Restaurants: December 2003 Archives

The last time I made this recipe some friends invited us over to their house for the afternoon just as I was putting it in the oven, so I transferred it all to a slow-cooker and turned it on low. This time I followed the recipe and cooked it in my Dutch oven in the oven. It was a little more solid this time, could be sliced instead of falling into shreds, but still tender and good (in the slow cooker the roast falls apart).

Heat some oil in the Dutch oven, then add some butter and 2 large onions, sliced thin. Cook over medium-high heat until soft, then lower heat and cook another 10 minutes, until the onions are caramelized. Pour in 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup white wine, 1/4 cup soy sauce, a couple tablespoons brown sugar, and salt and pepper and heat, scraping up brown stuff on the bottom of the pan. Add a 2-pound beef roast that you've trimmed the fat from (I don't know what cut I used, some kind of round?) and cover with the onions. Put in 350 degree oven for three hours, until it falls off the fork when you try to pick it up.

The beef has a faint sweetness and is soft enough to bite and chew easily, even with thick slices. We ate it on sandwiches yesterday and it didn't even need condiments because the juice is so flavorful. (I shredded mine and Todd ate his in slices).

The recipe goes on to refrigerate the liquid overnight, skim the solidified fat off the top, then reduce it into a syrupy liquid. Too much effort for a sauce, especially since the beef is pretty good on its own.