Berry, beery satisfying: Beef Pot Roast with Beer and Juniper Berries

Flavorful, inexpensive beef chuck roast, braised for hours in a low oven with beer, juniper berries, onion, garlic, potatoes and carrots, is the very definition of comfort food on a winter evening. Recipe below.

WHEN THE FIRST REAL SNOWSTORM OF THE SEASON IS PREDICTED, most people stock up on sidewalk salt. I bought a chuck roast.

The snow began falling in the morning, not heavy but persistent. I happened to be working from home, and I watched the snow coating first the lawns, trees and bushes, then the sidewalks and the street outside the study window. I also kept an impatient eye on the clock, eager to start cooking our first pot roast of the year.

We’re big fans of chuck cuts of beef, especially thick roasts, either boneless or bone-in. These inexpensive cuts are also some of the more flavorful ones, and their initial toughness disappears with long, slow cooking. One of our favorite uses is Marion’s Vietnamese Beef Stew; it uses flavors from all over Asia and reflects Vietnam’s history as a colony of France. I’ve used chuck roasts for a number of dishes, from a Provençal Layered Pot Roast with Anchovies, Capers and Garlic to a Belgian Pot Roast with Onions and Mushrooms, a traditional Oven-Braised Beef Stew and Moroccan Braised Beef, with golden raisins and a global mix of spices evincing Morocco’s historic link to the spice route.

As the snow piled up outside, I started thinking of ingredients we had on hand that would eliminate the need for a trip to the store. I often use red wine when I’m slow cooking beef, but we had some Japanese beer in the house, Hitachino Nest White Ale. Beer works really well with beef and doesn’t make as big a flavor statement as red wine does. You can use any beer for this roast, but some kind of pale ale or other lighter flavored beer would probably work best.

I’m not sure why I thought of the juniper berries in our spice drawer, but I’m really glad I did. Juniper berries are what give gin its signature “Christmas tree” flavor and fragrance. In this dish, they add a bracing light freshness that contrasts nicely with the inherent heaviness of the beef and root vegetables. They’re worth the effort to track down; the effect is subtle—the pot roast won’t taste like gin—but you will notice a wintry brightness. If you absolutely can’t find juniper berries (we get them at the Spice House), try sprinkling some finely chopped fresh parsley over the pot roast and vegetables just before serving them. It won’t be the same, but will add a nice touch of freshness. One source also suggests substituting a teaspoon of gin for every two juniper berries in a recipe—five teaspoons in this case. I haven’t tried it and therefore can’t vouch for it, but it may be worth a try. I would add it at the same time you add the beer.

Beef Pot Roast with Beer and Juniper Berries
Serves 3, with leftovers

2 to 2-1/2 pound chuck roast (see Kitchen Notes)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 juniper berries, ground with a mortar and pestle
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1-1/2 cups beer
1-1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup water (plus more, as needed)
2 bay leaves
3 carrots, sliced thick on a diagonal
2 to 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Let the chuck roast come to room temperature about a half hour before you’re ready to cook. Pat the roast dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, lidded ovenproof skillet over medium-high flame. Brown roast on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium when you turn the roast. Transfer roast to a plate.

Add onion to the pan, drizzling in more oil, if needed. Sweat the onion until in softens slightly and turns translucent, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid browning. Add garlic, juniper berries and tarragon to pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add beer and broth to pan and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Season lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Return roast to pan along with any accumulated juices. Add bay leaves. Pour about 1 cup of water around roast—liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the roast—and bring to a boil. Cover pan and transfer to oven.

Cook roast for about 1 hour. Check to see that the liquids haven’t cooked down too much. Add a little water, if needed. Turn the roast and cook for another 1/2 hour. Add carrots and potatoes, distributing around the roast and stirring to coat them with cooking liquids. Again, add a little water, if necessary (my pan’s lid didn’t seem to fit very tightly, and I got a fair amount of evaporation and cooking down). Vegetables do not need to be submerged in liquid.

Cook for another 1-1/2 hours, turning the roast and stirring the vegetables midway through. Roast and vegetables should be very tender at this point. Remove pan from oven. Transfer roast to a cutting board and tent with foil. Discard bay leaves, taste vegetables and sauce and adjust seasonings. Slice roast across the grain into 1/2-inch slabs. Arrange slices on individual plates, spoon potato carrot mixture alongside and spoon pan juices over everything. Serve.

Kitchen Notes

The meat of the matter. Chuck roasts come in a variety of cuts, bone-in or boneless, thick, not so thick… Ideally, you want a thick boneless roast—ours was about 2-1/2 inches thick. But honestly, any cut will come out pretty nicely. The problem with thinner cuts is that you have to be careful to not completely submerge them with liquid (you don’t want to boil the meat, but to braise/roast it). Thinner cuts also take up a lot of real estate in the pan, leaving less space for the vegetables.