Hey /ck/, I've volunteered to make Christmas dinner this

If you've never done it before, don't worry, pot roast beef is extremely simple: you brown the beef (usually a chuck roast), cover it with flavorful liquid, then leave it to simmer for a few hours.

A good starting point would be to watch the Good Eats episode on pot roast, and look up recipes for Beouf Bourguignon for a classic version.

>>7195157
>I've volunteered to make Christmas dinner
>two days before Christmas I still have no idea wtf i'm doing
i wanna be the fly on the wall watching your family eating a kfc big bucket and making small talk

>braising
>probably the technique that requires the most amount of instructions and experience in the age of widespread thermometers for ovens and grills
yeah, nah. ur fucked op. go with something deep fried, pan fried, steamed, baked, grilled, smoked or sous vide instead.

>>7195157
Excellent choice OP. Remember to brown the beef very well before you begin braising. Also, if you mash or whip potatoes to serve alongside the beef then you may consider adding a little horseradish and garlic to the potatoes during the mashing/whipping process. You might also look into a bean and tomato 'salsa' to go along with it in addition to something green, roasted or grilled asparagus perhaps.

> The smallest roast at the grocery store is $50

Kill me now.

>>7195294
Thanks for the good response. Also I'm thinking of doing scotch eggs as well, though I think those would be an appetizer.

>>7195180
Because it takes multiple days to purchase ingredients and cook a meal, right? Have you considered that not everyone is a fucking hack?

Duck is the most chrostmassy fowl, and fowl is the most christmassy main course.
Anyone that disagrees is LITERALLY wrong

>>7195534
Tbh senpai, Thanksgiving has kinda forcibly removed the Christmas spirit from poultry in general

>>7195538
Just don't celebrate thanksgiving then. What a hokey holiday

>>7195548
Fuck off, communist

For how many people are you cooking, OP?

>>7195157
Beef Short ribs are wonderful braised and everyone usually likes them. Brown them up really good in some bacon fat, remove, add mirepoix, add aromatics, deglaze pan with wine, touch of tomato paste, add meat back to pot. Oven for 3hrs at about 275-300. Thicken up liquid for gravy if desired Serve over mashed potatoes or polenta.

Beef wellington is the most christmassy beef

>>7195157
Beef brisket is an all day deal, and it's better the next day. Cook the roast in your braise, until tender (in the oven). This can be hourssss to do til fall apart wonderful. Next morning, slice it, use juices to make a thicker gravy, and then simply warm all before serving. Because of the hours it takes to do a brisket right, it's good for someone home all day, and a novice, nothing can be screwed up if you aren't pressed for time.

>>7195582
Twenty-two people.

>>7195587
Short ribs are fantastic. Actually made these last year, but the cost is a little higher than I'd care to spend.

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>>7195157

Braciole.

>>7195157
I had a braised beef dish that was served with a chestnut and juniper sauce. It was lovely. Kinda seems seasonally appropriate with the chestnuts and all.

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Follow Julia Child's recipe for Beef Bourguignon. Easy and delicious.

>>7196798
I second this. Beef bourguignon is fucking delicious. I actually had some leftover in the freezer a couple months ago that I heated up for dinner tonight.

>>7196798
>>7196802
I appreciate the suggestion. Sounds quite tasty. I'll plan to make that soon.

For tomorrow, however, I've opted for a braised beef in red wine w/ mushroom recipe courtesy of Emeril.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/red-wine-braised-beef-shanks-with-mushrooms-and-basil-mashed-potatoes-recipe.html

It's going to be served over mashed potatoes, though the recipe is my own and not Emeril's. I plan to follow the recipe quite closely, but I'm replacing the beef stock with a homemade chicken stock, as I had a carcass on hand, and I'm going to add some dried powder of porcini mushroom for a bit more of a rich, earthy flavor. The side dish is going to be a mixture of carrots and parsnips, sautéed and then glazed with a bit of honey. Bread rolls will be served as well, though I did not feel sufficiently motivated to bake them and instead opted for store-bought.

If anyone would like pictures, I'd be happy to oblige, but otherwise I'll just be enjoying the cooking and eating, and I appreciate the input.

>>7197938
I'm Beef Bourguignon guy. Sounds good. Parsnips cook slower than most carrots, so cut them a bit bigger (if you weren't already aware). Also, a bit if onion or shallot in the mix will bring the aroma up a bit... I'm guessing you've got some herbs picked out already.

Good idea on subbing porcini for the loss of earthy/umami switching from Beef stock to chicken. I think it'll work out nicely, though, and might come out a bit brighter considering the fresh chicken bones/cartilage.

>>7198082

Incidentally, I'm going with Ribeye steaks smothered in a Maytag blue cheese and shallot cream sauce; dill brown butter fingerling potatoes; roasted zucchini, carrot, parsnip and onion; gonna bake a bread but not sure what yet... Yeasty beer bread maybe? Need to see what herbs are still alive in the wife's window garden.

>>7198082
I'm disappointed in general by any beef stock that you can purchase at a supermarket, so I think my stock will be a huge step up, even though it is made from chicken. I roasted the chicken bones a bit to give some more body too. Putting in the porcini powder, I was mostly thinking just of making the store-bought mushrooms less disappointing. However, I'm unsure of how well whole dried mushrooms would work in this dish. I'm not sure if it's the particular porcinis I've found, or if I'm just using them incorrectly, but I always have difficulty getting a decent texture from dried mushroom. I also have some black trumpet mushroom on hand, so I was thinking of adding just a bit of that, either to the beef or to the mashed potatoes.

>>7198092
That sounds like an excellent meal, I wish you the best with it. I'm sad to say that I have no herb garden these days, and I struggled to even purchase basil due to the time of year.

>>7195157
Slow cooked = delicious.

Also don't waste any water from boiled veg, use it to make the gravy. Not potatoes, but carrot water makes really silky smooth gravy. Sprout and cabbage water have insane flavor in the gravy.

>>7198300
>I struggled to even purchase basil due to the time of year.
It's not your fault, anon. Nobody could have have anticipated that stores might sell out of things during the mad Christmas rush. Only a 'complete hack' would think to prepare an important family meal more than two days ahead.

Poofter cunt.

>>7195157
>hearty
>winter
>70 degrees F

>>7200047
Sucks for the others guys that I bought the last of the basil from Safeway and Raleys then, doesn't it?

Sorry to say that the meal turned out excellent.

>>7200882
>the meal turned out excellent.
ses u

pics or it didn't happen
pro tip: getty images don't count.

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>>7200891
Got bored and tired of taking pictures of my cooking as soon as I got the meat searing. The dish was simple enough though. Dry, season, and sear meat. Set aside and saute mirepoix and mushrooms. Add herbs, garlic, spices, wine, tomato, and stock. Add meat. Bring to a boil, then simmer.

Made two batches in the oven and one on the range. First time I've made and used a proper stock though, and I think that did a lot of good for the texture of my braising liquid.