If you don't have yet, you need one, it is an essential for any kitchen...
DUTCH OVEN...
It took me awhile to save up for this, but it is well worth the time and money I spent on it...Actually, I didn't spend any money because I saved 6 William Sonoma gift cards I received over the years to purchase this cooking gem...Above is my 7.5 QT Le Creuset Dutch Oven, my pride & joy!!!
If you don't have a dutch oven, don't despair...you can use your crock pot, but I personally like a dutch oven because I can sear the meat in the same pot I braise it in, I can control the heat (my crock pot only has two temp low & high) and ultimately I think it produces better flavor...
Ok, to my fabulous Slow Roasted Chuck Roast...We bought a quarter cow (grassed, of course) over a year ago and have a few parts of the it left...I never really buy Chuck at the store because I always think it takes too long to cook it, but since I have it already I decided to cook it...Chuck is the cow's shoulder and is very muscular so it takes awhile to cook, usually braise (combination cooking method using both dry and moist heats : 1) sear over dry heat 2) then you slow cook in liquid)
Anyhow, I am going to start buying more Chuck more often because it's so easy to make and using my dutch oven it's a One Pot Wonder!!!
Ingredients
- 4-5 lb Chuck Roast (grassfed & finished preferred)
Note: Meat shrinks about 20%-25% when you slowly cook it.
- 1 Yellow Onion, chopped
- 5 Carrots, chopped
- 6 Celery Stalks, chopped
- 8 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Leek
- 2 TBS Coconut Oil
- 32 oz Beef or Chicken stock (homemade preferred), you can also use water
- Salt & Pepper
- Curry Powder
- Chile Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Cardamom Powder
Instructions
1. Preheat Oven 250 degrees.
2. Season the meat. Coat the meat with salt and pepper. Place the rest of the seasonings in a bowl and mix. (I usually make extra seasonings and save for other occasion.) Using a strainer, heavily sprinkle the seasonings over the entire meat. This is very important when searing the meat. (Note: If I wasn't on the Whole30 I would season flour and coat the meat because the flour helps give it a better sear).
3. Turn the stove on high and heat the coconut oil in the dutch oven. Oil must cover the the entire bottom. When hot, place the meat in pot and sear all sides.
4. Heat the stock or water in a medium size pot.
5. After searing remove meat. Bottom of pot should have created a fond (brown pieces, which is where a lot of flavor is hidden so keep this stuff).
5. Add the veggies to the pot and coast with fond. Ladle about half of the hot stock or water into the pot and whisk the bottom to deglaze the pan. Click the video to hear the sizzle - that is how you get rid of the find and deglaze the pan.
6. Add the meat back into the pot. Add the rest of the stock or water. Meat should be submerged into the liquid about 1/3 way.
7. Bring to a boil, cover, and place in the oven.
8. Let cook for 4-5 hours, until for tender. Halfway through the cooking process you can rotate the beef and redistribute the juices.
9. As you can see the meat shrunk, but in doing so it also absorbed all the delicious flavors in the liquid...
10. I served mine on a bed of spinach, with a side of puree cauliflower-parsnips-sweet potato puree and some from tomatillos on top!
BTW, we have leftover for a few days...that is another reason why this dish is a One Pot Wonder!)
