Photo: Pexels
Fire cider used: Herbs & Honey | Honey used: Heart of Piedmont
Chuck roast wants a long, slow braise, and our Herbs & Honey fire cider is a natural partner for it. It's apple cider vinegar steeped with horseradish, garlic, onion, ginger, orange, and thyme, and finished with honey, which is just what you'd want around a roast anyway. We add a few spoonfuls of Heart of Piedmont honey for its butter caramel notes.
The roast marinates overnight, and then that same marinade becomes the braising liquid with a classic base of onion, carrot, and celery. After three hours in a low oven, the meat pulls apart with a fork. Simmer the pan juices down, then spoon the meat, vegetables, and that glossy, tangy-sweet sauce over a big bowl of soft polenta.
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 3/4 cup Fire Cider: Herbs & Honey, shaken well
- 2 tablespoons Heart of Piedmont Honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce)
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
For the roast and braise
- 1 boneless beef chuck roast, 3 to 4 pounds
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as canola or avocado) for searing
- Mirepoix: 1 large yellow onion, 2 medium carrots, and 2 celery ribs, all cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups onion, 1 cup carrot, 1 cup celery)
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups beef stock, plus more stock or water as needed
For the creamy polenta
- 6 cups liquid: water, or half water and half chicken or beef stock
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (use 1 teaspoon if you're using salted stock)
- 1 1/2 cups coarse or medium-grind polenta or cornmeal (not instant)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan (optional)
To finish the sauce (optional)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Heart of Piedmont Honey
- 1 teaspoon Fire Cider: Herbs & Honey, from the bottle
Steps
- Marinate: Rub the roast all over with the salt. Whisk together all the marinade ingredients. Put the roast in a large zip-top bag or a glass or ceramic dish (not aluminum, since the marinade is acidic), pour the marinade over it, and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours, turning once. Don't go much past 12 hours. The vinegar starts to make the outside of the meat mealy.
- Heat the oven to 300°F. Lift the roast out of the marinade and let the extra drip back in. Save every bit of the marinade for the braise. Pat the roast very dry with paper towels. The honey in the marinade burns easily, so a dry surface browns instead of scorching.
- Sear: Heat the oil over medium-high heat in an enameled Dutch oven or other heavy oven-safe pot with a lid. Brown the roast for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until it has a deep brown crust. Move it to a plate.
- Cook the mirepoix: Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot, and celery with a pinch of salt and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and turning golden at the edges.
- Boil the marinade: Pour the saved marinade and 1 1/2 cups of stock into the pot and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Turn the heat up and bring it to a full rolling boil, then let it boil for 1 minute. The marinade held raw meat, so this boil is the step that makes it safe.
- Braise: Set the roast back in the pot on top of the vegetables. The liquid should come about halfway up the side of the meat, so add more stock or water if it's short. Bring it back to a simmer, cover with the lid, and slide the pot into the oven.
- Braise for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Check at the 2-hour mark and add a splash of stock or water if the liquid has dropped below about a third of the way up the roast. It's done when a fork twists into the meat easily and it starts to pull apart (around 200°F inside).
- Start the polenta when the roast has about 45 minutes left: Bring the 6 cups of liquid and the salt to a boil in a large heavy saucepan. Whisk constantly while you pour in the polenta in a slow, steady stream so it doesn't lump. Turn the heat to low so it barely bubbles, cover, and cook for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring well every 5 to 10 minutes and scraping the bottom. It's ready when it's thick and creamy and the grains taste soft, not gritty. Stir in the butter and Parmesan. If it gets too thick, whisk in hot water a splash at a time.
- Move the roast to a platter and cover it loosely with foil. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Make the sauce (optional): Skim the fat off the top of the braising liquid. Leave the vegetables in the pot, since they've gone soft and help thicken the sauce. Simmer it uncovered on the stovetop for 10 to 15 minutes, until it has cooked down by about a third to a half and lightly coats a spoon. Taste it, then stir in the finishing honey and fire cider if you like. Taste before you add any salt, because the sauce gets saltier as it reduces.
- Shred the roast into big pieces with two forks. Spoon the polenta into shallow bowls, top it with the meat and vegetables, and ladle plenty of sauce over everything.
Tips and storage
- Food safety: never pour the raw marinade over cooked meat or use it as a sauce unless it has come to a full boil first. In this recipe the marinade boils in the pot and then braises for hours, so it's fully cooked.
- Pot choice: use an enameled Dutch oven or stainless pot. Bare cast iron can give a long, acidic braise a metallic taste.
- Short on time? Quick-cooking polenta works in about 5 minutes. Follow the package for the amount of liquid.
- Slow cooker option: do steps 1 through 5 on the stove, then move everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours. Make the polenta on the stove in the last hour.
- Leftovers: the roast keeps in its braising liquid in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Leftover polenta sets firm in the fridge. Warm it with a splash of water or stock and whisk it smooth, or slice it and brown the slices in a skillet.
- Want more heat? Our Fire Cider: Heat & Honey has cayenne, rosemary, and sage, and it makes a spicier version of this roast.