Perfect Braised Pot Roast Recipes

Steps:

• Trim fat from beef. Cut a length of kitchen string about four times the length of the roast and wrap once around the length, then around width several times, tying where it comes together.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over moderately high heat. Brown beef on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
• Add vegetables to pan and saute for about 7 minutes or until browned and slightly softened. Transfer to a plate.
• Return beef to pan. Add wine vinegar, stock, herbs, salt and pepper. Stir to blend. Cover and simmer gently about two hours, turning meat every 30 minutes.
• Return vegetables to pot, cover, and simmer about 15 m inutes, or until beef is very tender.
• Discard bay leaf. Slice meat and arrange on platter surrounded by vegetables. Serve with pot juices.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a casserole large enough to hold the meat, heat the butter. When foaming subsides add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes or until they take on some color. With a slotted spoon remove them and reserve for later.
• Add the oil to the casserole and heat over high heat. Add the beef and brown the meat on all sides; this should take 15 minutes to get a deep golden color. Return the vegetables to the casserole, stuffing them underneath the meat. Add the garlic, tomatoes, bouquet garni. Heat the casserole until you hear it sizzle, drape the meat loosely with aluminum foil, cover the casserole tightly and place it in the lower third of the oven.
• Cook for 1 hour, turn the meat over, lower the heat to 325 and continue to cook until the beef is tender, another 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove the meat to a platter. Strain cooking juices into a saucepan, pressing down hard on the vegetables to extract their liquid. Let liquid settle for a minute, then skim off surface fat. Heat the liquid and reduce slightly; adjust seasoning. Slice the roast and spoon the gravy over the top. Serve with braised carrots and boiled parslied potatoes (make extra for cold potato salad and beef salad next day).

Steps:

• Tie roast firmly with string; brush all sides with oil and set on a jelly roll pan; brown slowly on all sides under the broiler; watch closely and do not burn.
• In a heavy saucepan, stir 5 T oil with the flour; continue stirring over moderate heat until roux turns a dark nutty brown,about 10 minutes, do not burn;remove from heat, let cool a bit and stir in beef stock; set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350°; using 2 tsp (less if using salted bouillon), salt the meat on all sides and set fat side up in a large, covered roaster or roasting pan with 3"-4" high sides.
• Place the vegetables, garlic and herb bouquet around the roast and pour in the wine and stock/roux mixture; add more stock if necessary to come almost halfway up the meat.
• Bring to a simmer on top of the stove; cover (use aluminum foil if necessary) and set in the lower third of the oven; bake 1/2 hour or until sauce is bubbling quietly; baste with the gravy and turn heat down to 325°.
• The gravy should continue bubbling gently throughout the cooking so regulate oven accordingly; baste and check every 1/2 hour for another 2 hours; begin testing for doneness with a meat thermometer; remove pan from oven.
• Allow roast to rest 1/2 hour, basting every 10 minutes and turning it several times; remove roast from pan; sieve contents of roaster into a saucepan and squeeze juices out of the braised vegetables into the saucepan.
• Simmer liquid and skim fat from its surface for 1/2 hour; simmer down until the sauce coats a spoon as it will the meat; taste for seasoning and strength; if necessary thin with more stock or thicken with 2T or more of potato flour or cornstarch stirred into several spoons of stock or wine, simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• (Roast may be carved and served at this point but is better if cooked several hours or a day in advance).
• If not serving immediately, pour the sauce around the meat, cover with foil and refrigerate; the roast may be reheated whole or sliced and sauced.
• To reheat whole, cover the meat closely and place in a 300° oven or simmer it over very low heat on top of the stove, turning it every 15 minutes until internal temperature is 120°, about 30-40 minutes; just before serving, cut and discard the trussing string.
• To reheat sliced and sauced, return the sliced beef and sauce to the roaster or a large baking pan; cover; baste with the sauce every 10 minutes and warm through slowly in a 300° oven.

Steps:

• Combine first four ingredients; rub onto roast. In a skillet, brown roast in oil. Place in a roasting pan. Add water, onion, green pepper, garlic and seasonings. Cover and bake at 325° for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until roast is tender. , Remove and keep warm. Discard bay leaf. Skim fat from pan juices. Measure juices and transfer to a saucepan. , For each cup of juices, combine 1 tablespoon flour with 2 tablespoons water; mix well. Stir flour mixture into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve gravy with roast.

Steps:

• Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot that has a tight cover; heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat. Brown the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Pour in the tomatoes and the water. Scatter the vegetables and herbs around the pot roast, season with salt and pepper; and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Braise for about 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork tender.
• Slice the pot roast and arrange on platter surrounded by the vegetables. Serve with the pot juices.