The summer of 2025 is in the books.....and I'm hoping the likes of it stays there. Thanks to climate change, Minneapolis only had two kinds of weather all summer....sweltering 90ยบ heat and/or torrential rain. For the first time in 17 years, I did not turn on the sprinkler system once this year.
It's now the middle of October and change is in the air. The summer toys are put away. The sprinkler system has been blown out and the stagnant water replaced with antifreeze. Even got the snow tires on both cars last Thursday. (In the era before climate change, the average first snowfall in the Twin Cities was October 20.)
So time for our favorite season of year....fall. Cool, crisp air and time to roll out the comfort food repertoire. Pot roast is a favorite of ours. If you peruse this blog, you'll find pot roast recipes from all over the world: America (Mississippi, Texas and Minnesota), Italy, Portugal, Mexico...and now Korea.
The slow cooker is an incredible tool for making melt-in-your-mouth pot roast. Low and slow always wins the day. This Korean pot roast is a favorite and I typically serve it with sticky rice and spicy kimchi. The neutral rice helps offset the heat of the pot roast and kimchi. And if you'd like even more heat in your pot roast, stir in some chili crisp...either at Step #3 or just before serving.
INGREDIENTS
4 to 5 pound chuck roast, cut into 3-inch pieces
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
2 tablespoons Gochujang paste
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 cups beef stock
Cilantro, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
- Pat the chuck roast pieces dry and season with kosher salt.
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches, about 10 minutes per batch, then transfer to slow cooker.
- Lower the heat on the Dutch oven to medium, add the onion and cook for 4 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and ginger, cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute. If needed, deglaze the pan with ¼ cup beef stock, scraping up browned bits. Add all to the slow cooker.
- Add the gochujang paste, brown sugar, soy sauce, and remaining beef stock to the slow cooker. Stir to mix thoroughly.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. Then plate, garnishing each serving with cilantro.
Wine pairing: A big, fruity Zinfandel
