Chinese Pot Roast

Can you tell that beef roasts were on sale recently? I feel like that's all I've been posting lately! This roast was delish! It doesn't have a strong "Chinese" flavor, but it has a really good flavor. We loved the sauce. I think if I had made this in the slow cooker, it would have been even more flavorful and tender. I used the left over meat the next night for steak tacos which were also pretty darn tasty. I love getting two meals out of one! I think you'll like this. If I hadn't been out of green onions, I may have tried adding some of them in the sauce, but I think it was pretty great as is and so did my husband.

Chinese Pot Roast
adapted from allrecipes.com


Ingredients:
1 (4 pound) boneless beef roast (I used a 2 1/2 pound bottom round roast.)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. (Omit if using slow cooker.)

Coat the chuck roast with garlic powder, pepper, and mustard powder. Heat the oil in a large oven-proof skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. If you don't have either of those, just use a skillet and transfer it to a oven safe dish. Add the roast and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.

In a medium bowl, stir together 2 cups of water, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, ginger and celery seed. Pour over the roast and then cover the roast tightly with a lid or aluminum foil. If using a slow cooker, place browned roast in slow cooker, pour sauce over top and cook on low for 6-8 hours.)

Bake in the preheated oven until the roast is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. (Adjust time for smaller roasts, mine was ready in 90 minutes.)

When the roast is done, remove it from the pan to a serving plate. Set the pan of drippings over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir together cornstarch and 1/4 cup of cold water. Pour into the boiling liquid and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Serve the roast with the gravy poured over.