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I wasn’t even sure what to call this. All I knew was, I made a pot roast and used beer for the liquid instead of broth or wine or water or consomme.
I wasn’t sure whether to call it “Beer Pot Roast” or “Pot Roast with Beer” or “Beer Roast” or “Drunk Pot Roast.” None sounded appealing. So I decided to go with a standard title for such a dish: Beer-Braised Pot Roast. And that’s exactly what it is: Pot Roast with the beef braised in beer.
But then I changed my mind. It is technically a pot roast, but other than the onions, there aren’t any other vegetables: no carrots, no potatoes, no nuttin’.
So I changed that to Beer-Braised Beef.
Then I changed it to Beer-Braised Beef with Onions.
Then I decided to quit obsessing.
And besides, I don’t care what you call it. I only care that you eat it!
Eat, my friends! Eat!
Start with a nice chuck roast—mine was 2 1/2 pounds, but you can go larger.
Sprinkle it generously with kosher salt…
And plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Mince up plenty of garlic…
Then grab some onions.
Whack ’em in half from root to tip…
Cut off the tops and bottoms, then peel off the outer skin and cut the onions into thick slices.
I didn’t happen to get photos of the onion slicing process because I was eager to start cooking.
And because I’m an airhead.
Heat olive oil in a heavy dutch oven over high heat.
Then throw the meat in the oil to sear.
Sear both sides, about two minutes per side. You want the meat to have a nice, deep color.
Remove the meat from the pan and set it on a plate for a minute.
Reduce heat to low…
Then throw in the onions and garlic.
Stir it around…
Then pour in two cans of *URP* beer.
It’ll bubble and sizzle and you’ll smell it immediately.
Next, throw in some more salt and pepper, as well as some ground thyme…
And some rosemary leaves. Fresh or dried—whatever you have!
At this point, be sure you taste the liquid and make sure it doesn’t need more salt. You don’t want to undersalt this, and keep in mind that the beer isn’t salty like broth normally is.
Finally, add the meat to the pot, pressing it down to submerge it in the liquid.
Put on the lid, then pop it in the oven for 2 1/2 or 3 hours, or until the meat is falling apart and fork tender. If it’s not, it needs to cook longer!
Even if it looks done, you need to give it the ol’ two fork test: stick in two forks and pull in opposite directions. The meat should give little to no resistance.
Throw the meat onto a cutting board…
And quickly shred it up. You can either serve it immediately or return it to the cooking liquid to keep warm until you’re ready to serve.
Slice up some crusty, buttery bread (I’ll show you how to make this later this week.)
And serve slices of it on the plate next to the meat. Spoon the cooking liquid—and plenty of the soft onions—over the meat.
A spinach salad is the perfect finishing touch.
You’ll love this meal! The beer gives it a slightly different—but pleasant—flavor. The onions give it a little oopmh. You can serve it with mashed potatoes or egg noodles, or by itself.
Enjoy!
