Mexican Smoked Pot Roast

Happy Fall and all that.
It's raining today for the first time in about 60 days in the Northwest.  I guess it's official, it really is the first day of Fall.
I think that calls for some comfort food.

Oh man, I do love pot roast.

That tends to make me popular with the men in my life, but frankly, most women I know get pretty excited about pot roast too. As long as it's GOOD pot roast, my hubby assures me that some people DO make bad pot roast.  Luckily his Mom doesn't read my blog...

My recipes tend to a bit on the jazzy side, like Moroccan Pot Roast and Tuscan Pot Roast but I do make the regular ole' kind too. When I was sitting around dreaming this up, I was having such bad deja vu that I had to look on my blog to make sure I hadn't already done this recipe.

Yummy, yummy, yummy- I served this on cheddar cheese polenta.  If you need some ideas on polenta, check this link out.

Note-  My recipe was a bit hot, because I got carried away and added about 4 chipotle peppers, so I added a bit of brown sugar to take the edge off.  We decided that the hot with a touch of sweet was nice, but, as usual, it's completely up to you.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients 

 

1 3 lb pot roast

1 onion, slivered

3-4 garlic cloves, chopped

2-3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

2-3 canned chipotle peppers, in adobo sauce, minced
2-3 tsp smoked paprika

5-6 small carrots, chopped into chunks

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cups beef broth

1 lime,  juiced plus 1 tsp lime zest
1-2 Tbsp of brown sugar (optional)

Season the pot roast with salt and pepper on both sides.
Brown your pot roast in a hot pan, with a little oil, for about 3 minutes per side, until it is nice and brown.  I used my cast iron pan for this, and it works wonderfully.  Add the pot roast to your crock pot.

Add the onions, peppers and garlic to the pan.  Add a bit of olive oil if there isn't enough fat in the pan. Saute for 2-3 minutes, until the onions start to soften.  Add to the crockpot.

Add the remaining ingredients: minced chipotle, smoked paprika, the chunks of carrots, canned tomatoes (with juice), the lime juice/zest and beef stock to the crock pot

Simmer on High for about 6 hours, or on low for about 8 hours.

Standard Stove top or Oven recipe 
Brown your pot roast in a hot pan for about 3 minutes per side, until it is nice and brown.  I used my cast iron pan for this, and it works wonderfully.  Add the pot roast to a heavy dutch oven or small stock pot  that has a lid.
Add the onions, peppers and garlic to the pan.  Add a bit of olive oil if there isn't enough fat in the pan. Saute for 2-3 minutes, until the onions start to soften.  I add the smoked paprika to the pan to incorporate with the onions too. Add to the crockpot.


Add the remaining ingredients: minced chipotle, the chunks of carrots, canned tomatoes (with juice), the lime juice/zest and beef stock to the pan.

Oven- Bake for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours on a low oven, about 300 degrees.

OR

Stove top- Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately turn down to your lowest setting.  Cover and simmer about  2 1/2 to 3 hours. 

The meat should be exceedingly tender, and starting to fall into shreds.

Here's links to my other pot roast recipes:

Moroccan Pot Roast
Tuscan Pot Roast