California Pot Roast

one 4 – 5 lb roast (chuck, rump, or round roast)
1 TBSP pure salt
2 tsps freshly ground black pepper
3 TBSP coconut oil
1/2 cup water
2 cups tomato sauce, fresh or packaged
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP natural, brown sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup high quality ketchup (no high fructose corn syrup!)
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

• Combine the salt and pepper and rub into the roast.
• Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and brown the roast, about 3 mins per side.
• Place the meat in a slow cooker with the water, tomato sauce, onion, and garlic. (I do not have a slow cooker, but was able to make this recipe without any problem – see notes below.)
• Cook on low heat all day, for about 5 – 6 hours
• About 1 & 1/4 hours before you are ready to eat, combine the brown sugar, dry mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce.
• Pour over the meat, and continue cooking another hour until fork-tender.
• Remove the meat, slice, and place on a warm platter.
• Meanwhile, let the sauce thicken by simmering on the stove for a few minutes.
• Pour over sliced roast and serve.

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SIDE NOTES:

~  I made a pot roast!  This was my first try, and I kind of can’t believe I did it.  And it was good.  Very good!  If any readers out there are also recently reformed vegetarians, feel free to join me as I figure things out.  We can do this together.  Personally, I got over the mental block of eating meat a long time ago.  It’s been a few years now, though only occasionally, and only at the one restaurant in town that serves organic grass-fed beef.  It’s taken me quite a bit longer to muster up the courage to cook it myself.  I’m over it & here we go….

~  As mentioned, I do not have a slow cooker.  I simply cooked the roast in a heavy ceramic pot (5.5 quart), covered, in the oven at 170 degrees fahrenheit.  I used the same pot to first brown it on the stove top, so there was no need to transfer the roast to a different pot for the oven.  FYI – my roast happened to be 4 & 1/2 pounds and I cooked it for 5 & 1/2 hours total.  Seemed just right.

~  I actually forgot to add the sugar, and didn’t even realize it until the next day.  It was delicious without it, so I gave it optional status.

~  I used a chuck roast for this.  And even though it was extremely tasty, there was a giant bone through the middle of it, and a lot of fat throughout.  Not that a little fat from a normally raised, healthy animal is anything to worry about – to the contrary.  Personally, I just find it a bit hard to chew!  I’m inexperienced in regard to different types of roasts, but I will try a different cut next time to see if there’s less bone and fat.  Live & learn.

~  Recipe adapted from The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook.

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