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Coffee-Chile Pot Roast
Andre Lewis

Coffee-Chile Pot Roast

Coffee deepens the roasted notes in beef while ancho chile adds warmth rather than hard heat. Brown sugar is present only to round the coffee's bitterness. The finished sauce is dark and savory, built for mashed sweet potatoes or plain rice rather than a pile of extra toppings.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 boneless beef chuck roast 4 pounds
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 large yellow onion chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 cup strong brewed coffee
  • 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons cold water

Method
 

  1. Season the roast with salt and pepper. Brown it in oil in a hot skillet for 4 minutes per side and transfer it to a 6-quart slow cooker.
  2. Cook the onion in the skillet for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, ancho powder and cumin and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Stir in the coffee, broth, brown sugar and Worcestershire, scraping up the browned bits. Pour the liquid around the roast.
  4. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, until the beef pulls apart easily. Transfer the roast to a board and skim the sauce.
  5. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook on high for 10 minutes until thickened. Pull the beef into large pieces and coat lightly with the coffee-chile gravy.