How To Beer Brine a Whole Chicken

How to beer brine meat chicken beef pork

by Sulae @ beerandiron.com

January 22, 2023

Beef BEERguignon – A French Recipe with a Hoppy Twist

Beef BEERguignon is born. Though I do enjoy cooking with wine, we’re going to stir things up a bit (pun intended). We’re going to cook this recipe with BEER!

Beef, Dinner, Meal, Meats, Soups, Stews, Supper, Uncategorized

by Sulae @ beerandiron.com

January 16, 2023

Low and Slow Roast Beef, Pork, Lamb, Wild Meat in a Cast Iron Dutch Oven

You’ve been at the market and waited behind “that person” shuffling around the beef or pork roasts, studying every package, pulling the back ones down and mixing up the cuts. His buggy is placed as an impenetrable wall defending his spot over the refrigerated area as he tries to decipher which cut will be the very best. What is he looking for? Marbling, less fat, size, shape…what?

Finally, after he’s made his selection and spends a grueling 20 seconds trying to get the PVC -cling-wrapped wrapped meat into a PE produce bag, he looks up and, “Oh, are you waiting. I’m sorry.” Yes…I am sorry for that; you were likely standing behind me. I hope you were not standing too long.

We all do this…or at least have done it in the past. And, as you and I grow in our knowledge about cooking and our skill improves, we’ll spend more and more time there doing our study of the cuts and going through our memory’s recipe box thinking about what meat will cook the best, what cut will work the best, and even the specific cut of the cut. How does the meat look? Will we have to truss it up? Or, can we just get it in the oven? How much time will we need? To brine or not to brine?

Read Me First

This article is one of the longest, most detailed articles I have written. Likely there will be few of y’all to read all (nearly) 5,000 words. But, it is an article of reference with details to the questions you will have when you print the recipe at the bottom of this article. The printed recipe will be to-the-point. I have included an audio version of this article to listen to while you are here to read along, or to listen to while you are on the go.

I am excited that this information and recipe will help you navigate through the process of selecting and roasting your beef, pork, lamb, or wild game roast, preparing it, cook it, and then enjoying it. This recipe will work for just about any lower-cost, tougher cut of meat. We’re going to present this recipe using a beef roast.

We’ll keep this recipe very, very simple. Nothing but the meat. Adding potatoes, carrots, celery, and other ingredients during the cooking process is all A-OK. The focus of this article is to get your roast cooked perfectly.

My wife calls this recipe “Broasting.” And, it kinda is a mixture of roasting and braising at the same time. Really, this recipe is more braising than roasting. Roasting is where you use dry heat to cook. Braising is where you use both moist and dry heat in a covered pot. It can be with a little liquid or where the meat is almost (or all the way) submerged. Not boiling per se, but kinda, sorta, maybe…in a way.

We’re not going to add any moisture to this recipe. We are using a brined roast that will produce its own moisture. And, if you add vegetables to the pot, they will contribute to the moisture as well. Adding moisture may cause the pot to fill with liquid and give the roast a boiled taste.

Let’s dig in just a bit but not get too technical.

Roasting uses dry heat to cook. For example, to roast a beef, you’d take a 3-5 pound (1.5-2.5kg) cut of meat, like a round roast, season the meat, place it on an open rack in the oven at a very high temperature (450°F (235°C) or so), then turn the temperature down after about 15-20 minutes after the crust forms over the roast, then after 1 ½ – 2 hours at 325°F (165°C)-350°F (175°C), you would have roasted the meat.

To be honest, I seldom roast a roast. I see those images of roast cooked this way with all that deep rare, redness to the center tapering out to that well-done edge that is all embraced with a seasoned crust. My mouth waters! There are cuts of meat that you would roast such as the prime rib! Man, oh man! The prime rib is the pinnacle of cuts for roasting.

However, don’t cook a prime rib with this low-and-slow technique or you’ll end up with a $100 piece of meat that is about as delicious as a $20 round roast.

A few days before you are ready to cook your roast, you will start the brining process (here’s the link). After 3-4 days, you’ll remove the roast from the refrigerator and let it “warm up” a bit. The roast will never (and should never) get to room temperature, but you don’t want to start searing and cooking the roast straight out of a 37°F (3°C) refrigerator. Then, you’ll preheat your cast iron pot to a wicked-hot temperature in the upper to almost (if not at) 450°F (235°C) in the oven. Then, you’ll put the hot Dutch oven out and place it over a medium high heat burner. The oil will smoke and the vent hood over your stove top will roar! The roast will sear in that pot on all 6 sides (we’ll talk about that in a bit). After the searing, the roast is covered and set into an oven at about 200°F (95°C) to 225°F (105°C) for the foreseeable future…or the next 3-6 (and sometimes up toward 12) hours. A hint of the pending deliciousness will fill the home’s air as the hours pass. Later, you’ll pull that pot from that oven and remove the lid. Steam and aromas will fill the kitchen and family will start gathering. The roast will be sitting in a bit of broth in that pot…a treasure for future soups or stews. A fork-tender test will show little resistance to that fork.

Dinner is ready!

Basically, a roast is just a large cut of meat that takes a long time to cook. Look for cuts that are called “chuck” or “shoulder.” Also, “rump” or “round” (that may be labeled as “butt”) are some good choices as well. These cuts of meat come from an area that is “used” by the cow on a regular basis and usually are leaner and, if cooked at the standard 350°F (176°C) until the internal temperature is 145°F (63°C), the roast will be tough and less-than-pleasing on the palate. But, if cooked for a long time at a low temperature, they will be tender and delicious as well as very, very nutritious. And, as a bonus, these cuts will be less expensive AND work best for this recipe. Just because a cut is a “roast” doesn’t mean it’s going to be tough.

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These are some beef cut examples.

Chuck – Also called shoulder. Very high in collagen.

Skirt – More like a steak than a thick roast.

Shank – Or “Shin.” Would work great with this roast recipe with the bone-in! More so we’d reserve this cut for our Beef Beerguignon Recipe (get it here).

Round Steak – Eye Round, Bottom Round, and Top Round. Low in fat…marbling. This is one I’d add just a bit of liquid to the pot when I cook.

Brisket – “Flat” or “The Flat” (First Cut) and “Deckle Point” (Second Cut) – if you are lucky enough to find the second cut in the market.

Oxtail – Very high in things “not meat” and very nutritious. Though, plenty of meat.

These are beer types to drink while you are enjoying your meal and not suggestions to cook with for this recipe.

Beef Roast:

A dark ale will go beautifully with a nice beef roast or beef roast meal. I enjoy a porter as well. Don’t get the porter and the stout mixed here. A stout will go well with a nice pork roast.

Pork Roast:

A farmhouse ale if the pork has not been prepared with “sweets” or has sauces added that are considered to be on the sweet side. I enjoy a stout with my pork roast. And, to mix things up, consider a wheat beer on the sweeter side. The beer can be a bit sweet to bring the flavors together but the addition of something like barbeque sauce to the pork may not complement the sweeter beers. Basically, the addition of a sweet-tasting sauce complements the flavors of the pork roast. If you plan to enjoy a beer with your pork roast meal, let the beer you are going to drink be your complementary “sweeter” flavor.

Lamb and Wild Meat Roasts:

A black IPA or a darker Belgium beer will go well with these more gamey-flavored roasts. Consider a dark lager like a German Schwarzbier with its dark color, chocolate and coffee hints

Other:

If you are adding some sauces to your roast and those sauces are on the sweeter side, consider beers like an IPA, Russian Imperial Stout, or Lager. Maybe a lighter beer such as a Kolsch or a Pilsner.

These are beer types to use as an ingredient when you prepare this recipe and to cook with.

The beer to use in this recipe is added during the brining process. I reserve my sweeter beers for my pork roasts and my easy-on-the-palate beers for beef, lamb, and wild game roasts.

Avoid brining with a heavy-on-the-hops, more bitter beer. The easy-drinking lagers work best when you brine meat.

To learn more about brining meat, here is a link to one of Beer and Iron’s articles that goes into much more depth: https://beerandiron.com/2023/01/how-to-beer-brine-whole-chicken

The example shown in this article is by using a whole chicken. The concept and methods are the same with a roast.

If you want to add liquid to the pot when you cook, add a bit of a lager or other non-sweet, less-bitter beers up to the level of the trivet you set the meat on. But, like with all recipes, there are no rules!

Select a Cast Iron Dutch Oven that will hold the size of the roast “comfortably.” Don’t have an over-full Dutch oven. Normally your standard 5-quart Dutch will work A-OK. But larger roasts will need a good 7- or even a 9-Quart. You want some air space all around the roast and to take the broth as it’s produced. Whereas, don’t put a 3 pound roast in a 9 quart Dutch oven. Some room, but not a lot of room. As long as the roast isn’t touching the sides of the Dutch oven and the lid will close without pressing the lid down, you are okay. You want the roast to be comfortable but not sitting in a Dutch oven so large in comparison that you’d just soon leave the roast in the open oven and roast it.

A cutting board or a tray to place the roast on after you pull it out of the brine.
Paper towels to dry the roast before applying the oil.
Wooden utensils to turn and manipulate the roast while searing the roast.
A trivet to place in the bottom of the pot to set the roast on.
A fork to test the roast for “fork tenderness” at the end of the cook.
If you are adding onions and garlic to the pot, a knife and a cutting board are needed.
For the broth that you’ll create, you will need a colander, bowl, wide mouth canning jars, canning funnel, and lids for the jars.

Ingredients

3-4 pound (or larger) Beef, Pork, Lamb, or Wild Meat Roast that has been beer brined (See HERE)
Oil or Fat to sear the roast in.
Any herbs or vegetables you would like to add.
Beer you would like to add to the pot before “broasting.”

There’s really not much here; it’s an easy process.

We are going to set the text of the steps in bold text to indicate the steps to follow with the specifics below each step. I want to keep it easy but also answer most every question that you may have about this recipe. There’s really only 10 steps with 1000 possible questions. If you have a question, feel free to contact me.

Step 1: Start a few days before you plan to cook the roast and brine Your Roast first.

Here’s the link for Beer and Iron’s beer brine: https://beerandiron.com/2021/05/basic-beer-brine-recipe Here’s a link to Beer and Iron’s How to Brine Meat: https://beerandiron.com/2022/12/how-to-beer-brine-meat.

This is a process I seldom skip. We pick up our roast for a particular day in the week and we brine that roast all the way up to the morning of the day we plan to cook the roast. You don’t have to brine the roast; it will be wonderful with a few added spices and herbs to the outside of the roast before searing.

Step 2: Remove the roast from the refrigerator and out of the brine about 1-2 hours (or more) before you plan to start searing the roast.

Some say that “warming up” a roast…or any meat…before cooking is pointless. Your goal is not to reach room temperature. Even if you keep your home at 68°F (20°C), a roast will likely only get to the 50°F (10°C) range (likely MUCH less). There seems to be little difference between a roast coming from 37°F (3°C) (refrigerator) to reach an internal temperature of around 50°F (10°C). But there is a notable difference in the cooking time. How long will it take for the internal temperature of a roast to rise from the 37°F (3°C) range to the 50°F (10°C) range in a 200°F (95°C) to 225°F (105°C) oven? We pull the roast out to “warm up” from the refrigerator temperature to whatever temperature it reaches by the time we are ready to cook; we really don’t care nor do we check the internal temperature of the roast before searing it. As they say, “It is what it is.” Basically, what ever temperature the roast has warmed up to is what it is. Needless to say, this is an optional step.

Step 3: After the roast has been out for a bit and you are ready to cook, place the cast iron Dutch oven in the oven at 450°F (235°C) to preheat the cast iron.

You can wipe a bit of oil onto the inside surface of the Dutch oven beforehand. If I am adding more oil to the Dutch oven for searing, I add the oil on the stove top. Let the Dutch oven preheat in the oven. This is an optional step but will have that cast iron sear-ready when you are ready to start cooking.

Step 4: Add oil to the outside of the roast.

I usually add a bit of oil to the roast directly instead of the Dutch oven. This way the oil is at a minimum. Not for the calorie’s sake…no sir! I am liberal with my oil on the outside of the roast. Too much oil causes some issues. I want a good sear on the roast and I don’t want to fry the roast. Too much oil will take the roast longer to get that good sear and likely will start the roast to actually cook deeper into the meat. This is also considering how much fat you have on the particular roast you are cooking; that roast may produce its own cooking oil. This is especially true for pork roasts.

If you wish to add oil to the cast iron instead of the or in addition to the oil you added to the roast, it’s all good. Add away. But not too much. Also, if you plan to add oil to the Dutch oven when you sear the roast, add the oil on the stove top to the preheated Dutch oven.

On the flip side, too little oil will not work either and likely cause the sear to look more like the meat has been burned. If you found you did not add enough oil, it’s okay to add more during the sear.

How much oil depends on the size of the roast and the size of the Dutch oven. There should be oil surrounding the roast that is touching the hot cast iron and you should see that “sizzling” effect all around the roast’s searing surface.

Depending on your stove’s burner top, you may find that parts of the Dutch oven are not as hot as other parts. Gas stoves with round burners may create a ring of hotter cast iron with a less-than-desirable sear to the outer sides and the center of the roast. Just move the roast around as you sear the sides. AND, it is okay to return a side that is not seared per your liking a second time.

Chef Tip:

You may find that the first side of the roast that you seared just didn’t look as good as the last side you are searing. That’s common because the first side is usually seared at the point where there is more standing oil in the Dutch oven than when you finally reach the last side. If after searing all the “sides” of the roast, there is an area you’d like to sear a second time, that is perfectly okay. The video shows the meat after that first turn. Notice subsequent turns and how the sear meat looks “more seared.”

Step 5: When the Dutch oven is very hot (at or around 450°F (235°C)), place the preheated Dutch oven over a medium-high heat and let the pot start to show wisps of smoke.

The Dutch oven will likely have wisps of smoke right out of the oven and be ready to sear. Keep the heat going by placing that preheated and very hot cast iron over the heat of the stovetop.

Remember, hot cast iron looks just like cold cast iron!

If you wish to add more oil to the pot, this is the time to add that oil. Let that new oil start to show wisps of smoke before adding the roast. The oil will cool the pot just a bit and you need some time…just a bit… to get the oil up to temperature. This will not take long in a preheated Dutch oven.

Step 6: Set the roast into the hot Dutch oven. Let the roast sear on each of its (imaginary) 6 sides for about 2-4 minutes (or a bit longer even) on each side.

Use your vent hood on high during this process. There will be smoke…and likely your home’s fire alarms will go off. You’ve been informed.

This process will take about 8 to 24 minutes. Roasts are irregular in shape. But, it’s easy to imagine the roast like a cube with 6 sides. Some roast (like tri tip) may look like a “tube” with only 4 sides. Sear each side in that wicked hot cast iron for 2-4 minutes per side to form that seared crust-like surface on the outside. Patience is the key. It’s like watching water boil; 2-4 minutes seems like a long time. Searing times are only a suggestion; sear by how the roast looks and not how long it’s been searing.

We use wooden utensils during the searing process and use them to aid in positioning the roast in the pot. Especially when the roast is on its thinner sides; it tends to fall over. I use my wooden utensils as a sort of wedge. I can leave them in the pot with the roast without the handles getting too hot…but don’t underestimate that wooden handle…check it before grabbing it. They will get hot when over the edge of that Dutch oven.

Pre-searing is a debated process. It’s how we prepare our roasts. We have tried both ways to create a roast…pre searing as well as straight-in-the-pot-then-into-the-oven. We prefer the seared method. I know others who prefer otherwise. There’s no debate here from me; to each his or her own. To sear or not to sear is like debating favorite colors…it’s subjective through and through. I like to sear the roast for the flavor my pallet prefers. I know some pretty awesome folks that create some pretty awesome roasts without pre searing. It’s your roast and your call.

Step 7: Once all the sides of the roast are nice and seared, turn off the heat. Lift the roast out and place a trivet in the bottom of the Dutch oven and place the roast on that trivet.

This too is an optional step. I use a trivet with the expectation that the roast will produce broth and fat to the bottom of the Dutch oven during cooking. If you add vegetables to the pot, you will likely create even more broth with the vegetables contributing to the liquid-deliciousness. I have had roast that produced no broth and other roasts that were swimming in broth when we pulled it from the oven.

That broth is special stuff so don’t toss it out. But I don’t want my roast to be too deep in the broth while it is cooking. I like my roast to be moist but not dripping. The “moisture” associated with a “moist roast” will also come with the broken-down collagen and other connective tissues as well as the broth that remains in the roast itself. The broth that has collected in the pot is my future soup base or a base for my gravy.

Some folks will use the vegetables as a “trivet.” And that’s okay; we’ve done this many times and it works well.

By the way, we seldom add vegetables with our roast; there are some logistics to adding vegetables. The long cook time may result in either dry, rubber-like or overly soft textures of the vegetables. When we do add vegetables, it’s usually for flavor such as onions and garlic. You could add the vegetables during the middle of the cooking process. Plan on being at the ready with those vegetables and don’t leave the lid off for too long when you are adding the vegetables during the middle or some time during the cook. To add or not to add, It’s totally up to you.

When we do add onions and garlic, here’s how we do it:

1) After the roast has seared, remove the roast from the Dutch oven and set to the side (use the upside-down lid to hold on to it for a bit). Toss in a whole onion that has been chopped. And, if you’d like, add a bunch of garlic. Don’t peel the garlic cloves; just smash them and toss them in.

2) The oil that is left over from searing the roast is already in the pot, but if you are lacking oil, add a tablespoon or two and let it heat back up a bit.

3) In the pot along are the bits and pieces from the roast that seared off. These bits and pieces of seared meat are called the Fond. And the act of sautéing the onions and garlic will break these pieces off and likely bring that Dutch oven’s bottom down to a smooth surface (in a nicely pre seasoned Dutch oven). That is called Deglazing. Did you learn a new word or two?

Deglazing also refers to cleaning, “to add liquid to a hot pot that makes scraping the fond off easier.” Unless you really burned your bits and pieces to a crisp (black and no longer considered food), then we will not waste that fond; it’s FULL of flavor. If you burned the fond, wipe the burned pieces out and toss it.

Once the onions and garlic are sautéed (just leave all that garlic skin in there), place the trivet (or not) right on top of those sautéed onions and garlic. Return the roast to the pot and onto that trivet.

Step 8: Cover the seared and trivet-ed roast with the cast iron Dutch oven’s lid.

We are not roasting the roast; we are essentially brazing the roast. Open roasting this roast at that low temperature for this long will produce a large jerky-like ball of meat. We need that moisture to stay in that pot. And a Dutch oven lid has the weight to hold in that moisture and almost (almost) work in a way similar to a pressure cooker (really, nowhere near a pressure cooker but the concept is there, right?).

Some of the cast iron Dutch oven lids have what’s called wings to the lids. And the Dutch oven pot itself has a pour, spout-like area between the two handles. Make sure the wings cover the little spout-like area, so the moisture does not steam-out and dry your roast. You may end up with less than a half-pint of broth or you may end up with more than a quart. That broth is what really helps the roast braise and not roast…almost like BROASTING! My wife came up with that word, “Broasting.” It’s really not braising and really not roasting. We put our roast in dry and it produces its own liquid. Broasting! I love it!!

Step 9: Place the covered pot into the preheated 200°F (95°C) to 225°F (105°C) oven.

250°F (120°C) is pushing it. I’ve even cooked at 175°F (80°C) (yes, I have!). Beef, pork, and lamb are considered done at 145° F (62.8° C) (being more exact here with my Celsius). But we are NOT going to check the temperature of that roast. We don’t care when it gets to 145° F (62.8° C). We’ll push forward for about 3-6 hours (I’ve gone for as long as 12 hours on a rare occasion).

Step 10: After 3-6 hours or longer, pull the pot from the oven and have a fork at the ready. Insert the fork into the roast. If the fork enters the roast with little effort, the roast is ready.

It should be “fork tender.” Take the fork and pull at the meat a bit. Does it flake away with the grain? It’s done.

Roast cooked to a fork tender state will not slice like a roasted roast. If you use even a very sharp knife, the roast will fold like a deck of cards being pushed around by the palm of your hand.

The meat can be pulled apart using two forks (pulled beef or pulled pork) or can be chopped up a bit into finer pieces against the grain.

The roast is ready!

Step 11: The broth. Remove the trivet from the pot (if you used one). Place a colander over a heat-safe bowl sitting on a heat-safe surface. Strain the broth into that bowl. Then, pour the strained broth from the bowl into a heat-safe container like canning jars (always a great storage container). Refrigerate if you are planning to use at a later date.

If you’ve added onions and garlic to the recipe, they will look very over-done. And that’s okay. They have rendered their flavors and done their jobs; leave them in the colander and toss them (this is why we don’t worry about removing the garlic skin). After removing the roast and the trivet, pour over the remaining contents through the strainer over the bowl. The pot and the liquid will be hot.

Strain out the liquid and then pour over into a heat-safe storage container. We use wide-mouth canning jars and a canning funnel. I like the wide-mouth variety because it’s easier to get that fat out later (for another recipe and not for the trash). FYI: Using a canning jar is not considered canning. Store this broth in the refrigerator. Use your good judgment as to how long to store the broth before using it or tossing it.

Don’t pour the broth down the drain of your sink. That fat will solidify at room temperature and WILL eventually clog your plumbing over time. Even the containers we use to store the broth and fat are wiped out with a paper towel before washing those containers. Hey! Did you know that oil-covered paper towels make for GREAT fire starters?

The broth will have a layer of fat that will separate to the top. PERFECT! Let the jars of broth cool a bit and then place them into the refrigerator on a heat-safe surface to protect your glass refrigerator shelves from that hot jar’s bottom.

Later, the fat will (more likely than not) separate to a solid. The broth underneath will likely jell-up like Jell-O. Sometimes (depending on the roast’s collagen), the broth will remain liquid. Later we will use this fat and broth to create other recipes. For example, we may use the fat to create a roux and the broth as the soup or stew base. Maybe we’ll create a gravy.

That broth is liquid gold! Don’t toss it.

Don’t leave the broth in the pot to strain later. The fat will cool and start to coagulate and will not “flow” like liquid. The fat will stick to anything left in the bottom of that Dutch oven. Strain while hot and put into heat-safe containers while still warm. If you wish to remove and throw away the fat; no worries. After the fat has solidified in the container in the refrigerator (I call this the “fat cap”), you can just break it off later and toss the chunks. But not me! I use that fat for things like sautéing and creating roux for other recipes.

Chef Tip 1:

Chef Tip 2:

A 200°F (95°C) to 225°F (105°C) oven will cook one roast in a 5-quart Dutch oven using the same energy it would take to cook TWO roasts in two separate 5-quart Dutch ovens. You’ll find that the roast you are cooking will shrink a bit during the cook (with the rest of the roast as the broth). No worries, it really isn’t just broth that makes a roast taste and feel moist. We often will cook two roasts in two different Dutch ovens at the same time. Benefits of cooking two roasts at the same time are:

Enough for Seconds
Having guests and need more than just one roast.
You want some leftovers for other quicker-and-easier recipes during the week.
The same energy (except for the searing part) to cook both roast.

Our oven will hold two 5-quart or one 5-quart and a 7-quart Dutch oven. I am referencing two Dutch ovens for two roasts but if you have a Dutch that will hold two roasts, do what you want with what you have.

Chef Tip 3:

The roast you will create by using this recipe will give you a meal’s main entrée. BUT, this recipe will create a roast that is also the main ingredient in many recipes. It can be prepared, cooked, and saved for quick-and-easy recipes that you can make during the week. Heck, even Po Boy sandwiches on Monday and beef tacos on Tuesday. Maybe there’s enough for Wednesday night enchiladas. All of these meals are cooked with a roast you prepared on Sunday.

Chef Tip 4:

There is no timer that will be the inevitable, “call to dinner.” With a little planning, you can decide when dinner will be done by the time you plan to cook the roast. Depending on the other part of your meal (the sides), or if you plan to use the roast as an ingredient in another recipe (like we did in the video), you can start preparing these items while the roast continues to cook. My suggestion is to cook a roast successfully once and get a good idea as to how long it will take to cook. Cut type, cut size, oven temperature, and other factors will determine the cook time; take notes. If you start preparing the rest of the meal an hour ahead of your anticipated “done” time and don’t have a feel for this recipe, you may find that everything else is done and there’s an hour to go on the roast.

Chef Tip 5:

We have created the broth from the roast that has been brined. The beauty of the broth is the salt. It will have a lot of the salt that the roast absorbed during the brining process. When adding this broth to other recipes, forgo adding salt to the recipe until after you have sampled the recipe with which the broth is an ingredient. Here’s a link to how we salt our recipes: https://beerandiron.com/2022/11/salt-to-taste

We did a lot of talking in this article. Cooking a beef, pork, lamb, or wild meat roast this way is really very simple. It will take you longer to read this article than it will during the whole of the preparation time for this recipe. Later, you’ll be able to create this nearly fail-safe recipe without even thinking about it. It’s really very easy to create.

On many recipes on beerandiron.com, I will refer to this recipe as an ingredient and one of the reasons why I went into so much detail.

As always, your comments are welcomed and different techniques you use to cook a roast are welcomed as well. My way is a way and not the only way.

ENJOY!

Low and Slow Roast Recipe – Beef Pork Lamb Wild Roasts

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 6

Course Main Course

Servings

Calories 204 kcal

Equipment

Dutch Oven With a Lid that will accommodate the size roast you have selected.
Wooden Utensils For Turning and Positioning
Paper Towels For Drying the Roast
Fork To Test for Fork-Tenderness

Ingredients

Roast A brined beef, pork, lamb, or wild meat roast.

Instructions

Start a few days before you plan to cook the roast and brine Your Roast first.
Remove the roast from the refrigerator and out of the brine about 1-2 hours (or more) before you plan to start searing the roast.
After the roast has been out for a bit and you are ready to cook, place the cast iron Dutch oven in the oven at 450°F (235°C) to preheat the cast iron.
Add oil to the outside of the roast.
When the Dutch oven is very hot (at or around 450°F (235°C)), place the preheated Dutch oven over a medium-high heat and let the pot start to show wisps of smoke.
Set the roast into the hot Dutch oven. Let the roast sear on each of its (imaginary) 6 sides for about 2-4 minutes (or a bit longer even) on each side.
Once all the sides of the roast are nice and seared, turn off the heat. Lift the roast out and place a trivet in the bottom of the Dutch oven and place the roast on that trivet.
Cover the seared and trivet-ed roast with the cast iron Dutch oven’s lid.
lace the covered pot into the preheated 200°F (95°C) to 225°F (105°C) oven.
After 3-6 hours or longer, pull the pot from the oven and have a fork at the ready. Insert the fork into the roast. If the fork enters the roast with little effort, the roast is ready.
The broth. Remove the trivet from the pot (if you used one). Place a colander over a heat-safe bowl sitting on a heat-safe surface. Strain the broth into that bowl. Then, pour the strained broth from the bowl into a heat-safe container like canning jars (always a great storage container). Refrigerate if you are planning to use at a later date.

Notes

This recipe is intended to teach you how to create one (or more) 2-4 pound beef, pork, lamb, or wild meat roast that would be considered “tough.” The recipe will instruct the cook to select, brine, sear, roast/braise, and finish by saving the broth generated by the roast.

Note: Nutritional calculations based on 4 ounces of a beef chuck roast.

Nutrition

Serving: 4ozCalories: 204kcalProtein: 22gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 92mgPotassium: 376mgVitamin A: 15IUCalcium: 19mgIron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Dinner, Game, Lamb, Meal, Meats, Pork, Supper, Uncategorized

by Sulae @ beerandiron.com

December 9, 2022

How to Tenderize Chicken Breasts

How to tenderize chicken breast.

Chicken, Meats, Uncategorized

by Sulae @ beerandiron.com

November 6, 2022

Salt to Taste

“What does ‘salt to taste’ mean anyway? Just give me a measurement that works, right? After all, I am reading your recipe and need to know what works!” – My Past Self Salt. Alone it’s overwhelming to the senses, leaves you thirsty, and lingers on…

Stories, Uncategorized

by Sulae @ beerandiron.com

November 5, 2022

Beer and Chicken Bone Broth

Does making your own broth take time? Sure, it does! So does eating a meal. But, I can “Guar-Ron-Tee” dat eating a bad meal takes longer than eating a good meal. Do you want them plates and bowls to end up at the sink with soup still in them or already licked squeaky clean?

This broth recipe is one of the base recipes that will be referred to over and over in recipe after recipe here on beerandiron.com.

The backbone of any soup, stew, and chili is the broth you use. If the broth is flavorful, the soup, stew, or chili will be flavorful. Let’s make this!

NOTE: You may have noticed the stainless steel pot used in the image above. Using stainless steel for this is A-OK. In the video, I used my 9-quart cast iron Dutch oven to make the broth. Use what you want.

I’m gonna tell you it’s the broth that will “make” that meal, and the only way to make a good broth is to make it yourself.

There is one reason I make my own broth: Flavor. And the flavor comes from two sources: The Beer and from the parts and pieces that are generated during meal preparation that are normally thrown away.

Will we end up throwing these parts and pieces away? Sure, but not until we’ve rendered their flavor. It’s almost like tea; we simmer the tea in the water until we have changed the water into tea. Then, we toss the tea.

A good broth jells (like Jell-O / Gelatin) when cooled. This is due to the structural protein found in the connective tissue: collagen. Collagen breaks down with prolonged simmering and cooking and dissolves in the liquid (the beer). A true bone broth…a good broth in general has some bouncy, wiggly, gelatin-like consistency when cool. Shelf-stable bone broths usually do not gel because the collagen has been removed or never was there in the first place. Not only are you missing the nutritional benefits of the broth, the way the final recipe will “feel” is not as pleasing…a different mouth-feel, if you will.

Think about it for a bit. Why does boneless chicken cost more per pound than whole chicken? There’s weight to the “trash” that the whole chicken has that boneless chicken does not. When preparing bell peppers or tomatoes, do you use the whole vegetable/fruit or do you throw away some parts as you prepare them? Potato peel, carrot tops, bell pepper placenta, and meat bone/fat/joints…this is usually tossed during the cooking process. Even that large base of celery; it usually hits the garbage can with a heavy “thud.” There’s flavor in that root end. Every bit of that has flavor…some of it has more flavor than the actual “good” parts themselves; it’s just trapped in an area of the food that is either not editable as is (bones and ligaments) or has a terrible mouth feel like chunks of fat, potato peels, and pepper placenta.

I am not making it to reduce the salt/sodium or any other reason that is found on every single make-your-own broth blog. My reasons are dual and simple: Flavor and FLAVOR!

This recipe is easy. It’s so very easy. We create our broths from four sources:

Using the bones, skin, and edible innards parts of chickens we’ve roasted or baked. We debone the chicken and gather the bones and parts into a container for future broth-making or we make it right away.
Using the scraps from meal preparation. When you cut the core from a tomato, the bell pepper placenta, potato peel, onion skin and ends, and a whole array of other parts and pieces.
When cooking a roast or chicken in a Dutch oven and the “juices” remaining in the pot. This is ALWAYS saved.
We obtain some bones and scraps that are, more or less, edible but would never be considered something to sit and create a meal from. Bones, ligaments, and other parts from butchering.

Ever heard of Corona or Modelo? Sure, you have. Start with this easy-drinking beer. If you are a craft beer purist, no worries. Find one of your craft beers that are easy to drink like a lager or an ale. Here at first, avoid IPAs, seasonals, porters, and the others that may add a level of flavor you will experiment with later. Right now, let’s just create something amazing. Experiment later.

The Supplies

Stainless Steel Pot for the Parts and Pieces like THIS ONE.
Bowl or other receptacle to hold the “good” parts that you will keep for another recipe.
Stirring Spoon or Spatula (to both stir the broth during the creation process and to “press” out the broth from the scraps in the strainer). This one is what I suggest: HERE.
Metal Strainer
Bowl to catch the final broth
Jars to store the broth (if you are planning to store for later). I suggest wide-mouth Mason or Ball-type jars. There will be a bit of fat that will solidify at the top of your refrigerated broth that will be easier to remove and use (yes…we do use that) from a wide-mouth jar.
Jar funnel – Trust me on this.
Affiliate Links Above

Ingredients

Bones, parts, and pieces from one whole deboned chicken – More if you have them.
2-8 12oz Beers (Room Temperature)…or more.

Ready to Cook

All you need for this recipe are the bones from one chicken. If you have more, add more. If you have some vegetable scraps, add them too.

Step 1: Start with a cast iron Dutch oven or another pot that will hold all of your ingredients.

It’s okay if the ingredients are piled out and above the top of that Dutch oven. They will break down and render their flavor into that broth. The broth will simmer down a bit and become more concentrated. Just pile it in!

Step 2: The Beer. Add a lager or light, not-too-bitter ale to the pot. You’re going to need to add as many as it takes or supplement with water or broth-from-a-box.

The amount of beer to add is up to you.

First and foremost…NO! You will not get drunk on this broth. Alcohol has a much lower gas point that water does. If you are adding a 6% ABV (alcohol by volume) beer to this pot, then long before that broth starts to steam, that alcohol will gas off.

You’ve heard the statement regarding alcohol in food, “It’ll cook out.” And it does. There is no “away” in the world; the alcohol does leave the meal just like water does: as a gas. A 6% ABV beer will lose about 6% of the volume pretty quickly.

Note: Alcohol “cooks out” at about 173.1°F (78.37°C). The liquid will not even be bubbling yet by the time the Ethanol (https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/alcohol/types/) starts to steam out. When your liquid reaches 212°F (100°C), you’ll notice a nice boil start (the boiling point of water).

What I am looking for in my broth is some body. I want the broth to have a heavier and fuller flavor and mouthfeel than broth-in-a-box or water has. That beer will add that body and those real ingredients will add that flavor.

The broth will NOT taste like beer. But, use caution with a beer that has a distinctive flavor ingredient. You can bet your witches and warlocks that the fall pumpkin ale you add to this broth will give you a pumpkin-ey broth. And, you can bet Santa’s beer belly that if you use a winter spruce tip lager in that broth, you’ll have a bit of a spruce-ey broth. That may be okay. Maybe you are going to use the pumpkin broth for a pumpkin chili base. And spruce tip flavor sure does complement chicken, just like rosemary does.

For the most part, use an easy-drinking lager for this recipe. And, if you find that you have a lot of ingredient scraps and not quite enough beer to bring the liquid volume up to the point you need, you can add a bit of water or even one of those boxes of store-bought “broth.”

Add the beer to the pot and just up to where the ingredients move freely in the liquid. You do not need to cover the ingredients with the liquid. The ingredients will cook down and will be under that liquid soon.

Step 3: Heat the pot on medium heat until the liquid starts to simmer.

Then turn everything about in that pot to get the ingredients to settle a bit.

Step 4: Once the simmering starts, turn the heat down to low or medium low. Cover the pot with the lid.

Let things settle for a while and stir the pot about once every 20-30 minutes for the first hour. Put the lid on the pot but leave an edge open to allow the steam to escape. We want the pot to simmer and not become a rolling boil. The lid over the pot will help hold the heat to allow for simmering. The opened edge at the top will keep the pot from boiling too hard.

Step 5: Keep stirring the broth about every 20-30 minutes until things start to break down.

You’ve heard of bone broth, right? We are making a mini pot of bone broth right here. Most bone broths take hours and hours to create and are made in some considerable volumes.

I have a recipe for beef bone broth that takes an entire day. Here’s the link: https://beerandiron.com/beer-beef-bone-broth-recipe-in-a-cast-iron-dutch-oven

This is not really a recipe. It’s a process. We will often spend the week cutting and chopping and roasting and skillet-ing. And, as we create our dinners, there are things that are often tossed. We’ll hang onto those trimmings, peelings, parts, bones, and pieces until we are ready to make a broth.

A long simmering time will allow all these parts and pieces to break down…ESPECIALLY the chicken bones and connective tissues. Eventually you will notice as you are turning and rotating the pot of “stuff” that the bone ends are bare and without any cartilage. The joints that were connected even after roasting the chicken are now broken apart and separated.

This is EXACTLY what we are looking for. And, we’ll let it simmer even longer.

Most of the ingredients are below the liquid level now. They are soft and fragile and some are almost liquified. We’ll call it broth-ified. The collagen from the chicken bones and the broken-down parts and pieces of meat and vegetables are creating a nice and heavy broth full of nutrients.

As you cook, and if you notice the liquid level is getting too low, add more beer, water, or boxed broth.

Step 6: Once the broth is “done,” take the pot off the heat and let things cool a bit.

I set things aside and let them cool down but don’t let things cool down to room temperature. I let the liquid cool to about the temperature of a cup of coffee.

Step 7: Have your jars ready to be filled with the broth.

We are going to put the broth in the canning jars for refrigerator storage. THIS IS NOT A CANNING RECIPE. The broth created by following this recipe will have to be refrigerated. It will spoil at room temperature. With that being said, you can pressure can this broth following a canning recipe.

You will see in the video that I make a huge freakin’ mess while I pour the broth over to the jars. Even with the canning funnel. It is what it is. It’s likely because I am a male and prone to making messes (my wife has me convinced that I am handicapped because of a genetic issue: my Y-Chromosome).

My suggestion is to use wide-mouth jars. This broth will jell-up and it’s easier to get out of the jars with the wide mouth.

Step 8: Set a bowl with a metal strainer near the pot of broth and parts and pieces.

Place a metal strainer in the bowl to catch the solids. Using a ladle, we scoop up the solids and pour them over to the strainer. Then we stir the mash around and try to get as much of the liquid from that mushy stuff as we can.

Like in my beef bone broth recipe, you can “wash” the used material by placing it back in the pot and adding some fresh beer over the mushy stuff and spent bones. There will be enough of the broth and collagen left to actually jellify the beer when cooled. Message me if you need more explanation.

You can then use the drained solids for compost (except the bones), feed them to a worm bin, or throw them away.

Step 9: Ladle the broth into the metal strainer and separate the broth from the liquid.

Scoop up the liquid and solids and ladle them over into the strainer over the bowl. We are actually focused on the solids here. We want to get as much of the solids out as we can, so we are able to pour the pot over the strainer and get all the broth out and free of the solids.

Step 10: Pour the broth into a storage container like Mason or Ball jars.

If you don’t have any quart-size canning jars, you should get a set. They are so very helpful and handy. They can handle the extreme temperature changes like Pyrex glass can. And they are not too spendy. If they break or crack, we just recycle them (they take our glass here!).

Place a canning funnel over the mouth of the canning jar and pour the broth into the jars. The sad thing is: you’ll get far less broth than you think you’ll be getting. It is what it is.

Step 11: Put a lid over the jars of broth and store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

The jars of broth will not last indefinitely. My suggestion is to use the broth in a soup, stew, chili, or something else before you start wondering, “is this okay to eat?” How long will that take? I don’t know the answer to that question. But, when I have broth like this available, I plan on a meal that will allow me to use the broth within a week.

And there you go! You did it! How did it turn out?

Chef Tip #1: Don’t Burn Yourself

When pouring in Step #10, you’ll note the chicken parts are “sunken” to the bottom of the pot and will remain at the bottom of the pot until the angle of the pot during the pouring has reached a certain point. THEN the parts and pieces will “fall” to the side of the pot you are pouring toward.

It’s hard to pour this “away” from you and you will likely be inclined to pour “towards” you. When these ingredients “fall,” that liquid will splash. There are hot oils in that broth and the hot broth itself that will burn you or, in the least, make a mess on your counter or floor.

When about half of the liquid has poured into the colander, stop and “help” the chicken parts to gather on the side of the pot that you are pouring from. Then slowly continue pouring and let the parts and pieces slide into the colander to continue draining.

Chef Tip #2: It’s Okay to Use Stainless…or Cast Iron

We use a copper-bottomed stainless 6-quart pot for making broth from one or two chickens. We use stainless because the simmer time is so long. Beer and anything that contains alcohol is going to be acidic. And, truth be known, I’ll cook up a tomato dish in any of my non-enamled, well-seasoned cast iron pots and will not lose a wink of sleep over it…and…I create broth in my cast iron too…just like in the video.

Though the likelihood of metal molecules leaching into my food likely happens every single meal, we’re not cooking in lead or aluminum; we’re cooking in cast iron. Iron is both a material and a mineral. We need iron to have good health (https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-Consumer/). I don’t worry about my cast iron dissolving or becoming damaged by the acid foods and liquids I cook in them. I worry about the possibility of a metallic taste that may form with foods that need to simmer for longer periods of time like broths.

Some of my broths will cook for 24 hours (not this recipe). And, from what I understand, 2-8mg of iron will leach per cup of acid food/liquid per 30 minutes of cooking time. My 12-inch skillet is about 3,628,736mg of iron; 2-8mg is not a big deal even every 30 minutes for 24 hours…that broth would need to cook for something like 25 YEARS to melt my pan (LOL)! But, if off-flavors are a concern, then use a stainless pot…we have that one and only and use it for broth-making and noodle cooking.

With that being said, I use my 9-quart cast iron pot to create a beef broth (https://beerandiron.com/beer-beef-bone-broth-recipe-in-a-cast-iron-dutch-oven) that has a 24-hour cook time. It’s always been a great recipe and I have never had a metallic taste to my meals. So, if you are a purist cast-iron person, rock on with a cast iron Dutch oven to create your broth.

Chef Tip #3: Note on Storage

Storing in canning jars is not “canning” per se’. We are using the jars because of their convenience. Don’t store this broth in plastic. You can use something like Pyrex if you like. You will NEED to refrigerate this broth after you “jar” it and after it’s cooled a bit. You can “can” the broth but this canning process is beyond the scope of this recipe.

Note: canning jars are commonly made of annealed glass. Pyrex glass is made of borosilicate glass, which is more resistant to thermal shock than annealed glass. We let the broth cool a bit before pouring over into the container we are planning to store the broth in.

And, it’s okay if that “skin” forms on the broth’s surface before storing; it’ll “dissolve” into the broth once the broth is in the jar.

Chef Tip #4: Do You Have Dogs?

When you are done with your broth creation, you’ll have your broth and your meat parts separated. Depending on how long you simmered your broth will affect the present “durability” of the connective tissue. Many times I am surprised as to how much “meat” is left after I de-bone the chicken and create my broth.

We have pups in our home; two hair and poop factories on four legs. I will take some time and remove all the big, little, and even TINY bones from the “trash” that’s left in the colander and pull out some meat to use as “treats” for the dogs. My suggestion is to only give them a little at a time. You will likely get anywhere from ½ to a full cup (or more) of meat parts that are not bone.

I have a recipe on how to create dog cookies using scraps of meat. Check it out here:

Throw the bones away; don’t feed them to your dogs. Also, consider the other ingredients in your broth creation. Did you use any garlic, onions, or other ingredients that are not OK for dogs? Use your good judgment when feeding your dogs from this recipe.

Chef Tip #5: Time Saver

Broth-making is more passive than active. Once you put those ingredients into that pot for simmering, you’re pretty well free to create another meal or prep for the meal you are going to use that broth with.

Sometimes I will save the parts and pieces from many different cooks. They may be frozen or refrigerated. A nice rainy or snowy day makes a good day to create broth for the future. Once you put it on the heat, there’s little to do but wait and stir things once in a while.

You better have something planned for dinner later that will taste as good as that simmering broth will smell. Once that aroma permeates the home, your family will definitely ask, “what’s for dinner?” That anticipation doesn’t need to be disappointed by, “What’s this? What was that you were cooking earlier?”

Chef Tip #6: My Broth Didn’t Gel!

A good broth jells (like Jell-O / Gelatin) when cooled. But, if yours does not, it’s likely one of two reasons: 1) You didn’t simmer it long enough for the connective tissues to dissolve into the broth (this is a molecule-by-molecule process and takes time). 2) There just wasn’t enough connective tissues in the scraps themselves to dissolve (common with small broth batches).

If your broth does not gel; then no worries! Just cook with it; it’ll be A-OK!

If you’ve got minutes, then cook for minutes. But, if you have hours…simmer it for hours and add more beer as it reduces to keep the liquid level up.

WAIT! You forgot the Salt!

Actually, I did not. Salting a dish is a tricky deal to say the least. I don’t know what your “salty” tastes like. So, I wrote an article on how to salt a soup, stew, chili, or bisque. It’s a how-to-salt-just-about-anything-perfectly article. READ IT HERE.

So, no. I don’t add salt to this broth recipe. I add salt to the recipe I am going to cook with this broth but not during the broth creating process.

One of the reasons I don’t add salt is that I am usually using a brined chicken…and the amount of saltiness depends on so many factors that occurred from when you first put that raw chicken in that beer brine. Read my article on “Salt” to learn how I perfectly salt a recipe.

You’ve had those thin, watery soups before. You’ve struggled to bring body to your stews. We’ve added this and that and still feel, “it’s missing something.” What your soup, stew, or chili is missing is body and the core flavor. It’s the broth that will make or break a pot of soup, stew, or chili.

Take the time and save the week’s trimmings, bones, and scraps. Keep them refrigerated until you have enough to make your broth. Give this a try and let me know what you think.

ENJOY!