The Cheaper Cut Of Meat For Tender Pot Roast On A Budget

Making a pot roast is an investment — in time, effort, and even money — but it'll pay you back all week. One big cut of beef chuck can turn into a real meal for several people, and it can yield lunch leftovers for days later. The only issue is that beef chuck has gotten rather pricey these days, running $9 to $11 a pound, depending on the store. If pot roast is on the cards this weekend, pick up a few pounds of beef shank instead. It runs closer to $6.80 to $7 a pound at places like Whole Foods and Costco — a couple of bucks cheaper per pound, and with none of the tasty payoffs lost.

Beef shank is tough going in, dense with sinew and short on tenderness, the kind of cut that punishes anyone who tries to sear and serve it. That toughness comes down to how hard the muscle works during a steer's life. Given hours of slow roasting, though, that same sinew breaks down into gelatin, turning the meat fork-tender and lending the braising liquid a deep, meaty body. Bone-in shanks add even more richness to the pot as they cook, with a marrow bonus worth scraping onto toast once dinner's done.

Shank behaves exactly the same as chuck in the pot. Take your favorite pot roast recipe, swap out the cut, and follow every step to the letter — it'll still work. After three hours of braising, or until the meat is fork-tender, you'll have one heck of a treat coming out of the pot.

With the basic braise working, there's room in the recipe to make it even tastier — fortunately, all you need are some small additions. Start with the best way to deglaze pot roast, which is with a bit of wine right after browning the meat. This is so the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot can float to the surface and amp up the dish's flavor. A cup of dry red will do the trick. Just pour it in, and simmer until the alcohol cooks off — chase it with stock and tomatoes immediately after.

Once the shank's had its couple of hours and gone fork-tender, take the meat aside and into a dish. Don't focus on it, though — the upgrade is in the liquid in the pot. A small splash of soy sauce adds real depth here, so stir it in along with the softened onions, carrots, garlic, fresh herbs, and a handful of mushrooms. Thin with stock or water if things get too thick.

Ensuring that none of the sauce goes to waste, follow Ree Drummond's advice to leave potatoes out of pot roast, and instead serve them on the side. Then pair this dish with a glass of red — the leftover deglazing wine works well — to weave all the different flavors together. From a pot roast that started as a way to save a few dollars, you have just created a restaurant-worthy meal. That's worth a pat on the back!