One Man's Pot Roast
A Generous serving for 8-10 hungry people
Ingredients
7 1/2 lbs. beef rump roast, in 2 pieces
(You can use chuck roast, or any other cheap cut;
don't use an expensive cut, as it won't be as flavorful!)
2 lbs. carrots, peeled, ~1 inch chunks
2 lbs. onions, peeled, cut in sixteenths
2 lbs. potatoes, peeled, ~1 inch chunks
10 oz. button mushrooms, washed, trimmed, halved
3 heads garlic, peeled, thickly sliced (2-4 slices per clove)
1 bottle cheap red wine
basil; marjoram; thyme; sage; coriander seed; black pepper;
rosemary; tarragon; bay leaves; oregano; cinnamon (!);olive oil.
Instructions
Put most of the veggies in a HUGE pot, reserving some to cover the meat.
Trim any big slabs o' fat off the beef.
Add a little olive oil to a cast iron skillet and heat it up;
use a lot of flame. Add the beef chunks, one at a time, and sear on all sides
over quite high heat; you can let 'em get nice and dark.
(Use a big meat fork to turn them and stand them on their ends.)
Add the meat to the HUGE pot, then add the reserved veggies to make a
fairly level surface.
Season liberally with the first 8 seasonings, more sparingly
with the last 3. Pour the wine over everything, then add filtered or
spring water (unless you have really excellent tap
water) to just cover everything. (The veggies will shrink down and
give up a lot of water during cooking.) Bring to a boil over maximum
flame, pushing things around (you won't really be able to stir yet) occasionally.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. When things come to a boil, transfer
the pot to the oven and bake covered, stirring every 45 minutes or so.
If the fluid level starts to drop too low, (uncovering the meat) add a bit more water
and reduce the temp. to 325°F or even 300°F.
Make sure the meat stays immersed, but don't add any more water than is absolutely
necessary.Pot roast is done when the meat can be cut with a spoon.
For 3-4 lb. pieces of rump roast, this took 5 hours.
Bigger pieces should take a little longer, smaller ones slightly less.
Chuck might take longer, while shoulder might take less.
Serve in bowls, with a green salad, bread to dip in the broth, and plenty of salt.
(You can salt it just before serving if you like, but I prefer
to let people pick their own level of saltiness.)
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