Recipe of the Day: Belgian-Style Pot Roast

Oh joy!  I love Belgian beer, and came across this recipe in the February 2011 issue of BeerAdvocate Magazine.

I highly suggest using a Dutch Oven to cook this recipe if you have one - they are awesome.  Mine is the JC Penney Cooks brand, 7 quart size, which is usually on sale for $89.  Such a great investment!  Everything I have cooked in it has come out tender and juicy.  But I digress...

The Belgian-style pot roast is basically pot roast braised in Belgian beer.  Mouth watering yet?  The key is to use a GOOD Belgian beer.  So we used Chimay Red.  It added a lovely malted beery flavor to the roast.  Delish!!

INGREDIENTS
4-5 lbs boneless chuck roast or beef shoulder
2 tsp kosher salt (we used sea salt)
1 tsp cracked black pepper
2 tsp all-purpose flour
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
6 cups sliced yellow onions (we used less, maybe 2 medium onions)
4 cups sliced leeks (2 leeks)
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dried thyme, or 1/4 cup fresh leaves (about a bunch)
1 tsp kosher salt (again, we used sea salt)
750 mL Belgian Abbey Ale (we used Chimay Red)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Coat the roast with 2 tsp of the salt and the pepper.  Let the meat sit for an hour to allow the salt to pull some of the proteins to the surface, helping to create a wonderful brown crust when seared.  Place a Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat.  Add the butter and oil, and let the butter melt.  Lightly coat the roast in flour, then brown each side for 8-10 minutes.  Remove from the pot and place on a plate.

Add the onions, leeks, bay leaves, thyme and 1 tsp salt.  Saute the onions and leeks until they are tender and slightly browned.

Place the roast in the center of the pot, rotating it back and forth to wrap it in the onions and leeks.  

Pour the Abbey Ale down the side of the pot, then seal the pot with a tight-fitting lid.

Place the Dutch oven into the preheated oven and braise for 3 hours, without opening the lid or the oven door.  The pot roast should be fork-tender and the onions caramelized.  Remove the pan from the oven and, using tongs, carefully remove the roast to a warm plate.  Place the pan over medium heat and reduce the sauce by half.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, cut the pot roast against the grain of the meat into inch-thick slices.  Spoon sauce over the meat.  Serve with buttered egg noodles, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes or rice.

Enjoy!

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