DIRECTIONS
This comfort food recipe uses the basic guidelines of preparing a pot roast in the oven or slow cooker - but modified to cook outdoors on an "Old School" Char-Broil 940X charcoal grill. You can also prepare this on a gas grill, set up for low and slow indirect cooking.
Prep time: 20 minutes plus overnight marinating
Cook time: Until roast reaches internal temp of about 180F degrees
Serves: 8 - 12
Preparation
One day prior to grilling place the meat in a non-reactive container with the Italian Dressing, Red Wine, Salt, and Pepper added and hold, covered in the icebox (I love that term!) to marinate overnight. Halfway into the marinating time turn the roasts to insure all sides are coated evenly with the mixture.
Day of the cook:
Wash and prepare vegetables, cutting into large bit-sizes
The cooker:
The old Char-Broil 940X was used, set-up for indirect grilling employing the flank method – whereby the coals are on either end and the middle of cooker has no heat.
Smoking wood chosen was apple but I also tossed in my last couple of chunks of pecan:
The cook:
Remove meat from the icebox, pat dry to remove the surface moisture of the marinade and allow to rise to room temperature before grilling. Once the coals are ready and properly spread the cooking grate will be left high to first sear the roast to seal the juices inside. Turn after searing one side – about 4-5 minutes.
Place all of the chopped veggies and about 28 oz of beef broth & 1 cup of water (warmed in microwave or sauce pan, not boiling) in a non-reactive metal roasting pan and place a roasting ‘V’ rack in the pan and place the two roasts on the rack. The meat should not be touching the liquid at this time. Place meat thermometers in both roasts – remote digital thermometers are good for this purpose because they allow you to monitor the temperature of the meat without lifting the hood and releasing all of the heat.
With the hood closed on the cooker – the temperature in the cooking chamber should be approximately 375F degrees and maintaining a consistent level is important.
Place the roasting pan in the center of the grill and close the hood. If you desire add smoking wood to the coals. The coals should be the furthest from the grate surface that your cooker will allow.
NOTE: I like to place a reliable oven thermometer on the roasting rack to provide a quick temperature reference when I peek at the pan.
Check the temp of the cooker every 20 minutes to see that a cooking temperature of about 375F degrees is being maintained. Add charcoal and/or wood to maintain temperature and desired smoke level. Add beef broth and/or water during the cook if the liquid is evaporating.
Lift the hood on the cooker at about 1 to 1.5 hours and monitor internal temperature of the meat – then remove it from the ‘V’ rack and place in the vegetables and broth to finish the cook.. Cooking a pot roast to the level of “done” you desire can be measured two ways.
1. Fork tender
2. USDA internal temperature guidelines for beef
a. 130F rare
b. 145F medium rare
c. 160F medium
Use a combination of these two measures to produce the results you desire.
Remove meat and allow meat to rest for at least 15 minutes, lightly covered with foil, before slicing across the grain.
You can serve the vegetables and sauce in a rustic format or you might like to blend them to make gravy and pour over whipped potatoes.
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