By Chef George Bohmfalk


You come in, shaking off snow and ice, your lips, nose and ears numb or nearly so. Gently caressing you, as opposed to the cold assaulting you when you left, is an incredible aroma – meat, vegetables, spices. It fills the house. In just a few minutes, it will fill you.
Welcome to one of the linchpins of nearly every cuisine – the pot au feu of France, Germany’s eintopf, the boiled beef of Louisiana, the humble pot roast and beef stew of America. The ascendancy of slow cookers, aka crock pots, has re-popularized these one-dish meals, but they’ve been around forever because few things work as well as inexpensive meats and lots of time at low moist heat.
Like most things, there are several ways to make these masterpieces. They all begin with large meat. I’ve never used a slow cooker, so this will be a big-pot-on-a-stove method.
Get just about any inexpensive cut of beef – brisket, rump or pot roast – whichever is on sale during your visit. Lamb works, too, as would deer or elk. Trim it, as much as you have patience for, of bone, gristle, silverskin and fat. Cut into lemon-size chunks and season with salt and pepper.
Gather as many onions and carrots as you want, peel and cut them into quarters or so – but not too small, or they’ll fall apart. If you like leeks, parsnips, sunchokes or whatever, include those. Do the same with one or more garlic cloves, depending on your affection for the “stinking rose.”
Take about 10 minutes to get this all going. The quick route is to pile all this into a pot, cover with water, or preferably chicken or beef stock, and add a bay leaf or two and a few herbs if you’ve got them: parsley, rosemary and thyme always go into mine.
If you want to use wine or beer for part or all of the liquid, go for it. Just be careful not to use a sweet wine, which will be icky, or very strong beer, which will become bitter. Turn the heat to high and get a simmer going. Within a few minutes some scum will probably come to the surface; spend just a moment removing as much of it as you have patience for. Then turn the heat down as low as you can, cover, and go do something fun for a while, checking back every hour or two.
If you have time and desire to brown, get your pot pretty hot and pour in a generous few tablespoons of olive or canola oil. Roll the meat chunks around in flour, shake off the excess, and carefully ease them in without crowding. Leave plenty of space around each piece for the moisture to evaporate, or it will get trapped and turn your pot into a big steam bath, which doesn’t lead to browning. Once your meat is browned, add in the veggies and herbs, pour in the water or stock, and proceed as above.
Look in on your creation periodically, which is hard to resist. The liquid should be barely bubbling, or just gently moving around, nearly imperceptibly.
It’s nearly impossible to overcook meat this way, on really low heat. Depending on the cut, some meats may become fall-apart-tender in three to four hours, while others may take all day or longer.
When the meat seems tender enough, decide what you want to do with the liquid. If you’ve used flour to brown the meat, your gravy may already be sufficiently thick and ready to go. If you haven’t, you may prefer the rich, watery broth as is. If you want it thicker, remove all the solid things. While bringing the liquid back to a gentle simmer, mix a couple of tablespoons of either flour or corn starch with about equal amounts of water, milk or some of the cooking liquid, to make a slurry about as thick as cream. Slowly stir or whisk this into the simmering liquid. It will thicken in moments, so you can judge how much to add as you go, depending on how thick you want it.
When you’ve got the gravy perfect, add back in the meat and veggies. You could add things like potatoes, pasta, green or lima beans, peas, or cabbage. Let everything bubble around for 10 to 15 minutes until the last additions are done, and call the troops.
I’ve just given you about 20 recipes, once you vary the meats, vegetables and liquid. I’m sure there are at least that many cold nights ahead before spring arrives. Bon appétit!

Recipe Notes:

Ingredients: beef brisket, rump or pot roast, lamb or other large meat pieces
Optional: onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic, other vegetables, stock, flour, beer/wine