Jewish Pot Roast by Roxane

Note from Roxane: 
My cousin Sally served this to me and Dan several years ago. I think it's traditionally served with potato pancakes, which Sally references in her notes.  

I cooked it in a crock pot, but seared it in a skillet this morning. I deglazed the skillet with the 12 oz of Pabst Blue Ribbon (I thought of Bram; we know he likes PBR). I also forgot to add the paprika, salt, and pepper because I got home late. No wonder it needed salt.  Like my cousin, I too just used a hunk of meat, likely chuck roast. 

Jewish Pot Roast

(From Sally Orr)

5-6 lb brisket (I just use a nice hunk of beef)

¼ cup water

2 large onions, peeled and sliced

4 stalks celery, cut into ½ inch slices

3 carrots peeled and cut into chunks

1 8-oz bottle chili sauce

4 cloves garlic peeled and chopped

2 bay leaves

½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/3 cup Dijon Mustard

¼ cup red wine vinegar

3 Tb molasses

¼ cup soy sauce

1 can beer

½ tsp paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees with the rack in the lower third, but not bottom position. Sear the meat, fat side down first, in the bottom of a hearty-duty ovenproof casserole. Turn the meat over and sear the other side. Add to the casserole. Add to the casserole the water, onions, celery, chili sauce, garlic, bay leaves, brown sugar, mustard, soy sauce vinegar, and molasses. Cover and cook for 3 hours. Add the beer, cover and cook 1 more hour, checking occasionally to make sure there is liquid in the pot. Add more water, if necessary. Near the end, I don’t find the sauce drying up, but too watery, so I take the lid off and let the sauce get thicker. Add the paprika and check for salt and pepper. I sometimes add other vegetables such as sweet potatoes or white potatoes if I don’t want to make potato pancakes.