Paleo Pot Roast

We just got our new order of bulk beef, but I had few cuts left over from the old stash that I still needed to use up.  So, I began scouring the web for a pot roast recipe to make with my bottom round roast.   I borrowed from a couple of places for inspiration to come up with my own recipe, which I share with you here.   Credit to Paleodietsmoothies and IEatMostlyMeat for inspiration.

Kendra’s Paleo Pot Roast

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb bottom round roast (mine was 4lbs)
• 4-5 cloves garlic, mashed and diced (or minced)
• seasonings:  I had some fresh thyme and some dried oregano I sprinkled on, use what you have or what sounds good
• olive oil or grapeseed oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan (~1-2 Tbsp)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2-3 celery stalks, chopped into bite size pieces
• 2-3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into bite size pieces
• 2-3 parsnips, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup beef broth or chicken stock (I used chicken b/c I had some to use up).
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.

Smash (or mince) garlic and rub it all over the outside of the roast, along with a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.  I also sprinkled my oregano at this point, but waited on my thyme stalks.

Pour enough oil to cover the bottom of a pot, and heat to medium heat. You need a pot that can go in the oven and has a lid — I used my dutch oven.

When the oil is hot, put the roast in and brown all the sides, ~2 minutes per side.  You are just trying to get a seared edge and to seal in the juices of the meat.

When the meat is browned, add the thyme and vegetables.  Then pour the wine and broth over the meat, put the lid on and transfer to the oven.

Let it cook for 2-3 hours at 325, or you can do it even longer at a lower temp (300).   Or, if you are doing this in a crockpot, this is the point you’d put everything in the crockpot and let it cook on low all day.   The slow coking slowly breaks down the tough cut of meat and imparts the flavor of the seasoning and veggies.

Verdict: everyone liked it!  The meat was tender and had good flavor.   I had never used parsnips before but they were a great substitute for potatoes.  My dad, a real meat & potatoes kind of guy, didn’t even know he’d been snookered 😉