Is there really anything better on a bitter cold night than enjoying a tender pot roast? This is another dish that every person in a family cooks a little bit different. There is no perfect pot roast, just like there is no perfect pie. There are just too many ways you can prepare it.

The way I prefer to make pot roast is the low and slow method. It is no secret that cooking meat slowly brings out tenderness in the most stubborn of meats. This is one reason why pot roast is popular because you can use a less expensive cut of meat, and yet enjoy a delicious dish.

I normally do not include side dishes in my main course recipes, however, the texmati rice recipe I am about to show you, really will not work without some parts of the pot roast.

Ingredients:

Pot roast:

• 1 3-4 large pot roast, brought to room temperature.
• 1 large Spanish onion, cut into a large dice.
• 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped.
• 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes.
• 1/2 pound small white button mushrooms (fresh and whole), cleaned.
• 1/2 to 1 cup of beef broth/stock.
• Kosher salt.
• Fresh ground pepper.
• 2 sprigs of rosemary, whole.
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, divided (two 1/4 teaspoons).
• Canola oil.
• 2 1/2 tablespoons flour.

Rice:

• 1 cup texmati rice.
• 2 1/2 cups beef stock
• 2 bay leaves.
• Extra virgin olive oil.
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves.
• Salt and pepper.

Preheat the over to 220 – 225.

Liberally season one side of the pot roast with salt, and pepper. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of cumin all over. Press into the meat with a spoon. Do the same to the other side.

Heat a large heavy pot preferably a dutch oven, but any pot that can be placed in the oven, on medium high heat. Once the pot has heated (cast iron pots can take 5- 10 minutes) add enough canola oil to coat the bottom of the pot about 1/2 inch.

Place the pot roast, fatty side down, into the pan and let sear for about 4-5 minutes. You want a nice dark brown color and a hard crust. Don’t play with it until you check, about 4 minutes into it. Turn and repeat on the other side. Remove from the pot and set aside.

Turn the heat down to medium low (may take a couple minutes for a cast iron pot to cool down). Add the onions and stir for about two minutes. Add the garlic and stir for about a minute until the aroma really takes off. SLOWLY stir in the beef stock to the pan until it is just covering the onion and garlic. Using a wooden spoon, deglaze the pan (scrape the bottom of the inside of the pot getting the burned on bits back into the liquid). You want to get all of those bits back into the stock. As soon as the stock begins to bubble, remove from heat.

Place the pot roast back into the pan and lay the mushrooms all around it on the sides. If the mushrooms have long stems, break them off and throw them in the pot. Open the can of crushed tomatoes and pour AROUND the pot roast until the liquid reaches half way up the roast. You do not want to cover the roast in liquid! Place the rosemary sprigs on top of the roast (not in the liquid).

Cover with the lid and make sure it is tight. Place in the oven and cook for 5 hours. Other than checking it half way through, refrain from removing the lid.

After four hours, start your rice. With regular texmati rice, this usually means for every cup of rice, add 2 1/2 cups of liquid, and 1 tablespoon oil. If your texmati comes with a different liquid specification, then use that. Just don’t use water, use beef stock in the same amount. Add all of the rice ingredients (salt & pepper to taste) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes (unless directions on the box differ). Remove from heat, and let stand uncovered for a few minutes.

Remove the pot from the oven and remove the pot roast carefully (it will be tender) to a cutting board and let rest.

Meanwhile, strain the liquid from the pot into a bowl. Whatever is in the strainer, add to the rice. You may want to add a couple tablespoons of the liquid to the rice too, optional.

Place the pot on the stove and heat to medium. Add about 2 tablespoons of canola oil and a couple tablespoons of flour to make a roux (rue). Basically you want a paste of flour here, not too dry, and not too wet. You want to cook out the starchy flavor of the flour for about 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low.

Using a ladle, begin stirring in some of the liquid reserved in the bowl to the roux. Keep adding it until you are satisfied with the gravy. This will probably be about 2-3 cups of liquid. The more you stir, the less of a chance you will have lumps. The gravy will have to come to a boil before you know how thick it will be. Keep adding liquid until desired thickness.

Slice the roast and plate. Cover each piece with some of the gravy. Serve with the rice.