Beer-Braised Beef Chuck Roast
By: Matt Farr @farrbecue
There’s no two ways around it – pulled roast is the wife’s favorite food. Attempts at transitioning that title over to some sort of smoked beef have been, so far, unsuccessful (I’ll get her one day). Until that time comes, we often make the best of the situation by trying and tweaking different methods and recipes for a homemade roast that doesn’t involve some sort of pre-packaged soup mix, and doesn’t take two days of planning and effort to pull-off. This recipe is the best of what we have to offer in this area – the result of many, many, trials and failures.
The Goods:
3lb beef chuck roast, trimmed
½ cup AP flour
4 tablespoons butter (1/4 stick)
olive oil
2 yellow onions, sliced thin
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon ground dry mustard
1 cup malty, dark beer (Hutton & Smith Rocktoberfest works well)
1 cup Heinz ketchup
2 cups beef broth
6-8 carrots peeled and quartered
The Equipment
6qt Lodge enameled cast-iron Dutch oven
12-14” stainless skillet – not nonstick
The How:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Liberally apply kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to the chuck roast. Dredge the roast with the AP flour on all sides, then shake off as much as possible. Discard any extra flour. In the skillet, over medium-high heat, add a squeeze of olive oil and the butter. Once the pan is preheated, and the oil and butter have melted together to coat, sear the roast on both sides until a golden-brown crust has formed (3-5 minutes per side).
Pull the roast and rest on a clean cutting board. Add the onions to the still-hot pan and stir until softened and beginning to brown on the edges (about 5 minutes).
Add the beef stock to the pan with the onions and stir to combine. Be sure to scrape any delicious brown-bits off the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the beer, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, and dry mustard. Lower the heat to a simmer and continue stirring for 2-3 minutes to make sure everything is well-combined. Once this is done, kill the cook-top heat.
With a sharp knife, carefully cut the chuck roast into 4-5” chunks. Add the chunks to the Dutch oven, then either spoon or pour the entire skillet mixture in, covering the beef. Put the lid on the cast-iron and add to the preheated oven (you didn’t miss that step, right?). Set a timer for an hour and thirty minutes. Sit back while your house fills with the smells of heaven.
After the first 1.5 hours have passed, pull the Dutch oven and add the carrots. As tempting as it may be to go for a taste now, hold off. The carrots really pull the whole thing together. Add back to the oven for another hour.
After time is up, remove from the oven, pull the roast with two forks while it’s still in the sauce. Serve alongside mashed potatoes if you’re really feeling frisky.
