Beer Braising

I must confess. I have not done very much cooking with beer in my lifetime. I am now convinced that even though I am not much one for the taste of beer, I will do more cooking with it in the future. I have always been an avid user of wines in my cooking, however until I came across this recipe:  Beer-Braised Beef and Onions in my Feb. 09 copy of
Gourmet Magazine   (RIP), I had never realized  the full bodied flavor profile cooking with beer provided.  

Ingredients are simple.

Just be sure to brown your beef on all sides before braising.

Layering flavor here people.

Browned food tastes good to quote a Food Network chef.

BTB-Bring to Boil. Braise in oven .

Slice or shred.

ENJOY!

Ingredients

3 lb onions

1 (5-lb) boneless beef chuck roast, tied
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
2 (12-oz) bottles pilsner-style beer such as Budweiser
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

Direcions
Halve onions lengthwise, then slice lengthwise 1/4 inch thick.
Pat beef dry and season all over with 2 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a wide 5- to 6-qt heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown beef on all sides, about 15 minutes, then transfer to a plate.
Cook onions with bay leaves and 1/2 tsp salt in remaining Tbsp oil in pot, scraping up brown bits from bottom and stirring occasionally, until onions are well browned, about 25 minutes.
Add beer and vinegar to onions and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Add beef and meat juices from plate and return to a boil.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Cut a round of parchment paper the diameter of the inside of pot (near the top). Set parchment round aside.
Cover with parchment round and lid and braise in oven until meat is very tender when pierced in several places with a meat fork, about 3 1/2 hours.
Transfer beef to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered, 20 minutes. Cut off string, then slice meat. Skim off fat from sauce and discard bay leaves. Reheat if necessary.
Serve braised beef with onions and sauce.

Additions/Omissions/Substitutions:

I decided to add Beef Base and mushrooms to punch it up a bit. After removing the roast I brought the remaining liquid to a boil and reduced to med high to reduce to a thickened sauce.

  This dish is well served on just about anything you could possibly think of putting it over, rice, noodles, toast or even on a bun as a sort of sloppy beef sandwich. It is all up to your imagination. However rest assured, you will enjoy this no matter what you pair it up with.
  I have to tell you I will be making  Pork Chops with Beer and Bacon Gravy that I recently watched on 30 minute meals from Rachael Ray. It looked wonderful. So I will have to let you know our thoughts on that one when we make it.
Michael and Carla