First, we start with a beef roast. It doesn't matter what cut, it's going to be "falling apart" tender.
I put a couple of tablespoons of oil in a black dutch oven, and add a little minced garlic for flavor. Let the oil get hot, you'll see the garlic sauteing when the time is right.
Sear the beef. With a big meat fork, put it in the oil. Let the hot oil sear the beef. Turn it until it's completely seared, then take it out of the oil. Set it aside, it's time to make a roux.
Add flour to the oil and stir it. The flour suspends in the oil and cooks. The flour on the bottom of the pot cooks more quickly, so you have to stir the roux. Stir it non-stop, you're only going to be here three or four minutes, but if you walk off it will burn. You cannot leave a roux. You'll notice at the top left of the photo, a large container of water. I don't leave my roux long enough to get water, I have it ready for when the roux is the proper color. The color in the photo is about right. Keep stirring and add the water. Some of the water will flash to steam, but that's okay, you're making gravy.
Put the seared roast in the gravy. Add a whole onion, a little salt and pepper. You can add some carrots if you like, but if you put potatoes in the pot, they'll cook to nothing. We're basically boiling this piece of beef in gravy. When it comes out, it'll be tender and mouth-watering.
Put a lid on the dutch oven and put it in a 350F oven for 4 hours. Four hours later, let's take a look.
I think in another hour, it'll be time to make a pot of rice.
What's the advantage of leaving the onion whole? If you slice it or quarter it, I suppose it would, like the 'taters, cook down to nothing, but it seems a whole onion wouldn't flavor as well as a cut onion.
ReplyDeleteOkay, Cap. That onion cooks in the gravy and gets tender, tender. It basically becomes a side dish all it's own. You get some flavor from it, but oh, my, it's good all by itself.
ReplyDeleteWe fight over it. I normally cut it into quarters and serve it to those who like such things.
What time's supper??? :-)
ReplyDeleteI see the potroast but where's the cobbler?? Grammy always made a cobbler! I can smell her kitchen and hear him teasing... thank you for the lovely memories this morning. :)
ReplyDeleteI understand your reasoning for leaving the onion whole, but I always cut up several onions when I make a roast. I always assumed your gravy would suffer without the onions cooking down to become part of the gravy. Looks good, I think I might have a deer roast in my freezer.
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