Actually, cooking the roast* is a snap; The 5 days involves aging the meat and making the stock ahead of time.
*The exact same thing can be done with short ribs.
First I got a boneless chuck shoulder roast; Any roast will work. Seasoned with black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, then put on a plate covered with a paper towel. Aged in the fridge for 4 days, turning once a day.
Then I made the stock. See my "stock making" posts for details. According to the recipe, store bought stock will NOT be the same.
The recipe also calls for any type of animal fat (beef, chicken, etc). Since I don't like to mess with animal fat, I used butter. We'll see how it turns out.
I took the aged roast, dusted lightly with flour. Melted butter in a cast iron pot, and browned the roast on all sides. Removed the roast*, deglazed the pot with red wine, returned the roast, added homemade stock, brought to a boil uncovered, then reduced heat, covered, into the oven at 325.
*I recommend you use tongs, not forks, in order to keep in the juices.
After an hour*, I checked for doneness and to see if it needed more stock. Thermometer indicated it was done.
*Next time I'll check it after a half hour. I prefer a medium rare roast.
This is an awfully good roast. Crock pot roast doesn't hold a candle to this, and I do plan to try the same method with short ribs.
My mother is STILL mentioning the Noble Pot Roast she had at our house some years ago. The effort is worth the flavor distinction, and you do still have stock for other endeavors.
ReplyDeleteI tried it; it's an awfully good roast, and this is coming from someone who doesn't like pot roast.
ReplyDeleteThe aged beef makes the difference. That extra time is worth it.
ReplyDeleteToday Matt went to our local abattoir to pick up the pig for our Fourth of July pig roast. There, he saw some very meaty bones they were selling at 50 pounds for $5.00. Can't beat that for economical stock making.
I knew I was being taken when the meat market told me $4.19 a pound for bones!
ReplyDelete