Oven Roasted Pork Roast

Small children, in my experience, are not always big meat eaters. The texture of meat for kids can be too chewy. I've watched my son as a two-year-old chew on a piece of chicken for what seemed like 10 minutes because he didn't know what to do with it. The piece of food was never getting smaller. What is wrong with this thing in my mouth? It isn't going anywhere. What do I do with it? How do I swallow it? Erm, I'll just spit it out. Splat.

No splatting with pot roast. Perfectly roasted pot roast melts in your mouth. And I've found it's one of the best ways to get my kiddos to devour meat. They almost always want more! I love those words. Yes, food is love.

Making pot roast is a very easy way to prepare an inexpensive cut of meat, feed a family, and it's a hands off way to make your house smell heavenly. Let's do it!

 

Get yourself some yellow carrots, which might be hard to do since these were the last of the farmer's market deliciousness. They tasted kinda parsnip-ey. So, in theory, you could use parsnips, too!

If you can't find yellow carrots using orange will be acceptable. But barely (insert facetiousness here).

 

Coat your cut of meat liberally with spices. All over. Every crevice. Every surface. Rubbed. 

This cut of meat was called pork sirloin tip roast. I'm not one who has a lot of knowledge on cuts of meat. I'm one who can spot a bargain at Costco when I see it. And the 4-pack of pork sirloin tip roast was the deal du'jour. 

Any type of pork roast will work for this method. Just buy the best looking roast at your market. Hey, the original recipe I based my recipe on called for beef! 

 

Lots of browning = lots of flavor.

 

Vedge and roast gettin' ready for the main event.

 

After the meat and vedge are reserved, you'll deglaze your pan with white wine - which is optional, you could use marsala, sherry, or vermouth or chose to use just chicken broth. Whatever is on hand at the time. 

Scrape up your brown bits, add back the meat and vedge, bring it up to a simmer, and cover. 

Now cook all afternoon in a low temperature oven for about an hour per pound of meat. And smell the divinity. 

 

Your roast should fall apart easily when its done cooking. The carrots will be soft and delicious when cooked, but I'm not a huge fan of the onions. Maybe I'll have one or two small pieces, but in my mind they are mostly there to flavor the roast.

I usually serve my pot roast with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or some type of starch to soak up the gravy. Dinner is served!

Printable Recipe Here

Oven Roasted Pork

Loosely based on Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast

Yield: Serves 4 generously

Spice Rub: 

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

Pork Roast: 

Vegetable oil, for searing meat and vedge

1 onion, peeled and quartered

3 - 4 carrots, chopped in half

1 3-4 pound pork sirloin tip roast (or similar)
1/2 cup white wine (optional)

2 cups chicken broth

Water, to partially cover roast

Pan Sauce: 

1-2 tablespoons flour 

1 tablespoon butter

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 250°F. 

Combine spice rub in a small bowl and coat meat on all sides with mixture, set aside. 

In a large Dutch oven that has an oven-proof cover, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add chopped onion and carrots and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Once browned, remove to a plate and reserve. 

Re-heat Dutch oven over medium-high heat, adding more oil to cover the bottom, if needed. Sear seasoned meat on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove meat and reserve with vedge. 

Deglaze pan with white wine, simmer for a minute. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return vedge and meat to simmering broth. Add water, if needed, to reach about the middle of the piece of meat. Cover and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add to preheated oven.

Roast, covered, for about an hour per pound or until internal temperature reaches 170°F. Don't peek. Remove pan from oven and let rest, covered for about an hour. When ready to serve, move meat and vedge to a serving platter. 

If desired, boil down pan juices over medium-high heat to make a gravy. To thicken, whisk in a tablespoon of butter that has been cut into some flour. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Simmer until thickened.