Pot roast is not only comfort food, but a great way to cook a chuck roast: low and slow, in a mixture of vegetables along with some tasty beer. This Irish-Style Pot Roast takes the fundamental cooking technique of braising, adds cooking with beer element, as the braising liquid being beer, adds all these delicious flavor elements to a classic recipe. Adding star anise, coffee grounds, and earthy mushrooms enhance the natural flavors of the Irish Dry Stout and infuse those flavors into the tender meat.
As this is a braising in beer recipe, I suggest using a slow cooker or crockpot. An Instant Pot could also be used, as the low and slow method of cooking a chuck roast creates a perfect heat to break down all the muscle groups. One cook also follows these recipe directions and place a Dutch oven in a preheated 300°F | 149°C oven, covered with a lid and allow the beer to steam | braise the beef for 3 hours.
This Irish-Style Pot Roast recipe can also be adapted or modified to become a one-pot meal too. I list turnips in this recipe, using an alternative root vegetable that is common in Ireland. Yet the turnips could be replaced with parsnips, potatoes, rutabagas, or other root vegetables that are available to you. Different varieties of mushrooms can also be substituted, to still add the extra touch of umami and earthiness. Button, portobello, shiitake, hen of the woods, oyster, or other fungi could be used to replace crimini mushrooms.
Instead of serving this version of Irish-Style Pot Roast with mashed potatoes, try it with a side of Colcannon for a great Irish meal and create a beer pairing with an Irish Dry Stout, Irish Red Ale, or an English Stout to complement the roasty, earthy and comfort food ladened with hearty vegetables and a rich gravy-like sauce.
In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, thyme, star anise and coffee grounds.
Use about 2/3 of this to season the pot roast, rubbing into all sides of the meat. If possible, re-wrap the pot roast and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours to help fully season the meat.
Pre Slow Cooker Directions:
In a cast iron skillet or sauté pan, preheated over high heat for several minutes, add the fat/oil and brown the pot roast on both sides, about 4 minutes each side. This step will add that roasted meat flavor to the final dish. Not browning the raw meat before cooking it in a slow cooker, will change the final texture of the roast and miss the opportunity to create those flavors of milliard reaction, or browning, that are the same as melanoidin, that the stout has from the roasted grains in the malt bill, that are further expressed by browning the meat.
Remove the seared meat from the pan and place into a Crock-Pot/slow cooker.
Add the prepared onions and leeks to the skillet/sauté pan and let caramelize for 7 – 9 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with the remaining salt blend. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 or so minutes, until the mushrooms have released some of their juices.
Slow Cooker Directions:
Add the carrots, turnips, bay leaves and thyme to the Crock-Pot/slow cooker and turn on high, setting the timer for 6 hours.
Deglaze onion/leek/mushroom mixture with half of the Irish Stout, stirring to remove any of the fond, and pour into the Crock-Pot along with the beef stock and remaining Irish Stout. Cover and let cook until the timer goes off; resisting the temptation to open the lid!
Finishing the Dish:
Once the timer goes off, check the pot roast to see that it is fork tender; If so, carefully strain the beer/beef liquid into a saucepan. Place the sauce pan over medium-high heat and reduce the cooking liquid by half. In a small bowl, mix together the butter and flour, making a paste-like substance called a beurre manié. Using a whisk, add some of the beurre manié to the boiling reduction until it has thickened to a gravy-like consistency. Cook for another few minutes to remove the flour starch taste.
Remove the pot roast from the Crock-Pot and carefully transfer it to a cutting board. Slice the meat against the grain, transferring a few slices to a plate with a scoop of the stewed vegetables and top with a ladle full of the Irish Stout gravy. Garnish with some fresh herbs and a few cracks of cracked black pepper and a touch of salt.
Pot roast is not only comfort food, but a great way to cook a chuck roast: low and slow, in a mixture of vegetables along with some tasty beer. This Irish-Style Pot Roast takes the fundamental cooking technique of braising, adds cooking with beer element, as the braising liquid being beer, adds all these delicious flavor elements to a classic recipe. Adding star anise, coffee grounds, and earthy mushrooms enhance the natural flavors of the Irish Dry Stout and infuse those flavors into the tender meat.
