This may likely be the most requested meal at my house. My kids love it, and I love it because it is easy and it makes a lot of food and everyone is happy. The roast comes out tender with gravy that is meaty and savory and so satisfying. This roast has a slight twist, in that the cooking liquid has coffee in it. The coffee gives a deep flavor and also helps to tenderize the beef. I always serve it with my egg noodles because there would be mutiny if I didn’t, but it would pair just as well with mashed potatoes, or over bread for an open faced sandwich. It is just as good as leftovers too, although we rarely have any.
Pot Roast:
- 3-4 lb chuck roast cut into a few pieces
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, finely diced
- 1 package of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (optional)
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups dark coffee
Heat the oil in a dutch oven or other oven safe pan with a tight fitting lid. Preheat the oven to 300. Once the pan is very hot, add the beef chunks (don’t add too many and crowd the pan because you want browning, not steaming of the meat here). Let them cook undisturbed for a few minutes until well browned. Flip and brown the other side too. Remove to a plate and repeat with the rest of the meat. Add the onion, garlic, mushrooms (if using), and carrots to the pan, although with the meat, and let the onions brown and cook down for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add the tomato paste and spices, and flour and stir to coat the meat. Gradually add in the broth and coffee. It should mostly cover the meat but not completely. Add in some extra water if needed. Bring to a boil, taste broth to check seasoning level, and then place pan covered into the oven. Let cook for around 3 hours, stirring once in a while, until the meat is very tender and easily shreds when poked with a fork. You don’t want to over cook it and dry it out, but you want really tender beef.
Remove the pan from the oven. Careful, it is hot! If you would like you can skim some of the fat off the top of the broth. The added flour thickens the gravy while cooking, so you shouldn’t need to thicken it. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Break larger pieces of meat up into a few smaller pieces, but don’t totally shred it up. The larger hunks are nice.
Serve over noodles or mashed potatoes. The kids and I like to put some grated parmesan over the top, which I know sounds weird, but it is tasty, trust me. I usually serve this with some kind of vegetable on the side.
One thought on “My Favorite Pot Roast with Egg Noodles”