This recipe is the key to transforming your tougher shoulder roasts such as blade, crosscut and short rib roast into succulent comfort food with loads of flavour. I admit to having a bias against these roasts until I discovered how to cook them properly. This recipe is adapted from The Complete Meat Cookbook and is entitled “Lisa’s Lazy Pot Roast,” though a better title might be “Lisa’s Amazingly Delicious And Tender Pot Roast.” Ideally, coat the roast in the rub the night before so the flavours have time to penetrate the meat.
Ingredients
- Herb and Paprika Rub:
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- t tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pot roast such as crosscut, blade or short rib, 3-5 lbs
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup water, beef or chicken stock, maybe a little more if necessary
- 5 cups thinly sliced onions (about 3 large)
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Combine herbs, paprika, salt and pepper in a bowl. Rub the meat thoroughly with the spice rub. Let sit for an hour or two at room temperature (or overnight in the fridge), or if you’re in a rush, just go ahead and move to the next step right away.
- If you rubbed your roast the night before, be sure to bring the roast to room temperature before proceeding. Just leave it on your counter for a couple hours. This is important to keep your meat tender.
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. In a large, heavy casserole or a Dutch oven, heat the oil over med-high heat. Brown the meat on all sides, about 7 minutes. Remove and set aside. Deglaze the pan with water or stock, loosening any browned bits with a wooden spoon or spatula. Put the roast back in the pan, cover it with the sliced onions and garlic, cover and bake for an hour and 15 minutes.
- Remove the cover, turn the roast over so that it is on top of the onions, and continue to cook, uncovered for another hour, adding more liquid if necessary. Stir the onions around after 30 minutes so they can brown more evenly.
- Drop the heat to 300ºF, Replace the cover and continue to cook for another hour and fifteen minutes or until meat is fork tender. Remove the meat from the pot and let it rest, covered loosely with foil, for 10-15 minutes before serving. It also reheats nicely.