Pot Roast

Pot roast is a very easy dish to cook, and is a great way to take a tough cut of meat like a chuck roast or a sirloin and make it very tender and easy to eat.

Pot roast is also very flexible, so most of the amounts in this recipe are approximate and can be adjusted to your preference.

Ingredients

Meat

• 2-3 lb roast
• Salt and pepper

I used a bottom sirloin for these pictures, but you can use other cuts. Any lean cut, such as sirloin, chuck, or short rib will work well.

Vegetables

• 2 yellow onions, cut into wedges
• 16 oz mushrooms
• 10 small red potatoes, sliced in half

You can also add or substitute other vegetables you may like, for example carrots.

Braising Liquid

• 12 oz beef broth
• 12 oz beer
• 1/4 cup flour for thickening, optional

You can also use different braising liquids, depending on what kind of flavor you like. You could use half wine half beef broth, all wine, all beef broth, or even just water.

Directions

1. Season the roast generously on all sides.
2. In a large pot, sear the roast on all sides on medium high. If your roast has a fat cap, sear the fat cap first to render it and generate some liquid fat for cooking the other sides. If not, you can add a tablespoon or two of oil. Let each side sear undisturbed for at least two minutes to get a nice browning.
3. Add the mushrooms and onions, and cook until softened and onions are translucent.
4. Rest the roast on top of the vegetables, and add the potatoes on top.
5. Add your braising liquid.
6. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly, and lower temperature to medium low. Simmer for 3-4 hours.
   • The cook time depends on how tender you want your roast to be. If you want your roast to be more firm and carve it, lean towards the lower 3 hours. If you want your roast to fall apart and shred it, lean towards the higher 4 hours.
7. Remove from heat.
8. If you want to thicken your liquid into a gravy before serving, you can add the 1/4 cup of flour. To do this, remove the vegetables and roast. Ladle some of the liquid into a separate bowl, combine with the flour in the bowl until you get a slurry, and stir the slurry back into the rest of the liquid. This will keep the flour from clumping too much and help it distribute evenly.
   • Another option is to uncover or half-cover the roast for the last hour of cooking. This will reduce the sauce, to help thicken it slightly (but not nearly as much as the flour would)
9. If you want to shred your pot roast, go ahead and do so with a couple of forks.