Prepare seasoning mix: Place salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves in a small bowl. Stir to combine and place close to stovetop until use.
Prepare pot roast: Place Dutch oven on stovetop set to medium-high. When the pot comes to temperature add the bacon drippings and heat until shimmering. Add the roast and brown on all sides, turning frequently.
Add the onion and garlic into the pot, cover, reduce to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, orange sections, sugar and orange zest. Sprinkle the top of the roast with the spice mix.
Cover and cook for 2 to 2½ hours.
When the pot roast it done, gently lift it from the pot and transfer to a cutting board or serving platter. Trim away and discard the butcher’s string then slice the meat into 1/2-inch slices. Spoon some of the sauce from the pot over top and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Add orange slices to platter for garnish. Serve immediately with extra sauce from the pot on the side.
Orange-Spiced Pot Roast
Ingredients
4-5 pound chuck roast
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
2 cups orange sections
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
For the seasoning mix:
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
sprinkle of black pepper
Directions
Prepare seasoning mix: Place salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves in a small bowl. Stir to combine and place close to stovetop until use.
Prepare pot roast: Place Dutch oven on stovetop set to medium-high. When the pot comes to temperature add the bacon drippings and heat until shimmering. Add the roast and brown on all sides, turning frequently.
Add the onion and garlic into the pot, cover, reduce to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, orange sections, sugar and orange zest. Sprinkle the top of the roast with the spice mix.
Cover and cook for 2 to 2½ hours.
When the pot roast it done, gently lift it from the pot and transfer to a cutting board or serving platter. Trim away and discard the butcher’s string then slice the meat into 1/2-inch slices. Spoon some of the sauce from the pot over top and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Add orange slices to platter for garnish. Serve immediately with extra sauce from the pot on the side.
Orange-Spiced Pot Roast
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A slowly cooked pot roast with a blend of fragrant spices and rich sauce of tomato, onions and orange…
This juicy, tender, flavourful ORANGE-SPICED POT ROAST is divine!
We’re confident all the meat eaters out there are going to do a little jump for joy when they try our delicious recipe for ORANGE-SPICED POT ROAST. Pot roast has long been a favourite main course option for gatherings of friends and family, especially on weekends. Click HERE for a quick read on the origins of this popular dish.
Our recipe for ORANGE-SPICED POT ROAST was discovered amongst my mom’s recipes. My cousin Linda and a few others kept sharing memories of how good it was, yet I had absolutely no recollection of ever having tasted it. And you know me, not remembering something super delicious? Meant one thing – time for me to make and try this recipe!
Having now made it a number of times, the final verdict: I swear, this ORANGE-SPICED POT ROAST is absolutely amazing! Certainly a good idea to save a PIN to a favourite meat or main course board, and also a good idea to share the recipe with friends so everyone’s in on the secret of this stellar pot roast recipe.
Before I list a few key points, just one general comment about process. Making a pot roast is actually very easy: brown a large cut of beef then cook it slowly. For this recipe, the slow cook happens on the stovetop and we found a heavy cast iron Dutch oven produced the best results. We’ve listed a few options down below in case you’re looking to purchase.
Time to slow things down a bit, friends! Let’s make ORANGE-SPICED POT ROAST:
GOING TO POT
A quick review of the ingredients needed to pull off this one-pot wonder reveals everything is easy to gather and yes, it’ll all go to pot. A few of these ingredients may cause a bit of a head scratch – orange sections and zest, tomato sauce, spices? Back in the day I learned an important lesson; never question my mom. Gotta trust me now on this one, just run with it and prepare to be amazed.
THE BEEF
All the pros we spoke with suggested we use a tougher cut of beef for the recipe. Don’t worry, that tougher cut gets gorgeously soft during the slow cook portion of the program. We tried the recipe with a number of different cuts and found a chuck steak roast worked best, but bottom round and brisket cuts work well too. Don’t forget to bring your beef to room temperature before you begin. This will reduce the tightening up of fibres when the meat first hits the hot pot for browning.
BROWNING POINTS
Browning your pot roast before leaving it to slow cook is an important step. It helps keep the roast juicy and also builds a memorable flavour profile. One unexpected “that’s interesting” component to this recipe is my mom’s direction to brown the roast using bacon drippings. This again adds lots of flavour and we found the finished roast doesn’t have that oily top layer which would have happened had we used olive oil. Just one more example of how life is made more enjoyable thanks to bacon, right?
ORANGE LOVE
The use of orange in this recipe is completely unexpected, but is it ever tasty. It gives the finished dish a slightly tangy finish and also adds texture and colour to the finished sauce. We used navel oranges for this recipe and suggest you do the same. We find this big, extra-juicy variety contributed greatly to the look and taste. Don’t forget to follow the directions and slice up some orange for garnish too – nice touch.
SPICED RUB
Nutmeg and cloves and cinnamon, oh my! Who knew these three spices, often used for baking, would be just the thing for a savoury pot roast recipe. One thing to consider is that this recipe is offered exactly as it appears on the card in my mom’s recipe box. Although perfect just as it is, I must confess that I now double the quantities of these three spices whenever I make it. I suggest those who enjoy a heightened spice flavouring do the same.
POT ROAST
The beauty of this recipe is the slow cook portion of the program where you turn the heat down to low and then just wait patiently for the magic to happen. That magic yields a very tender roast that you’ll be able to either slice or simply pull apart and serve. Before serving, transfer the roast to a plate, clip away and discard the butcher’s string, then either return it to the pot or serve it straight away. Remember to add some of the sauce from the pot for maximum enjoyment.
FINISH
Preparing the roast for service is so easy, just add a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley and a few pieces of quartered orange slices. These little touches are a welcome treat and take the presentation of ORANGE-SPICED POT ROAST to a whole new level.
Prepare seasoning mix: Place salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves in a small bowl. Stir to combine and place close to stovetop until use.
Prepare pot roast: Place Dutch oven on stovetop set to medium-high. When the pot comes to temperature add the bacon drippings and heat until shimmering. Add the roast and brown on all sides, turning frequently.
Add the onion and garlic into the pot, cover, reduce to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, orange sections, sugar and orange zest. Sprinkle the top of the roast with the spice mix.
Cover and cook for 2 to 2½ hours.
When the pot roast it done, gently lift it from the pot and transfer to a cutting board or serving platter. Trim away and discard the butcher’s string then slice the meat into 1/2-inch slices. Spoon some of the sauce from the pot over top and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Add orange slices to platter for garnish. Serve immediately with extra sauce from the pot on the side.