Several months ago I posted this wonderful Thai-Inspired, Coconut Braised Short Rib recipe (with gremolata!); we’ve enjoyed it several times since, and swear it tastes better every time around.
That recipe was one that a friend down in Austin (Chef Libby) had adapted from Bon Appetit, upping the spices quite a bit, and adding some Texas-inspired spice via jalapenos to gremolata.
I thought all along this recipe would be readily adaptable to other braising meats, and recently did a few runs with nice, grass-fed chuck roasts. While we love a great short rib prep around our camp, my wife and I both agreed this chuck roast version is probably even better. The aromas of this roast will drive everyone in the house crazy as it’s slowing cooking down in the oven – the coconut, lemongrass, and ginger are delightful.
And a tip from Libby via the short rib version –
Libby also had shared a tip last year about using lemongrass; if you’re not feeling up to actually prepping lemongrass stalks, you can certainly using some of the pre-prepared lemongrass purees that are available in produce sections around the country. (We’re big lemongrass fans, so I actually used both…)
This isn’t a quick cook, but worth the investment of time, and the prep is uber-simple. A great weekend project, and I’d cook two to enjoy all week…
4-5 lb grass fed chuck roast
Good salt
3 lemongrass stalks (see note above)
2 medium shallots, trimmed and chopped
5 large garlic cloves
3 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, chopped
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled, finely chopped
1 tbsp + 1 tsp good curry powder
1 can (14-ounces) full fat, unsweetened coconut milk or cream
Optional: 1 tbsp fish sauce
For the gremolata
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
1 jalapeno or fresno chile, stemmed, seeded, sliced into half rings
2 tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice (one average lime)
Salt to taste
Preheat your trusty oven to 250.
Trim the uppermost three quarters of the lemongrass stalks off and lay in the bottom on your dutch oven or large cast iron skillet (if using the prepared lemongrass puree, skip this step of course). Salt the chuck roast generously and lay atop the lemongrass.
Blend together the coconut milk, shallots, garlic, jalapenos, ginger, curry, the lemongrass (at least 1 tbsp of the puree if using, grate the bottom quarters of the stalks in otherwise), and the optional fish sauce, puree until smooth. Pour over the chuck roast, and slide into the oven.
Roast at 250 for 3.5 hours; you’re looking for the meat to begin to tenderize, and the liquids to reduce by roughly half. (It will look broken and oily, don’t worry about that). At 2 hours, turn the roast and throw it back into the oven for another 2 hours (maybe even three) until the meat is fall apart tender.
During the last hour, toast the coconut until golden (10-15 minutes), set aside to cool. When cool, combine with the cilantro and sliced pepper; add the fresh lime juice and salt just before serving.
When the roast is done, slice to your tastes and serve hot with the gremolata spooned over the top.
Enjoy.
