Ingredients:
4-5 lbs bottom round of beef
5 Tbsp of flour
1/3 cup bacon fat or oil
4 cups beef broth
1 carrot, chopped coarsely, don't peel
1 onion, chopped coarsely, don't peel
1 rib celery, including some leaves
2 cloves garlic, don't peel
about 6 parsley stems
3-4 bay leaves
1 tsp thyme leaves
6 whole allspice
6 whole peppercorns
about 2 cups of read wine
Instructions:
In a large heavy pot or dutch oven, brown the beef on all sides. Begin with the fat side down first. Start the pan on high heat and keep the pan hot, probably no lower than medium high. Turn the meat to brown without piercing it with a fork.
While the meat is browning, make the sauce. In a heavy saucepan heat the fat over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux and keep stirring until the flour becomes a dark nutty brown. Your don't have to stir constantly but you need to be close by and stir real often. It might take 10 minutes. Don't try to speed it too much or you will be throwing out a burned roux and starting over. Carefully stir in the beef stock and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Turn the meat over, fat side up. Surround the meat with the coarsely chopped vegetables, herbs and spices. Pour the sauce and red wine into the pan. The liquids should come halfway up to the meat. Cover the pan tightly. Place in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Lower the temperature to 325 degrees and cook at least 2 hours. The meat is done when it can be easily pierced with a fork. I usually cook the roast for 3 hours.
Let the meat cool in the sauce. You can speed up the cooling process by setting the pan in a sink filled with ice water. Do not let the meat stay warm too long. Remove the meat and strain the solids from the sauce. Press down on the solids to remove all the liquid. Discard the solids.
Chill the meat overnight in the sauce. This will allow you to remove the hardened fat. Reheat the meat in the sauce on top of the stove. Set the meat aside in a warm place. Bring the sauce to a boil, skimming it as it reduces. Taste the sauce and add salt, pepper and more wine if necessary. The sauce will thicken in about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile slice the meat. When the sauce has thickened, place the meat back into the sauce. Lower heat to simmer, reheat just to warm the meat. Serve on a warm platter with little sauce over the roast and additional sauce in a gravy boat.
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