OOM PAH PAH POT ROAST

What gives this pot roast the Oom Pah Pah you ask? Well, empty your stein because we need a bottle of your finest brew. Not a beer lover? Not to worry, chances are you won't even notice that there's beer in this gravy. Rest assured, you won't blow a no-no on the Breathalyser either because rumour has it that the alcohol burns off during cooking. It's all about taste…… and just wait until you taste this!

BEER AND HIS ROASTING BUDDYS

• 2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ tablespoon horseradish
• 4 - 6 garlic cloves – minced or run through the handy press
• 4 – 5 pound pot roast - I like a boneless blade or cross-rib
• 1-12 ounce beer - I like a dark lager, but any beer will do
• 6 tablespoons olive oil – not all at once, 2 at a time
• ¼ cup red wine – you can use white wine or water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups coarsely diced onion
• 1½ cups each coarsely diced celery and carrots
• 1¼ cups consommé soup or beef broth – as in a 10 ounce can

I'M LOOSENING UP THE LEIDERHOSEN AND GOING IN!

• Simply combine our marinade ingredients. That's the mustard, brown sugar, horseradish, garlic, beer and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
  
  
• Move the roast into a Zip-top freezer bag and add that tasty marinade to the roast. Squeeze out the air, and seal it up.
  
  
• Allow the roast to marinade overnight to suck up the flavours. You don't have to marinade the roast, but I figure the longer it sits in the beer, the more ideas this roast is going to get about tasting great!
  
  
• About an hour before show time, get that roast out of the marinade and onto the counter to rest. Don't toss that marinade, we need it!
  
  
• Pat the roast dry with paper towels so that it will brown, and dust that hunk of meaty madness with salt and pepper.
  
  
• Place another 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Get out the oven mitts covered with paper towels and lay the roast in the oil to sear. Move it around to brown on all sides. Watch for splashing grease, hence the all-important forearm-protecting oven mitts. Fire mitts and a turnout coat will also do. It's safety first in the kitchen.
  
  
• Remove the roast to a safe haven like a plate, add the red wine to the pan, and using a wooden spoon or some such implement get those flavour-laden brown bits off the bottom of the pot.
  
  
• Pour the wine ‘n bits into a bowl or cup. Don't toss them out, they'll be making a taste-enhancing comeback.
  
  
• Fire up the oven to 325 degrees.
  
  
• Place the butter and the last 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into the Dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter melts, get the onions in there to soften and caramelize, and follow up with the celery and carrots. As always, dust those veggies with salt and pepper to bring out the flavours.
  
  
• Move the veggies to the side of the pot and nestle the roast in there.
  
  
• Now, let's reintroduce the red wine ‘n bits and the beer marinade to the meat ‘n veggies along with the consommé soup, and bring it all to a boil.
  
  
• Transfer the hot tub party to the oven for 2 hours of fun.
  
  
• Flip the roast over, reduce your oven temp to 275, and roast for another 1 ½ - 2 hours, or until the roast is very tender. (or if you're taking off somewhere, simply roast the roast at 300 degrees for 3 ½ to 4 hours.)
  
  
• Remove the roast from that funky broth, and let the roast stand loosely covered in foil for about 15 minutes before carving.
  
  
• While it rests, pour the gravy into a large heat-safe measuring cup or bowl. The grease should rise to the top so that you can tip the cup slightly, and ladle or siphon off the grease off with a turkey baster.
  
  
• Pour the gravy back into the Dutch oven and bring to a boil, and reduce for about 10 minutes to concentrate the flavours.
  
  
• Get out the blender – how many pots, pans, and kitchen aids are we going to use here Jeff? – and pour half the gravy into the blender. Place the cover on the blender, and place a tea towel overtop. Carefully pulse the blender to puree. Repeat with the other half of the gravy.
  
  
• Get the gravy back into the Dutch oven again and do the salt and pepper routine to correct any seasoning omissions you may have made.
  
  
• Serve with your favourite veggies and a whack of mashed potatoes. Be sure to make a depression in the middle of the spuds so that you can create a Mt. Gravy lava flow. Sooooo good!
  
  
• Got leftovers? Hot Beef Sandwiches with Gravy is one option, but you could also combine the leftover beef with the ‘Whiskey Barbecue Sauce' from the ‘Fallin' Off the Bone Already Ribs' recipe (link to it below in ‘Previous Samplers') and heat them together in a pan over a stovetop, or in a pot in the oven for Pulled Beef Sandwiches.