Perfect Pot Roast in Red Wine

About the Dish

Pot roast is a quintessential American dish created by Yankees to keep warm during the brutal New England winters. The first recipes date back to the late 19th century and call for browned (seared) meat cooked with vegetables in a covered pot. The cooking technique relies on braising to tenderize tough cuts of meat, such as beef chuck, short ribs, brisket, and pork shoulder. The long, slow cooking leads to flavorful meat in a rich, savory gravy — a hearty meal perfect for colder months!

Original Recipe

Ingredients:

4 pounds bottom round of beef larded by butcher
1 dozen stuffed green olives
2 cups red wine
¼ tsp thyme
6 medium carrots, scraped
¼ tsp basil
4 thin sliced lemons
1 cup beef bouillon
2 bunches spring onions, chop the tops
1 No. 2 can tiny new potatoes

Directions:

Marinate the roast in the wine, herbs, lemon and one chopped onion overnight. Sear the seasoned meat in olive oil. Remove to casserole, add carrots and onion, bouillon, and wine in which roast has been standing. Brown potatoes in the pan used to sear roast and add to the casserole. Cover and cook in medium over (375 degrees) about 3 hours. It may need more liquid either wine or bouillon – added if it starts to dry out. 16 servings.

How I Cooked It

If you want to impress someone with a homemade yet elegant meal, cook a pot roast. It can be used to impress girlfriends, boyfriends, parents, and inlaws. If you invite someone to dinner hoping to make a good impression, serve a deliciously seasoned, fall-apart, tender and juicy pot roast. It is the perfect meal for every occasion and every guest.

The biggest change I made to this recipe was altering the cooking instructions. I didn’t oven cook my roast for two reasons. First, I didn’t want to take a chance that it would dry out. It would have been a travesty to overcook and dry out the beautiful cut of Certified Angus Beef ® roast I used for the recipe. I just couldn’t bring myself to place it in the oven. Second, in my personal opinion, nothing cooks a roast better than a slow cooker. Slow cooking a roast will give you the fall-apart tender meat that is so sought after in superior cuts of meat. In my experience, you have to slow cook the roast for at least eight hours. Anything short of that will result in a tougher roast. For this type of roast you definitely want to use a bottom round or chuck roast.

Searing the potatoes was a new step and it definitely made a difference. The potatoes absorbed more of the roast seasoning, and searing kept the inside soft and creamy. I do recommend using petite potatoes. They are easier to prepare for this recipe.

This recipe has one flaw, and that’s the stuffed green olives. Like a lot of these community cookbooks, this lists an ingredient but doesn’t tell you how to use it. I didn’t see an obvious place to add the olives, so I snacked on them while the roast cooked. They were delicious.

Ingredients:

4 pounds bottom round or chuck roast larded by butcher
2 cups red wine
¼ tsp thyme
¼ tsp basil
4 thin sliced lemon
2 bunches spring onions, chop the tops (option, I omitted due to allergies)
6 medium carrots, scraped
1 cup beef bouillon
2 Tbsp olive oil
Petite golden potatoes
Salt and pepper
1 dozen stuffed green olives – for snacking

Directions:

Mix wine, herbs, lemon, and onion
Place roast in sealable container or Ziplock bag, pour marinade over roast
Marinate overnight in the refrigerator
Remove roast from marinade, pat dry with paper towel
Salt and pepper both sides of roast
Add olive oil to pan on medium high heat
Sear both sides of roast and move to crockpot
Pour remaining marinade and bouillon dissolved in water over roast.
Cook in slow cooker on the 8-hour setting
When there are 3 hours left on the crockpot, add peeled carrots, cut to desired size
Wash and halve petite potatoes
Sear the cut end of the potatoes until golden brown and add to the crockpot
Cook until done