Company Worthy Autumn Meal on a Budget

Autumn is almost here and for my family that means lots of holidays and birthdays!  Since I'm the centrally located home, I end up hosting all of the events, but that gets expensive.

One way I've found to cut down on costs is by turning an inexpensive cut of meat into a delicious meal worthy of being center stage on our dining room table!

This recipe is adapted from Momma Neely's Pot Roast with a dash of flair from Alton Brown's Pot Roast recipe.  I used it to replace the brisket recipe recipe we traditionally serve for Rosh Hashanah.

I used a 4 pound rump roast which the current average price per pound is around $4 - which was only about $16!  For Thanksgiving it's normal for me to drop $50 for a 20lb Turkey!  So this was definitely a bargain!

You can also substitute the red wine in Momma Neely's recipe for the balsamic vinegar in Alton's recipe.  This also dropped the price...or just get a really cheap bottle of red wine!  I also omitted the fresh Thyme saving me a couple more bucks because the store was sold out.  

My last tip: make it a day ahead of time!  Reheat it low and slow

Ingredients

1 (3 to 4-pound) boneless bottom round roast

Alton Brown's Pot Roast

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 yellow onions, peeled and quartered

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup red wine - or 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2 cups beef stock

2 fresh thyme sprigs - or leave it out!

2 bay leaves

3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces - I skipped the carrots all together because I was serving them as a side dish...I got 5lbs of carrots for $3!

Freshly chopped parsley leaves, for garnish - again I skipped this to save money

1 cup spanish olives (from Alton's recipe)

1/2 cup raisins (from Alton's recipe)

1/2 cup prunes (from Grandma Burg's recipe)

Momma Neely's Pot Roast

Directions

Watch how to make this recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Season the roast on all sides with salt and pepper.

In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the vegetable oil and sear the roast on all sides. Add the onions, garlic and tomato paste and cook until slightly colored. Add the wine, stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring the liquid to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven.

Roast for 1 1/2 hours and then add the carrots. Continue to cook for 1 more hour. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. 

Slice and place on a serving platter. Skim the fat off the braising liquid and serve with the roast. Garnish with parsley.

At this point I sliced the beef and added it BACK into the dutch oven and let it sit overnight in the fridge.  The next day I put it in the oven for 3 hours at 275 degrees.  The result was melt in your mouth meat!