We’ve been down this road before, many times. The snow is on the ground and the crock pot has come out of storage. Or “maybe” out of storage for you, but not for me as I use that appliance all year long. We’ve done many a beer and crock pot recipe in the summertime, just moving the whole operation to the outdoors.
But it is winter, and nothing is better this time of year than slow braised beef, for which the crock is perfect. The Beer and Garlic Crock Pot Roast Beef recipe here is full of garlic, but don’t be scared away. Cooked over a long time the chemistry of the bulb changes completely, softening its pungency, and absorbing the earthy notes from the beer and broth liquid that brings forward something, well, not garlicky at all. Just balanced and tasty. Full of umami, as the TV chefs like to say.
You’ll need two beers to make this one, and as you’ll be using less than 12 oz. of each, there will be some bonus drinking involved. I hope that’s alright with you.
There’s some prep work with this one, so I recommend mincing the garlic, slicing the onion, and making the broth recipe a day ahead. Just store or wrap and refrigerate everything separately. Then you can easily do the remainder the following morning, and get that crock crankin’ before you leave for work!
Beer and Garlic Crock Pot Roast Beef
Ingredients
2-3 lbs. of chuck roast, with the outside fat trimmed
2 T. vegetable oil
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 large Vidalia or sweet onion, sliced thin
30 garlic cloves, minced (about 5 T.)
2 beef bouillon cubes
8 oz. stout beer
8 oz. lager beer
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. cider vinegar
Cornstarch and water
Directions
In a small pan, gently heat 4 oz. of stout beer to almost a boil. Cut the heat, and add the bouillon cubes and stir them to dissolve. Add the 8 oz. of lager beer, brown sugar, mustard and vinegar, and stir to mix them well. Refrigerate if you are making this ahead.
In a skillet, heat 1 T. of oil and brown the roast on all sides. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the skillet and cook the onions until they just start to wilt. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes. Pour 4 oz. of stout beer into the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, letting the vegetables absorb some liquid and allowing the beer to reduce.
Add the broth to the crock pot. Place the roast on top of the broth, and then add the vegetable and stout mix on top of that.
Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
Remove the meat and onion slices from the crock with a slotted spatula and keep warm. Pour the crock pot liquid into a pan and using an immersion blender, liquefy all the solids (Alternately, carefully use a blender to liquefy, then transfer to a pan).
Make a slurry out of cornstarch and water, and thicken the pan liquid to create a gravy. Add a pinch of freshly ground pepper and salt.
Plate the roast portions with onion topping, your choice of sides, and pour gravy on the meat and wherever else you choose. This recipe is winter hearty with halved and roasted small red potatoes and roasted carrots.