Beef & Mushroom Pot Roast

• 1.2 kgbeef brisket or chuck roast
• 4garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsptomato purée
• salt and black pepper
• 1large onion, diced
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 2 tbspWorcestershire sauce
• 300 mlbeef stock
• 400 gchestnut mushrooms, halved
• 3carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2sprigs fresh thyme
• 200 mlred wine
• 2bay leaves

Method

1. 1Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Pat the brisket dry with kitchen paper, season generously with salt and black pepper on all sides.
2. 2Heat the oil in a large, lidded casserole over high heat until it shimmers. Lower the beef in carefully and sear for 4–5 minutes per side until deeply mahogany-crusted all over. If your brisket is a tight fit, halve it and sear in two batches; crowd the pot and the meat steams in its own juices instead of building that fond. Lift out and set aside on a plate.
3. 3Drop the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring, until softened and translucent. Stir in the garlic and tomato purée and cook for just 60–90 seconds until fragrant.
4. 4Pour in the red wine and let it bubble hard for 2 minutes, scraping up every browned bit stuck to the base with a wooden spoon. Add the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer.
5. 5Return the beef and any resting juices to the pot. Tuck the carrots, mushrooms, bay leaves and thyme sprigs around the meat; the liquid should come about halfway up the brisket, no higher. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and slide into the oven.
6. 6Braise for 2½–3 hours, until the beef yields to a fork with no resistance and pulls apart in glossy strands. Fish out the bay leaves and thyme stalks.
7. 7Taste the braising liquid now, while you can still fix it; season with salt and pepper, taste again, adjust. The wine and stock have reduced and concentrated, so a final pinch of salt usually ties it together. Shred the beef directly in the pot, or slice it thickly and return it to the sauce.

Per serving

kcal

556

protein

37.6g

fibre

2.8g

carbs

13.4g

fat

37.2g