Sunday Roast from the 70's

No, the roast isn't from the 70's, the recipe is.

Remember when you (or your Mom) would make a pot roast using packages of Lipton Onion Soup Mix - a popular recipe in the 70's?  Lipton Onion Soup Mix has all sorts of over processed ingredients that we don't want to put in our system any more - onions (dehydrated), salt, cornstarch, onion powder, sugar, corn syrup, hydrolyzed soy protein, caramel colour, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, monosodium glutamate, yeast extract, natural flavors, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate - yuck!

While watching an episode of America's Test Kitchen I watched them recreate this dish with only two ingredients that were not Paleo - soy sauce and brown sugar - an easy recipe to Paleo-ize.

Fall is the perfect time for pot roast, so I had to make this roast for Sunday dinner with some roasted broccoli.  This is a put-everything-together, put-it-in-the-oven-and-forget-about-it kind of meal and you can never have too many of those.


Paleo Oven-Cooked Pot Roast
(original recipe from America's Test Kitchen)
Serves 6

For the roast:
4 lb. chuck roast (or other cut of beef suitable for long, slow cooking)
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2" chunks
6 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered (optional if you are strict Paleo and don't eat potatoes)
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp. coconut aminos

For the rub:
3 Tbsp. arrowroot
4 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. coconut sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. espresso powder
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. celery seed

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
2. Criss-cross two 30" x 15" pieces of aluminium foil in a large roasting pan.

 

    3.  Place the onions, potatoes, carrots, bay leaves and coconut aminos on top of the foil.

 

      4.  Combine all the rub ingredients in a small bowl.

 





 

       5.  Take the string off your roast and divide it in two pieces at the natural seam.  Cut off any large
             pieces of fat or tissue and then lay the roasts on top of the vegetable mixture.

 

       6.  Pat the roasts dry and rub the spice mixture all over both sides of the meat - use all the spice

            mixture.



  
   7.  Now grab opposite corners of the foil and fold together tightly.  Do the same to the other corners
        sealing the package.

   8.  Place the roasting pan in the oven and leave it for 4-1/2 hours.

 

  9.  Remove the roast from the foil, tent with another piece of foil and let rest for 20 minutes.

 10.  Discard the onions from the vegetable mixture and move the carrots and potatoes to a serving
        dish and cover to keep warm.

 11.  Pour the pan juices through a gravy strainer to remove any extra fat.

 12.  Serve by slicing the roast and pouring the sauce over the meat and vegetables.

Paleo Grandad and I got four dinners and two lunches from this recipe.