New Orleans Style Pot Roast

When we were last visiting my parents my mom had a hankering for New Orleans style Pot Roast Po-Boys.  Usually you see po-boy sandwiches with fried shrimp or crawfish but they make them with pot roast too.  When my mom gets a hankering she is skilled at making whatever it is she has a hankering for.  Hankering.  Try and use that word three times in just as any sentences and have it make sense.

She made her New Orleans pot roast and loved it so much she decided that never again would she make pot roast any other way.  I took notes from her, came home and made my own New Orleans pot roast.  I too, am taking that vow:  I promise never to prepare another pot roast any other way than this delicious New Orleans style way.  And if I should stray from this deliciousness may my heart be led back to you.  New Orleans pot roast – whither thou go I will go.  Amen.

If you decide to make this pot roast be careful.  Because once you’ve had it there’s no going back.

Here’s what you need:

3-5 lb. rump roast
3-4 garlic cloves
1 onion, diced
10 (or so) small sweet peppers, seeded and cut into bit size pieces
1 can chicken stock
32 oz. beef stock
4-5 Tbs. Wondra flour (or just plain flour)
olive oil
s&p

To make Po-Boy sandwiches you will need:
crusty french bread
slaw or purple cabbage
pickles

Peel garlic, slice in half length wise.  Rinse meat, pat it dry and season all over, really well, with salt & pepper.  With a sharp knife, make shallow slits all around the meat and insert the garlic.

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil and sear all sides of the meat.  Geter’ nice and brown.  Take the roast out and set aside.

Add pepper and onion to the pot and saute 3 or 4 minutes.  Add a splash of chicken broth to the pot to scrap of the bits of meat, salt and pepper stuck to the bottom.

Set the roast on top of the peppers and onions.  Pour in the rest of the chicken broth and the entire container of beef stock.  The liquid should come about half way up the meat.  If you need more liquid to cover half the roast just add water.  Bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down to low, cover and let simmer for 3 hours.  Sometime during the third hour you can check the level of liquid and poke it with a knife to check the tenderness but for the most part leave it alone.

After 3 hours, take the roast out and set it aside on a cutting board.  Skim off as much grease as you can from the liquid.  Using Wondra or regular flour, sprinkle in 3-4 Tbs. and whisk into liquid.  This will thicken things up to make the gravy.   Turn up the heat to medium and add more flour to get it to a gravy thickness that you deem worthy of gravy.

Slice the roast in thin slices and add it back to the pot.  Make sure all the meat is submerged, cover and let cook for another 30 minutes.

This is wonderful on its own or served with rice.  But if you want a po-boy open face sandwich (which I highly recommend) here’s what you do.  Slice the french bread, butter it and toast in the oven.  Ladle a generous amount of gravy over the bread, pile high with roast, top with sliced red cabbage (or cole slaw) and pickles.

Now you’re ready to take the vow with me.  I promise…