GUINNESS POT ROAST

Here's a recipe for the guys in your life -- a real manly meat-and-potatoes meal.  Of course, if you happen to serve vegetables with it, that's just a bonus for the ladies at your table!  The flavor of this roast is deep, dark and intensely beefy.  WARNING:  don't taste the juices until AFTER you have made the gravy, because the thickening and gravy mix tones down the bitterness of the Guinness.  Prior to that step, you will wonder just WHAT you are planning on serving your guests!!

Oh, before I forget, I must give credit where credit is due:  this recipe is my daughter's creation.  She was served this at a pub near her home, and decided she needed to duplicate it.  She made it for us, and it was an instant hit!  So, THANK YOU, Julie . . . and I love you :-)

GUINNESS POT ROAST 

Preheat oven to 325ºF


3-1/2 lbs beef pot roast (any cut, but preferably boneless)
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 or 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 can Campbell's™ condensed beef consommé (10.5 oz.)
1 envelope Lipton's™ dry onion soup mix
1 bottle Guinness Extra Stout Dark Ale (12 to 20 oz.)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 packet dry instant gravy, brown or mushroom flavor
3 T. all-purpose flour
1 c. water

Whisk the flour and water together in a small bowl or shaker jar.  Set aside.

Spread the sliced onions and garlic over the bottom of a medium-sized covered roasting pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  

Lay the roast on top of the onion slices.  Sprinkle the dry soup mix over the roast and onions.  Pour the beef consommé and beer over everything.  It will not cover the roast, but that's okay.  Sprinkle the black pepper over all.  

Now, cover and bake at 325ºF for 3 to 3-1/2 hours, turning once or twice, until the roast is falling-apart tender.  

Remove meat from the juices.  Transfer the juices and any solids from the roasting pan to a large pot or saucepan.  Thicken the juices over medium heat on the stove by quickly stirring in the packet of dry gravy mix and the flour/water mixture, stirring to prevent lumps.  Remove from heat.  

Use two forks to pull the meat apart into small bite-size pieces, removing and discarding any fat as you go.  Stir the shredded meat into the gravy.  NOW you can taste it, adjust the seasonings (salt & pepper) if need be, and you're good to go!

Serve over mounds of hot fresh mashed potatoes.  A crisp green salad goes nicely, as does a freshly steamed veggie.  Asparagus is an excellent choice, if in season.  Carrots are good any time.  And a pea & carrot blend is nice if you are limited to frozen veggies.

NOTES: 

• Mushroom-flavored gravy mix works very well.  If the gravy is thinner than you like, just thicken it with a bit of flour & water whisked together and stirred into the simmering roast drippings.

• You can substitute 2 or 3 beef bouillon cubes or a couple of teaspoons of beef soup base for the can of consomme;  dissolve either in 10 oz. of hot water before adding to the roaster pan.

• This recipe feeds 6 to 8 hungry people, and may easily be doubled for a crowd by simply using 2 pot roasts . . . and maybe a larger roasting pan.  There will be plenty of gravy, and you can always extend it a bit with more flour/water thickening.