New Orleans Daube

A Creole pot roast served over spaghetti, which is about as New Orleans as it gets. A 4 to 5 pound beef roast braises for 3 hours in a sealed Dutch oven with salt pork, onion, garlic, sherry, bay leaves, thyme, and ground cloves. The result is fork-tender beef swimming in dark, aromatic pan juices that get tossed with the pasta like a gravy.

Salt pork layered in with the roast renders slowly during the braise, basting the beef in pork fat and adding a rich, salty backbone to the pan juices. It’s an old Creole technique that elevates a simple pot roast into something far more complex.

The foil-under-the-lid seal is critical. It traps every bit of steam and moisture inside the pot, so the roast essentially steams and braises simultaneously. Don’t lift that lid until near the end. Every peek releases steam and extends cooking time.

Ground cloves are the unexpected spice here. Just half a teaspoon adds a warm, slightly sweet undertone that distinguishes this from a standard pot roast without being identifiable as clove.

Chef Tips

• Use rump, round, or rolled chuck. These tougher, cheaper cuts have the connective tissue that breaks down into gelatin during the long braise, making the meat tender and the gravy silky.
• Keep the oven at a true low temperature. The gentle heat over 3 hours is what turns tough meat tender without drying it out.
• Strain and thicken the pan juices with a flour slurry if you want a more traditional gravy consistency.
• Slice the meat against the grain for the most tender results.

Variations

• Red wine daube: Replace the water with red wine for a deeper, more French-influenced braise.
• Add root vegetables: Toss in carrots and potatoes during the last hour for a complete one-pot meal.
• Gravy over rice: Serve the sliced daube and gravy over steamed rice instead of spaghetti for a more Cajun-leaning plate.