Recipe

Mississippi Beef with Creamy Grits 

A crowd-pleasing pot roast from Nashville chef Matt Moore’s new cookbook

Photo: Helene DuJardin


The origins of this regional classic might be hard to exactly track down, but if you’ve ever tasted this tangy, juicy style of pot roast, you instantaneously know it was cooked with love. Perhaps we truly owe those in Mississippi for this luscious creation, but instead of hunting down its creator, I say we all eat. While most folks will cook this dish in a slow cooker for eight to ten hours, I prefer to utilize a dutch oven, typically cutting the cooking time in half with better results. I liken that to the strong sear on the chuck roast and cooking everything in one single pot. Sure, there are some processed ingredients, but at the same time, it’s an effortless dish that always pleases. You could serve this with some mashed potatoes, buttered pasta, or rice, but I prefer the creamy grits over anything else. This is a weekend meal that’s also impressive enough to entertain with. Leftovers go nicely on some toasted bread, topped with melted cheese, for a hearty sandwich. —Matt Moore, from his new cookbook, Butcher on the Block: Everyday Recipes, Stories, and Inspirations from Your Local Butcher and Beyond


Ingredients

  • Mississippi Beef with Creamy Grits (YIELD: 6 servings)

  • For the beef

    • One 4- to 5-lb. chuck roast

    • 1 tbsp. kosher salt

    • ½ tbsp. fresh-cracked black pepper

    • ½ tbsp. garlic powder

    • 4 tbsp. unsalted butter

    • 2 cups beef stock

    • 1 cup red wine

    • 1 1-oz. package ranch dressing mix

    • 12 jarred pepperoncini peppers

    • Thinly sliced fresh chives, as garnish

  • For the grits

    • 1 cup stone-ground grits

    • 2 cups water

    • 2 cups whole milk

    • 1 tbsp. kosher salt

    • ⅓ cup heavy cream

    • 4 tbsp. unsalted butter

    • Sliced fresh chives, as garnish


Preparation

  1. Make the beef: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, season the chuck roast evenly on all sides with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add the butter to the dutch oven and cook until foamy, about 1 minute. Add the roast to the dutch oven and sear on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until very well browned. Add the stock and wine and bring to a slow simmer. With the mixture simmering, stir in the ranch dressing mix. Top the roast with the pepperoncini, cover the dutch oven, and place it into the preheated oven. Bake for 4 to 5 hours, until the meat is pull-apart tender. Remove from the oven, keep covered, and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

  2. Make the grits: Meanwhile, prepare the grits. Rinse the grits vigorously under cold running water in a large bowl, removing any chaff that floats to the top. Drain. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the water and milk to a slow boil over medium heat. While stirring the liquid, add the grits in a steady stream and stir constantly while you bring the mixture back to a slow simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook the grits, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until they are just tender to the bite, about 1 hour.

  3. Remove the grits from the heat and stir in the salt, cream, and butter until combined. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

  4. To serve: Remove the lid from the dutch oven and use two forks to gently pull apart the meat, soaking it in its juices. Ladle a generous portion of grits onto the bottom of a shallow bowl and top with the pulled meat, peppers, and drippings. Garnish with sliced chives. Serve.

From Butcher on the Block by Matt Moore. Copyright © 2023 by Matt Moore. Reprinted by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.


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