We started with a trip to Earth Fare, where Jackson screamed out in the produce section, "GAH! What is THAT?" when I picked up the small carrots with the green tops still intact. Remember back before carrots came prewashed in bags? I do. Apparently my kids do not. We had a long talk about food that comes from the Earth, as we walked to the meat counter, and I was relatively certain that I was in the running for mom of the year.
Back at home, we washed and peeled the carrots and trimmed the greenery. When I say we, what I mean is, I did all of this while Jackson watched TV and Caroline splashed in the sink. Feel free to revoke that mom of the year award at any time.
I set the 4-pound roast out on the counter to start coming up to room temperature while I was working on the carrots, and gave it a good rub-down with salt, pepper, and instant ground coffee. Then I seared it on all sides before putting it in the crock pot. This step definitely adds some time and extra mess in the kitchen, but the sear is so crucial. Plus you get to make some yummy sauce from all the dark bits in the pan.
After the sear and transfer to the crock pot, I reached the most important point in the process: Opening two dark beers at 8am on a Sunday. I would be lying if I said that I didn't take a taste. But just a tiny one...
The broth mixture turned out well. I couldn't find the concentrated stock called for in the recipe, so I just used a regular stock but reduced it for quite awhile.
Then I poured it over the meat in the crockpot and put the pearl onions and carrots on top. I've never put the vegetables on top like this, when I've made roasts in the past, but it is pure genius! The carrots were cooked perfectly!
Nine hours later, the meat was falling apart and the vegetables were rich and cooked through, but still with a little bite.
The grits were made stove-top, alongside the gravy. I had far more liquid than I needed, perhaps because I used regular stock instead of concentrated stock. But the flavor was amazing!
I have never served roast on a bed of grits before, but it was perfect. This dish plated just as beautifully at home as it did on the magazine cover. The kids ate it, and Jonathan and I went back for seconds (and thirds).
Seriously good food. I will absolutely make this again.
Ingredients
1 pound small carrots with tops, peeled
1 (3- to 4-lb.) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons instant dark roast coffee
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (12-oz.) bottles stout beer
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 (1-oz.) containers home-style concentrated beef stock (from a 4.66-oz. package)
2 pounds pearl onions
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Hot cooked grits
Garnish: fresh thyme sprigs
Preparation
1. Cut tops from carrots, leaving 1 inch of greenery on each. Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper. Rub coffee over roast, and let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Cook roast in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until browned, reserving drippings in skillet. Place roast in a 6-qt. slow cooker.
2. Add tomato paste and garlic to hot drippings, and sauté 1 minute. Slowly add beer, whisking constantly. Stir in thyme and concentrated beef stock; bring to a boil. Boil, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes or until mixture reduces to about 3 cups.
3. Pour beer mixture over roast. Top roast with onions and carrots. Cover and cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours or until roast is fork-tender. Transfer roast to a serving platter, and shred into large chunks, discarding any large pieces of fat. Spoon vegetables onto platter around roast.
4. Skim fat from cooking liquid; transfer cooking liquid to a large saucepan. Whisk in vinegar. Whisk together cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl until smooth; add to mixture in pan, stirring until blended. Bring mixture to a boil, and boil, whisking often, 1 minute or until sauce reaches desired thickness. Serve sauce with roast, vegetables, and hot cooked grits.
2. Add tomato paste and garlic to hot drippings, and sauté 1 minute. Slowly add beer, whisking constantly. Stir in thyme and concentrated beef stock; bring to a boil. Boil, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes or until mixture reduces to about 3 cups.
3. Pour beer mixture over roast. Top roast with onions and carrots. Cover and cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours or until roast is fork-tender. Transfer roast to a serving platter, and shred into large chunks, discarding any large pieces of fat. Spoon vegetables onto platter around roast.
4. Skim fat from cooking liquid; transfer cooking liquid to a large saucepan. Whisk in vinegar. Whisk together cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl until smooth; add to mixture in pan, stirring until blended. Bring mixture to a boil, and boil, whisking often, 1 minute or until sauce reaches desired thickness. Serve sauce with roast, vegetables, and hot cooked grits.
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