Texans are particular about the tradition of Sunday family dinner. My family enjoyed this pot roast nearly every Sunday (unless we went with fried chicken). This was the type of dinner I dreamed about while I was playing baseball with my friends in Alvin, Texas. My mom served the pot roast, either after church or on special occasions, with a pan gravy made from the drippings, and all the vegetables were cooked right in the pot. Roasts demand patience and some good cooking technique, as the meat tends to have a milder flavor and is less forgiving of over- or undercooking.
SERVES 8 TO 10
PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 2 TO 2½ HOURS
4 cups beef broth
4½ cups water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (2½- to 3-pound) boneless beef roast (shoulder or round), trimmed on all sides
4 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 medium white onions, cut into wedges
1 celery rib, bias-cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 Preheat the oven to 300°F.
2 In a medium bowl, combine the beef broth, 1 cup of the water, the Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Set the sauce aside.
3 Coat the bottom of a heavy roasting pan with the oil, add the meat, and place the pan over medium-high heat to sear the beef. Brown on all sides.
4 Pour the sauce into the pan. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the meat, cover the pan with foil, and roast the meat in the oven for 1 hour.
5 Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut into quarters. Rinse the potatoes in cold water for 5 to 10 minutes.
6 After the roast has been cooking for 1 hour, add the potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery to the pan; pour in the remaining 3½ cups water.
7 Cover and cook until the meat is tender, about 1 hour more.
8 Transfer the vegetables to a serving bowl and the meat to a cutting board to rest while you make the gravy.
9 In a deep saucepan set over medium-high heat, stir the butter and flour together to make a roux. Add the liquids from the roasting pan to the saucepan, bring it to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
10 Thick-slice the roast and serve with the vegetables and gravy.