Serve the beef roast over something that will soak up all the delicious juices like mashed potatoes or soft polenta
Ingredients
3# Beef Chuck Roast
2 Dried Bay Leaves
1 sprig Rosemary
2 4 in. strips Orange Peel
2 Cinnamon Sticks
½ tsp. Whole Cloves
3 Carrots, cut in 1 in. chunks
1 c. Pearl Onions
1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
1 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder
2 12 oz. bottles Stout or Porter
2 c. Beef or Chicken Stock (homemade or low-sodium)
Instructions
Secure the roast with kitchen twine so it says in 1 piece while braising. Season liberally with kosher salt and black pepper. Heat about 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the beef on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Remove the beef and transfer to a large plate.
While you are searing the meat make a "bouquet garni" to hold the herbs and spices. Place the bay leaves, rosemary, orange peel, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in the center of a square piece of cheesecloth. Pull the corners together and tie with a piece of kitchen twine. Set aside.
Now start "building the braise" in the pot you used to sear the meat. If there is a lot of fat left in the bottom, drain some off; if there isn't enough, add a little oil--you just want a thin coating on the bottom. Add the carrots and onions, season with a pinch of salt, and sauté until the carrots just begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Clear a spot in the pot and drop in the tomato paste, letting it cook and darken before stirring it into the vegetables. Sprinkle the cocoa over the vegetables and stir to combine.
Add the seared beef back to the pot and tuck the "bouquet garni" alongside. Add the stout and enough stock to almost cover the meat. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a slow, steady simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 2 hours, flipping the meat once or twice. After 2 hours, remove the lid so the liquid has a chance to reduce a bit, and continue to simmer until the meat is very tender when poked with a fork, about another hour.
Transfer the meat, carrots, and onions to a cutting board and tent with foil. Remove the "bouquet garni" and bring the braising liquid to a rapid boil. Boil until the liquid has reduced by about half. Skim the fat off the top. Taste and season, if needed, with salt and pepper. Slice the beef against the grain, arrange on a platter, and spoon the reduced braising liquid over the top. The remaining braising liquid can be passed at the table.
Recipe by strawberryplum at http://www.strawberryplum.com/stout-braised-beef-roast-with-cinnamon-orange/