Pot Roast - Try it this weekend!


 
Pete Z

Pete Z

TVWBB Super Fan
Last weekend I made pot roast on my WSM and I have to say that it is wonderful. If you haven't tried this yet, you should put it in the rotation. Here are some pictures of my pot roast (with bonus buckboard bacon pics):

Pot Roast Album

I changed a few things in the recipe with good results:
1) I did not use brown gravy. I had a couple too many food service salisbury steaks/meat wierdness dished in college and I am opposed to the use of brown gravy packets.
2) I added onions when I foiled the meat. I just like the taste that they add.
3) I used 2 chunks of cherry with 1 chunk of hickory. Delicious.

I'm curious to hear how other people have tweaked the recipe because I am definitely making this again.

One more thing - the cleanup is absolutely effortless since the entire cook takes place in a disposable aluminum pan
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I'm with you in the packet stuff. Just a bit unreal...

I cook at higher heat and use foil (rather than a pan). I nearly always use onions. One chuck cook is described here. Others I've done include onions with dried whole chiles, orange zest plus a little beer, reduced stock, garlic and bay; onions, garlic, reduced red wine and stock, dried wild mushrooms and cognac; onions with garlic, lime, fresh poblanos and serranos, tomatoes, cilantro, thyme and oregano.

Fun to play with.
 
Hey Pete, that looks like pot roast kicked up a notch or two. I'll have to give that a try.

Wonder what other recipes could benefit by cooking them on the WSM. I've tried pizza; it was one of the best I've had. Nothing like a little smokey flavor to enhance a dish.

Kevin, everything you describe just makes me salivate like Pavlov's poor ol' dog. When is your cookbook coming out!?
 
I made a pot roast today in a dutch oven after smoking the chuck roast initially. I used my kettle for both the smoke portion as well as the dutch oven phase.

I'll post some pictures after I download them to my computer. It turned out very well. I'm with you guys on the packets. I used a little flour to thicken the sauce.
 
After a recommendation from Pat Barnes--and after multiple delays from Amazon--I finally received a Lodge pot for use specifically for these types of cooks; no foiling anymore. Haven't yet used it.

Also note that treating pork butt similarly to beef chuck in terms of approach is a method worth adding to your repertoire. Though the flavorings need to be different in many cases they are, after all, hunks of shoulder, so can be smoked/braised like pot roast. One I did this way recently is described and shown here.

Goat or lamb shoulder is another cut that benefits from smoking/braising. And so is brisket point--one can smoke a packer as usual then separate the flat from the point for resting and cut the point into a few large chunks (removing larger pockets of fat) and place it in a foil pan (or in foil or a pot). Add aromatics, liquids, vegs, seasonings, cover, and place in the WSM to cook while the flat rests. 1-3 hours later, remove the container from the cooker, pour the liquid into a fat separator, and remove the point pieces and the other solids to a shallow pan for preliminary cooling. Take a little of the defatted liquid and puree some of the solids with it and stir the puree into the rest of the defatted liquid (this will thicken it nicely and you can avoid flour or other thickeners). Cool all, combine, then pack for storage in the freezer or fridge.

John--I have a new project going on my ranch. When that takes off (2, maybe 3, years) I'll have the time. Meanwhile, I cook and come up with new stuff...
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by David Lohrentz:
I made a pot roast today in a dutch oven after smoking the chuck roast initially. I used my kettle for both the smoke portion as well as the dutch oven phase. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

So if I am understanding this, you just start the meat with the lid off and then just put the lid on after a while. Essentially, you are using a dutch oven instead of the aluminum pan with foil? Or are you smoking the meat by itself and then ading the meat to the dutch oven? What kind of advantages do you see in the dutch oven verses disposable pan? I can get a dutch oven cheap from the factory store if I can use it to make an even better meal. I assume that we are talking about the dutch oven that goes in an oven and not the kind with legs on the bottom. The one I have is the camp style with legs.
 
As I stated in the other thread, I didn't use the Dutch oven initially; I just had the roast on the cooking grate. I wasn't sure how much smoke would penetrate the meat if it had been inside the dutch oven with the lid off, but perhaps that was not a valid concern. The other concern was I didn't want to subject my pot to additional scrubbing to get the smoke residue off the outside.
 
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