Coffee Pot Roast

     About a year ago I went to one of my local farmers markets to find that there was a man there selling bison! I had had bison a few times before, (bison burgers in Medora ND are speedy but unparalleled) but this guy was selling steaks, roasts, ground bison, and more! I was so intrigued and I decided I had to get some. At the time I didn't have a whole lot of experience cooking meat beyond sticking it in a pan until it was brown so I asked the man what he recommended I get and what I should make with is. He smiled at me and asked me if I liked coffee. I enthusiastically replied yes! He then gave me a slip of paper with a vague recipe for coffee roast. I thanked him and bought a bison rump roast and went home. 

    For a while I was pretty nervous to try the recipe because the instructions were a little vague, I had never done this before, and I had definitely never heard of cooking meat in coffee! Eventually I decided to suck it up and try it out! To my joy it was amazing! The bison had such a unique flavor and the leftover coffee made a fantastic gravy to put on the meat or on a side of veggies or mashed potatoes! Since then I have not been able to find more bison, I don't remember the name of the guy who sold it to me the first time, so I have used my own version of this recipe several times with beef!

    You can use any kind of roast for this recipe. Honestly, I could not tell you the difference between them except they might come from different parts of the cow.  I buy whatever is the cheapest and still has "roast" on the label. Usually I buy my roast the week I plan on making it so I don't have to thaw it out but you can make it from frozen, just make sure it is mostly thawed before you start. 

    To begin making my roast I peel a head of fresh garlic and cut a deep grid in my roast. I try not to cut all the way through my meat but the slices have to be deep enough to fit a head of garlic. After I shove whole cloves of peeled garlic into the grid I cut into the roast I put it in a bowl and pour enough white vinegar into my bowl for the roast to be about halfway covered (about 1/2 cup). I then let my roast sit in the fridge for 12-24 hours, flipping it over about every 6 hours. I like to start my roast before supper the day before I want to eat it, flip it once before I go to bed, then one more time right away in the morning. 

    Once the roast was done marinating, I poured off the vinegar and dumped the roast and the garlic into my dutch oven with a little bit of butter and some finely chopped onions. The onions are optional but I like to add stuff to my roast. I seared my roast on each side until they were very dark and almost black. While I was doing that I like to check my coffee pot to see if there is any leftover from breakfast. Usually there is not so I will brew about 3-4 cups of strong coffee. You need enough to just barely cover your roast. 

    When my roast was just about black all around I poured in my coffee until there was a little bit of my roast uncovered and set it to a low simmer. Before I covered it up to let it sit for a few hours I added in a healthy amount of salt and pepper. I then covered it up and let it sit for 4-6 hours. If you don't have a dutch oven, you can also make this in a slow cooker by adding your coffee and roast into a slow cooker on med-low (depending on your cooker) for 4-6 hours after you blacken the sides. 

     In my opinion the best thing to eat with pot roast are some cozy veggies like potatoes and carrots. To prepare these I like to cut up celery, potatoes, and carrots and add them to my pot about an hour before it is ready to eat. At this point I also will taste a little of my coffee "broth"  to see if I need to add a little extra seasoning. Sometimes I also need to add a little more liquid to the pot so that there is enough liquid for the veggies to cook in. I like to add more coffee but you can also add beef broth or water. Some other optional additions are fresh rosemary, oregano, Montreal steak seasoning, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, or anything else you think might be tasty. I try something a little different every time and you just can't go wrong with this recipe!

    When my pot roast was done cooking, I pulled out my meat (and all of the veggies if you have them). I sometimes take out some of the liquid from my pot and mix it with some flour to make a thick roux. I use about 3 tablespoons of flour but you can use more if you think it is too thin. Next, I add my roux to the rest of the liquid and mix it all together to make my gravy. I adjust the flavor of my gravy by adding more salt, flour, or liquid. When I don't make gravy I always make sure to save some of the "broth" to make gravy some other time. 

    My pot roast makes an amazingly cozy and hearty meal. When I don't make gravy and vegetables, I like to eat the pot roast on a bun like a sandwich or even just eat it plain with a salad on the side. It takes time for sure but it is one of my favorite things in the winter. This recipe allows for many variations and is almost impossible to fail. 

    How did this recipe work for you? Leave me a comment!