[CH] Recipe - Chipotle Pot Roast

Rob Lusk (rlusk12@earthlink.net)
Fri, 17 Dec 1999 23:35:46 -0800 

Made this for dinner tonight. Fairly simple and the wife loved it. I used a
2 pound Tri-Tip roast.
I seasoned the roast with ancho, New-Mex, and Chipotle powder prior to
browning.

* Exported from MasterCook *

                       Chipotle Seasoned Pot Roast

Recipe By     : Adapted from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen
Serving Size  : 4     Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Beef                            Chipotle
Mexican

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
For about 1 cup Essential Roasted Tomatillo-Chipotle Salsa (see below):
  3               chipotle chilies en adobo  plus sauce
  5             large  garlic cloves, unpeeled
  8             ounces  (about 5 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
                 Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon, plus a little
                        coarse salt for the final presentation,  if you have
it
                        Sugar, about 1/4 teaspoon
Roast:
  3              pound  boneless beef chuck roast, 2-1/2 to 3
  1             inches  think (it'll cook best if it's  tied into a compact
shape)
  1         tablespoon  vegetable or olive oil
1           teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
  4             medium  carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch  rounds
    4             medium  boiling potatoes (like the red-skin ones), cut
into 1/2 inch cubes
  1/4           cup  cilantro


Method:

1. The salsa: For dried chilies, toast them on an ungreased griddle or heavy
skillet over medium heat, turning regularly and pressing flat with a
spatula, about 30 seconds. In a small bowl, cover the chilies with hot water
and let rehydrate 30 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure even soaking.
Drain and discard the water. (Canned chilies need only be removed from their
canning sauce.) While chilies are soaking, roast the unpeeled garlic on the
griddle or skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally until soft (they
will blacken in spots), about 15 minutes; cool and peel. Roast the
tomatillos on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until
blackened on one side, about 5 minutes, then flip and roast the other side.
Scrape the tomatillos (and their juices), rehydrated or canned chilies and
garlic into food processor or blender, and process to a rather fine-textured
puree. Transfer to a bowl and stir in enough water (3 to 4 tablespoons) to
give the sauce a medium consistency. Taste and season with salt and sugar.

2. The roast: In a shallow dish, smear the meat with the salsa, cover and
refrigerate for several hours (the longer the better - up to 24 hours - to
infuse the meat with the smokiness). When you're ready to cook the meat,
turn on the oven to 325 degrees. Scrape as much salsa as possible off the
meat and reserve. Dry the meat on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Heat
the oil in a heavy, medium-size (4 quart) pot, (preferably a Dutch oven)
over medium-high; when hot, add the roast and brown on one side about 5
minutes, then flip and brown the other side. Remove the roast to a plate;
pour 1 cup of water into the pot and boil over medium, scraping up the
browned bits. Stir in the reserved salsa, then return the roast to the pan.
Cover tightly and bake for two hours, until the meat is just tender.
Distribute the vegetables around the meat, stir to coat them with the pan
juices, cover and continue cooking until the meat and vegetables are tender,
30 to 45 minutes.

3. Serving: Use two large metal spatulas (or meat forks) to transfer the
roast to a large, warm serving platter. Scoop out the vegetables with a
slotted spoon and distribute them around the meat. Skim off the fat from pan
juices, and if necessary, boil them to reduce until lightly thickened; there
should be about a cup. Taste and season with salt if necessary, then splash
the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Sprinkle with cilantro and coarse
salt.


Advance preparation:

The salsa (step 1) can be made a day or two ahead, as can the whole dish,
though the texture of the meat and vegetables is best right out of the oven.
If done ahead, refrigerate covered, then rewarm in the oven, adding a little
water to the pan juices as they reheat if they have thickened too much.


Variations and Improvisations:

An equal-size pork shoulder roast or equal weight of chicken thighs can be
substituted for the beef (chicken and vegetables can cook together - a total
of about 40 or 45 minutes). Other cuts of beef to use include sirloin tip,
rump, top round or eye of the round, almost all of which are leaner and will
need to be very tightly covered to ensure that they don't dry out.

Robert Lusk....

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