May’s Man Catching Pot Roast

Cook the meat: get a big pot, put the meat (chuck bone-in roast is what I used—ask the butcher if you need help) in when it’s searing hot (with a few tablespoons of oil) and sear until it’s got some good browning action on each side. Then fill the pot with 2 carrots cut in a few pieces, a quartered yellow onion, and liquid to cover. The liquid should be 2/3 beef stock, 1/3 chicken broth. (That’s not exact—just chicken broth would work, too.) Also sprinkle in a few cloves garlic, and a few tablespoons (3 at most) of salt and pepper.

Now reduce to a low heat OR bake in a 325-degree oven for a few hours. How many hours? Usually mine go 3-4 hours unless it’s a BIG roast, then it could be take up to 6 hours. You want the meat to feel and look tender. Poke it with a fork and see if it shreds right up in your hand. You also want the bone(s) to literally have fallen out (or to fall out when you touch them). Do not try to rush this—the tough cut needs TIME.

Save the liquid. I put mine into a pitcher, but a big bowl would do. SAVE ALL THAT LIQUID! (Well, put it through a strainer first, then save. Dump the carrot + onion + junk that pops up.)

Pull the meat: here’s where the problems start. Do NOT get out a knife. If the meat is tough and you need a knife, here’s your clue: it’s NOT DONE! You can use a fork, tongs, or just your fingers. I try to pull in chunks that are ‘a hearty bite’ in size, but sometimes you’ll have tiny bits and that’s okay, too. THROW OUT any bone, connective tissue, or grody. Don’t serve up yuck to your guests—if a person has to pick out yucky stuff out of their pot roast dinner, you didn’t do it right! If you’re not going to serve this right away, just put it into a Tupperware with about 1/4 cup of liquid from cooking and refrigerate. Most of the time I cook and pull the meat the day before. Don’t add salt or seasoning—that’s where your gravy will come in.

The potatoes: I like to cut baby or fingerling potatoes in half and roast them in the oven (at 400 degrees) until brown on top. I arrange them so that the cut side is facing up and drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (don’t go crazy—just make sure a bit of each spice is on each potato). It takes about 30 minutes and should be done right before serving.

The carrots: this is new for me—and oh DANG, is it good. These are cleaned baby carrots that were grilled in a cast iron pan with 2 pats of butter plus a sprinkle of SUGAR. I just kept rollin’ them around that butter until they started to get all caramelized and yum. Total time on heat is about 6 minutes—again, do this right before serving.

The gravy: this is what separates the girls from the women. Gravy is so easy to make, and the only talents you need are the ability to stir and patience. I’m gonna have to do a whole gravy post some day. For now, here’s the basic idea: start with equal parts flour and butter in a pan that can hold 8+ cups of fluid on medium heat. I usually go with about 1/3 cup each (flour/butter) but how much you use depends on the amount of gravy you’re making. I’ve heard 1 tablespoon of roux (flour + butter) will thicken a maximum of 1 cup broth/liquid. I find it’s less than that, though. SO! Stir, stir, stir until it’s all melty and nice. Then SLOWLY add in about 1/2 cup at a time of that reserved liquid from the cooking of the meat. (Feel free to skim the fat off the top, or use it! Either way is fine.) Don’t add more until it’s all soaked up. For a while, it’s going to keep looking like a flour-y ball o’ goo. Don’t speed up. Don’t rush it. Just keep SLOWLY adding SMALL amounts of fluid. This will keep you smooth as silk, and prevent too much liquid from being added.

Then when you feel like it looks good, add a healthy pinch of salt and pepper and reduce to low heat. Keep adding liquid if needed as it thickens further. When you taste test, use a tiny bite of the pot roast to dip into the gravy. This will give you a better read on what it’s going to taste like and if it needs more salt or pepper. Gravy additives, coloring, or anything else are UNWANTED! Get them away—you do not need it. It takes me about 20 minutes to make gravy just right. Bottom line? The tears of pleasure from food nirvana are WORTH IT.

Mushrooms: optional but awesome (and I hate mushrooms!). Get a pan hot, put a bit of oil, and brown up some sliced mushrooms. Then dump into the gravy and let them float around while you pull everything else together.

If meat was prepped day before, throw it all into a big pan on medium heat and well, heat it up. I throw in a splash of broth/stock just enough to coat the bottom of the pan so that things stay nice and moist.

Put some potatoes and meat down, drizzle with gravy, serve, and enjoy!

(If there’s any left, dump it all together in a Tupperware and reheat in a pan or microwave. It’ll be yum.)