The Story
Slow cooking a roast in beef broth and… cola? Let’s just say cola is not an ingredient that immediately comes to mind when preparing a pot roast for dinner. Still, I was intrigued with the idea ever since I heard about how delicious it can be. Digging through my piles of “church cookbooks,” I started listing all the pot roast recipes using cola, and guess what? All recipes pointed to Emeril Lagasse’s version of Cola Braised Pot Roast in one variation or another!
That’s all I needed. Pot Roast for dinner tonight! I found an all-natural cola at the health food store, added one large onion to the pot (as written in one variation), and braised away. The outcome was fantastic. Falling off the fork, flavorful, and loaded with lots of liquid to make yummy gravy. Cooked it slow and low in the oven or in a crock-pot and serve it with some tasty mashed or roasted red potatoes, it’s a simple and scrumptious way to get dinner on the table tonight!
| Servings |
- 4 lb chuck roast (boneless, can use up to 5 lbs - or rump roast)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large sweet yellow onion (diced and sautéed)
- 2 tbsp garlic (fresh, minced - better to use fresh than jarred)
- 3 tsp salt (divided)
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp rosemary (fresh, minced)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 12 oz cola (I used a can of Blue Sky All Natural Soda)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (organic)
- 2 tbsp flour
Ingredients
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- Season the roast on all sides by sprinkling 2 tsp of salt and 2 tsp of pepper over the entire roast. Sauté the diced onion in a little oil until golden brown and set aside. Heat a Dutch oven on high heat and add oil. When the oil is hot, place the roast in a pot and cook until it is browned on all sides. Add the beef broth, cola, garlic, sautéed onion, rosemary, and remaining tsp of salt. Bring to boil, stirring to release browned bits. Add the tomato paste and stir. For the crock-pot cooking method, transfer meat and juices to crock-pot and cook on high for about 4-5 hours (or until fork tender) or cook overnight in crock-pot on low heat. For the oven method, cover Dutch oven and cook at 325ºF in the oven for 3 ½ hours. Liquid should be at least ⅓ of the way up the roast. Add more beef broth if necessary.
- Remove the roast from the pot and keep warm. Pour the beef liquid through a strainer to catch onion bits, mash thoroughly, and then discard remaining onions. In a bowl, add ½-cup hot beef liquid to 2 tbsp of flour. Whisk to combine, eliminating lumps. Slowly whisk mixture into the remaining liquid on the pot. Whisk frequently until mixture comes to a boil. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens. Serve roast with hot gravy.
