Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon, diced
- 1 (4 to 4 1/2 pound) beef chuck roast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound thinly sliced yellow onions (about 4 cups)
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, stems trimmed, wiped clean, and quartered
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (12-ounce) beer
- 1 cup beef stock or low-sodium beef broth
- 3 cups peeled, seeded, and diced tomatoes and their juices
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch sticks
- 1/4 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 3-inch sticks
- 1/2 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch wedges
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- Polenta, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Heat a large Dutch oven or roasting pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until the bacon is brown and the fat is rendered, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside. Leave the pot on the heat.
Season the roast on all sides with the salt and pepper. Add the roast to the bacon fat remaining in the pan and sear on all sides until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the roast from the pan and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and cook until wilted and fragrant, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are soft and are beginning to color, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 45 seconds. Add the beer, beef stock, tomatoes and their juices, and the roast to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot tightly, place in the oven, and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Carefully remove the roast from the oven and add the carrots, parsnips and turnips. Turn the meat, basting with the pan juices. Cover tightly and return to the oven. Bake until the meat shreds easily and the vegetables are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending upon the size of the meat.
Remove and discard the bay leaf. Remove the roast from the pan and let sit on a cutting board until cool enough to handle. Using two forks or a knife and form, shred the meat. Skim the fat from the pan juices and discard. Return the meat to the pan, add the parsley, and stir well. To serve, spoon the polenta into wide entree bowls and spoon the pot roast, vegetables, and gravy on top.
Polenta:
- 4 cups water
- 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups polenta or yellow cornmeal
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Combine the water, 2 1/2 cups of the milk, the garlic, bay leaf, salt, and pepper in a large, heavy saucepan, and bring to a boil. Gradually whisk in the polenta and reduce the heat to low. Cook uncovered, stirring often with a large wooden spoon, until smooth and creamy, 35 to 40 minutes, adding the additional 1/4 cup milk as needed if the mixture gets too thick. Add the butter and cheese and stir until melted. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve immediately. Yield: about 5 cups
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By ChefTB2005
New York, NY
on July 23, 2012
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Soo good! I made this using 2.5 lbs beef chuck STEAKS (not a roast..didn't pre read the recipe properly. Roasted it for the full 3 hours. So tender that it fell apart as I lifted the meat out of the pot. Also, I used Blue Moon beer (makes sense to use what you drink and turkey bacon. I agree that the bacon was not necessary, at all. Had to use olive oil to make the "grease" anyway.
On the 2nd night, I added the polenta. OMG. Everyone wanted seconds!!!
By iluvteaching
on July 07, 2011
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This is one of my favorite recipes EVER!!! I don't have time to cook for hours when I get home, so I have always prepped everything the night before and then thrown it all in the crock pot the next morning; low for about 8-10 hours yields the most tender, flavorful meat. I have made it exactly like the recipe (with the exception that I use tri-tip roast and make mashed potatoes instead of the polenta and like it with red wine as well as beer. The sauce is delicious as gravy.
By tht523_12036695
Schaumburg, 52
on November 17, 2009
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I did not see this Emeril episode. I made the pot roast according to the recipe, but just with no turnips or parsnips, just carrots. There was a large amount of liquid. I took some out and cooked it down for the gravy and that was rather tasty. The bacon fat gave it no particular flavor -- could have used any kind of oil with the same result. The final roast was all right. Not really worth the prep work. I did like the idea of polenta as a side dish, but you can make that with any pot roast. I think I will just stick with mom's no recipe "recipe" in the future as it is just as good, and the vegetables get browned, as opposed to just sort of boiled in this recipe. This was rather disappointing.
Read all 35 reviews