I love taking comfort food dishes and then putting a twist on them. This dish was inspired by my mother’s Oxtail recipe. She made oxtails for the entire family, and she seasoned them with lots of spices, but the main spice that stood out was the allspice. Allspice for whatever reason is a wonderful combination with beef; it has a warmth that resembles clove and cinnamon. Allspice is used a lot in Jamaican cooking, which is where I am most familiar with it being used. Lately, I have been drawing inspiration from Middle Eastern food, which also uses a lot of allspice. Pot roast is usually something very simple and basic, but it doesn’t have to be. This Middle Eastern Spiced Pot Roast, is the best of both worlds. A combination of comforting and familiar along with the unfamiliar and exotic.
While this roast is braising in the oven the spices will give off an intoxicating aroma. The house had such an amazing smell while cooking! It does have to braise for about 4 hours, so plan ahead. Now this may sound annoying, but I promise you the pay off is the most tender beef, that literally falls apart.
- ¾ tbsp kosher salt, plus ½ tsp, divided
- 2½ tsp coriander
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1½ tsp ground allspice
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, optional
- 4 pound boneless chuck roast
- 2 tbsp ghee or neutral oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and cut into wedges
- 1 lb carrots, cut on a large diagonal
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 3½ cups low sodium beef broth
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- ¼ cup chopped parsley (optional)
- hot basmati rice for serving (optional)
- Adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position and preheat the oven to 275º
- In a small bowl, combine ¾ tablespoon of kosher salt and the remaining 7 spices. Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Season it heavily with the spice mixture, on all sides.
- In a dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp of ghee or oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, sear the roast until golden brown about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the beef to a platter.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of ghee or oil. Toss in the onions, carrots and garlic. Season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Sauté the vegetable until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir until mostly dissolved and mixed in with the vegetables. Pour in the vinegar to deglaze and scrape the bottom and sides of the pot.
- Place the roast on top of the vegetables and add the beef broth. Bring the pot to a simmer and remove from the heat.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the stew and carefully push it down until it touches the surface of the roast. Cover the pot and place it in the oven.
- Roast for 4 hours or until the meat easily pulls apart with a fork. Remove the roast and the vegetables from the pot and tent it with a piece of foil. Boil the liquid over high heat until reduced by half. Taste and add additional salt if needed. Stir in the parsley.
- Slice the beef against the grain and serve with the vegetables, rice and sauce.
More meat recipes can be found here.
I’m going to try this. I don’t quite get the parchment technique, though. I’ve never seen it before. Could you please explain what it does?
Hi Jenny,
The parchment paper helps to seal in steam/moisture, which keeps the meat from drying out. I learned it from another pot roast recipe that I love. Hope that helps!