Weekend Pot Roast

Ingredients:

• 3 to 5 pounds of beef (your choice of chuck, round, or brisket)

• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

• 6 cloves of garlic (minced)

• Red wine

• 2 cups beef broth

• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

• 2 large white onions (diced)

• 1 pound of carrots (cut into bite size pieces)

• 1 pound of potatoes (cut into bite size pieces)

• 2 sprigs of rosemary

• Salt and pepper

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 175 degrees celsius. 

• Use this time to chop up all the necessary ingredients. 

• Prepare your meat by seasoning it with salt and pepper.

• Place your dutch oven pot on the stove over high heat and add vegetable oil.

• Sear the meat on both sides for about 3 to 4 minutes. You’ll want it to look a little browned on each side. 

• Once browned, set aside the meat and add garlic to the pot and stir it around for about a minute or two. Keep your eye on it so it does not burn. 

• Deglaze the pot by adding some red red wine (estimated at around 1 to 2 cups) and the beef broth. Depending on the size of the beef you may adjust the proportions of the wine and broth.

• Once the wine and broth have had a chance to mix together, gently add the meat back into the pot. 

• Add the Worcestershire sauce and onions into the pot and stir it a little so the sauce incorporates and the onions are spread throughout.

• Add the carrots and potatoes into the pot. Some may surround the meat and some may sit on top of it. 

• Add the rosemary sprigs into the mix.

• Place a lid on the pot and place it in the oven. Let it cook for about 3 hours or until the meat is tender.

• Once it’s cooked, you can add additional salt and pepper to taste if needed.

Notes:

• If you do not have a dutch oven, you may use a slow cooker or a pressure cooker. Just repeat the same process and brown the meat in a saucepan or skillet. Carry on with the same steps of the preparation process of the meat and the deglazing of the pan. Once you do that, then you can put everything into the slow cooker or pressure cooker and carry on with the rest of the step such as adding the veggies. For a slow cooker it may take up to 7 or 8 hours to cook, while for a pressure cooker it may take 1 to 2 hours only. 

• If you do not want to use beef you may swap out the meat for chicken, pork, and lamb. 

• You may also swap out the vegetables. Other popular pot roast vegetables are: kidney beans, peas, parsnips, mushrooms, turnips, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, celery, and squash. 

• Remember that cooking time may vary depending on the size and kind of meat and the settings of your oven or cooker. Adjust the settings as you see fit with the meat you have chosen and the method of cooking whether its oven or something else. 

• You could leave out the searing of the meat if you are pressed for time or want to simplify the cooking process. However, it may slightly alter the taste of the dish since searing the meat adds extra flavor. 

• If you do not want to use wine, you may use good quality grape juice, more broth, or use a different kind of alcohol if you are open to experimenting with flavors.