce.  I like to actually eat my pot roast veggies.  As a matter of fact, the onions in this were like little pieces of veggie candy.  So I didn't do that.  

Trust me, you don't need any skill to make this roast, just a little bit of time and forethought!  Start by salting and peppering the roast an hour before you are going to stick it in the pot.  Salt is a good meat tenderizer. 

About 45 minutes later, saute up some onions. 

Add some carrots and garlic to the mix.

And then potatoes. 

Add your liquids.  We're talking wine, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and some water.  I love wine.  It almost pains me to put it into a roast.  But it's worth it!  Throw in the seasonings, too.

Dump the roast on top.  It's a whole meal in a pot!

Cover the pot with aluminum foil and put a lid on it.

Then forget about it for 3 1/2-4 hours.  Well, you probably won't totally forget about because it's going to smell great!

 

Remove the roast and veggies from the pot and onto a cutting board.  Important step here: strain the tasty meat juice, and skim off any fat.  Now put it in a saucepan.  Add some beef broth, balsamic vinegar, and the rest of the wine.  Let it simmer.

Serve the roast, veggies, and potatoes with the yummy sauce.  Enjoy!

Red Wine Pot Roast

Ingredients:

Salt and pepper

2 Tbsp margarine

2 large onions, halved and sliced thin

3 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 red potatoes, quartered

3 1/2-4 lb chuck roast, cut down natural seam and trimmed of fat

1 cup red wine (divided)

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup water

1 Tbsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

2 Tbsp tomato paste

For sauce:

1-2 cups beef broth

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Directions:

One hour before putting roast in oven, generously salt and pepper all sides of roast and allow to set at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Melt margarine in Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes.  Add carrots and cook another 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

Add potatoes to the pot, then stir in 3/4 cup of the wine, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, water, thyme, bay leaf, and tomato paste.  Place roast in pot.  Cover pot tightly with aluminum foil and put on lid.  Cook for 3 1/2-4 hours until beef is fully tender.

Transfer roast to cutting board and tent loosely with foil.  Strain liquid through a mesh strainer into a 4-cup liquid measuring cup.  Discard bay leaf.  Allow liquid to settle 5 minutes, then skim fat off surface.  Add beef broth as necessary to bring liquid amount to 3 cups.  Transfer sauce to medium saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat.

While sauce heats, remove twine from roast and slice against grain into 1/2-inch slices.  Transfer meat to large serving platter.  Stir chopped thyme, remaining 1/4 cup of wine, and vinegar into sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with roast.

Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated Nov/Dec 2010