Spicy Latin-Style Vinegar-Braised Beef

The flavors here will take you somewhere zesty and a little Caribbean.  Serve chunks of meat with sauce over noodles, grits, or mashed potatoes, or shred it for tacos.  Feel free to substitute shanks or short ribs for the roast.  This would also be excellent with pork.  This recipe is very loosely adapted (and much simplified) from How to Cook Meat by Christopher Schlesinger and John Willoughby.

2 1/3 - 3 lb pot roast (eye of round, half brisket, rump roast, chuck, etc)
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder (or more to taste)
2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celeriac
1 cup red wine vinegar
Beef stock

Remove the roast from the fridge 1-2 hours before you plan to begin cooking.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Combine the garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, black peppers, and 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a small bowl to form a paste.

Pat the roast dry, then spread it all over with this paste. Place the roast in a pan and brown it in the oven, 10-15 minutes per side.

While the roast browns, heat a little olive oil in a Dutch oven.  Add the onions, carrots, and celeriac and saute over medium high heat until nicely browned.  Deglaze the pot with the vinegar.  If needed, remove from heat while the roast finishes browning.  When the roast is browned, add it to the pot with the veggies.  Add beef stock until the liquid covers the meat about three quarters of the way.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to very low and simmer for at least 2-3 hours.  When the meat is done it will be very tender.

Once the meat is cooked, remove it from the pot and cut it up.  If desired, strain the cooking liquid, then reduce to make a sauce.  Alternatively, just serve the meat over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or grits with a bit of cooking liquid spooned over it.

Serves 5-6.