Friday Night Pot Roast
Submitted by ziggy2652
Friday night pot roast marinated overnight in red wine, apple juice, and aromatics, then braised low and slow for 4 hours. A make-ahead roast with a reduced wine sauce, served chilled and reheated.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
COOK
6 hrsREADY
24 hrsThis is a weekend project disguised as a Friday night dinner. The beef round roast marinates overnight in a cooked mixture of red wine, apple juice, carrots, onions, garlic, shallots, and a spice bag of parsley, dill, bay leaf, and thyme. That overnight soak is where the flavor penetration happens, turning a lean cut into something rich and deeply seasoned.
After marinating, the meat gets browned, the drained vegetables go back in with the strained marinade and tomato puree, and everything braises in a low oven for 3 ½ to 4 hours with regular turning and basting. Whole cloves, allspice, and a touch of curry powder give the sauce an unusual warmth that sets this apart from a typical pot roast.
The genius move is the make-ahead approach. After braising, both the meat and sauce chill separately so you can remove congealed fat from the surface. Slice the cold meat thin against the grain, reheat in the defatted, reduced sauce, and serve on a warmed platter garnished with watercress. The result is cleaner, more polished, and more flavorful than serving it straight from the oven.
Chef Tips
- Cook the marinade before pouring it over the meat. Hot liquid penetrates the beef faster and infuses more flavor overnight
- Brown the meat thoroughly on all sides. This creates fond that dissolves into the braising liquid for a richer sauce
- Turn and baste the roast every hour during braising. The top dries out quickly in a low oven
- Slice the roast cold against the grain for the thinnest, most tender slices
Variations
- Use beef brisket or chuck roast for a fattier, more forgiving cut that shreds instead of slicing
- Replace apple juice with apple cider for a slightly more tangy, complex flavor
- Skip the overnight chill and serve same-day if you’re short on time, though the defatting step makes a real difference
Ingredients
Directions
Place parsley, dill, bay leaf and thyme into a spice bag.
Put meat into large narrow pot or bowl that will just hold it, leaving room for liquid (cut meat in ½ to fit if necessary).
In medium saucepan combine onion, carrots, pepper, garlic, shallots, spice bag, cloves, spices, apple juice and water.
Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmering and cook for 3 min.
Stir in wine.
Pour over meat.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 300 F.
Drain meat, pushing off vegetables.
Remove and reserve spice bag.
Strain marinade into bowl, reserving solids.
Heat oil in heavy Dutch oven over med-hi heat.
Brown meat all over; add drained vegetables.
Stir and cook with meat until they begin to soften.
Add reserved marinade, spice bag and tomato purée, turning meat and spooning several times with sauce.
Cover and cook over moderate heat for 5 min.
Position oven rack to lower third of oven.
Bake 1 hr.
Turn meat and baste. Repeat turning and basting 3 more times until meat is tender (3½ to 4 hrs).
Remove pot from oven and let stand 30 min.
Discard spice bag.
Transfer meat to bowl with cover.
Place pot over medium high heat and bring sauce to boil. Cook, uncovered, until reduced by ¼.
Let cool; then pour into another container with tight lid.
Refrigerate meat and sauce until well chilled.
Cut away any congealed fat from sauce.
Pour sauce into wide heavy-bottom saucepan.
Heat until bubbling.
Sprinkle with salt.
Cut meat against grain into ¼ inch slices.
Immerse in sauce and heat through. Arrange meat on warmed serving platter in a neat pattern. Spoon with some of gravy; serve remainder in gravy boat. Garnish platter with watercress.
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