Gold Medal Rich and Zesty Pot Roast on the Smoker

Tom loves his snow sculptures and the Olympics!

The Winter Olympics sure were front and centre of everyone's mind over the last 2 weeks! They presented a lot of opportunities for fun and pulling together to cheer for our Canadian athletes. The picture above was taken of a neighbours front lawn. He is extremely talented.  But there were a few other things going on! One of them was the birthday of Andrea's brother, Jeff!  We couldn't let it slip away without mention!

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

Meal time can play second fiddle when you find yourself sucked into the vortex of the Olympic Games coverage on television. It becomes especially complicated when dealing with time zones on the other side of the world. Have no fear, we always manage to come up with the perfect menu for sharing meals when gathering with families and friends.  Low and slow is the name of the game for this  Gold Medal Rich and Zesty Chuck Roast that we cooked all day on the smoker! We served it up with some cole slaw, Mango Salad and Guacamole, all prepared ahead of time and pulled out of the refrigerator when everyone was ready to eat!

  

This recipe was the perfect solution to a problem that involved a day that was book-ended by the Olympics.  Watching the Canada-Sweden hockey game meant that we would have to be up early Sunday morning.  Of course, after winning gold, we knew that we would have no interest in spending a beautiful Sunday afternoon indoors watching the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. By now, we had become used to the all day/all night obsessive television coverage, so we knew that we could settle down in the evening to watch the closing spectacle. 

So here is our perfect solution to satisfying our hunger on this perfect winter day!

Prepare the rub and the roast the night before, get up early and light the charcoal in the smoker, watch a hockey game, put the roast on to cook slowly all day, then go out for a ski!!. By 6 pm, we had this Gold Medal Rich and Zesty Pot Roast.

Gold Medal Pot Roast on the Smoker

3-4 lb beef chuck roast

2 tbsp yellow mustard

½ cup dry red wine

Rub:

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

½ cup celery salt

½ cup paprika

2 tbsp onion salt

2 tbsp garlic salt

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp black pepper

2 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp herbes de provence

1 tsp ginger

½ tsp cayenne

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir and toss to combine. Store in a large glass jar.

The night before:

Coat the outside of the roast with yellow mustard. Massage ½ cup of the rub into the chuck roast and place it in a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate overnight.

In the morning:

Remove the roast from the refrigerator and allow the meat come to room temperature. Meanwhile, set up the Broil King Keg to cook for 8 hours at 220°F *(SEE BELOW). Fill the diffuser pan and place a handful of soaked hickory wood chips on the coals. Place the roast on the grids and close the lid. Monitor the level of the water and the temperature and adjust accordingly. You do not want the temperature to rise above 250°F.  After 6 hours, remove the roast from the smoker.

2 hours before eating:

 Lay 2 sheets of heavy duty foil on the counter and place the roast on top. Pour ½ cup dry red wine over the roast and wrap in the foil sheets, crimping the edges so that the liquid does not escape. Place back on the smoker and continue cooking for 2 hours, at 220°F.  Remove from smoker and place on a large cutting board.  Slice thinly against the grain and serve with sauce. We made this basic spicy/sweet sauce and it was delicious.

Zesty barbecue sauce:

2 tbsp canola oil

½ yellow onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tbsp brown sugar

¼ cup cider vinegar

¼ cup bourbon

2 tbsp molasses

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 tbsp yellow mustard

1 tbsp orange Angostura bitters

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic salt

½ tcp allspice

1 clove

2 cups ketchup

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and add the onion and garlic.  Sauté until they are onion and garlic are soft and translucent.  Add the rest of the ingredients, except the ketchup and bring to a gentle boil and reduce heat. Add the ketchup. Simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and set aside. Drizzle over sliced beef. Any leftover sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed jar for several weeks.

 NOTE: In a effort to use up the copious amount of Angostura bitters that we bought for Manhattans at Christmas, we are trying to include them in our recipes whenever possible. So far, they have been delicious in the sauce for Bananas Flambe. This week, they are featured in the Zesty Barbecue Sauce recipe! It adds an undertone of orange to the sauce and helps cut through some of the sweetness. Really good with the rich smoked beef!

*   Setting up the Broil King Keg

1.       Pour 3-4” deep layer of  lump hardwood charcoal on the bottom of the smoker.

2.       Use 2 True’Cue match-light charcoal starters or a chimey starter to ignite the charcoal.

3.       Open the top and bottom vents to the widest position (#5).

4.       Let the coals burn for 10 minutes until the smoker reaches 200°F

5.       Dial down the top and bottom vents to the #2 position

6.       This should maintain a smoker temperature of 225°F for about 6 hours.

Note:  4” of charcoal will burn for 6-8 hours.