Key Lime Pot Roast: even in July, it’s what’s for dinner
Jul 30th, 2008 by Marilyn
We had pot roast for dinner the other night – you heard me, pot roast.
In the oven. I know, I know – it’s wacky. I hate summer heat, but don’t mind summer cooking. There’s all this anti-kitchen talk about no-cook meals and slipcovering your oven come July, but I don’t think twice about baking pies and roasting roasts. Maybe bakery work broke my personal thermometer – after a few years of convection ovens in August and short breaks in steaming alleys, your body doesn’t know if it’s inside, outside, or rising in the proofer.
When Josie was little I catered from home, often baking through the night while she slept. We had central air but the space was tiny – room for me, an oven, and a dozen hot pans. Mixing cakes alone at two a.m., I figured what the hell, and worked in my secret summer uniform – a sports bra and Gap shorts. Why not? It was just me and the cake pans and Nick at Nite, and Nick wasn’t looking. There was a big kitchen window, but not much to see: just a girl in lobster-print boxers and oven mitts, whisking and dancing to Ricky Ricardo’s drums.
Maybe all those hot kitchens fried my common sense – because if I want pot roast and it’s 97 in the shade, I’m still making the pot roast. At least this one tastes like the season – I had some lovely key limes and messed with Caribbean flavors. It seemed more…reasonable. The dish would cook for hours but it would be a tropical pot roast, right? Cuba Libres, white sands, ocean breezes?
Well…the mirage not so much, but it did taste great. The key limes really do a job on the meat; it’s a tangy, unusual roast that tastes even better the next day. We rounded dinner out with sauteed bananas and black beans with rice. I say if you can take the heat, stay in the kitchen – just long enough to squeeze limes, set a timer, slam the oven door and run.
Key Lime Pot Roast
one chuck arm roast, about 2.5 pounds
light brown sugar
salt and ground pepper
cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
dried oregano
6-7 key limes
(if you can’t get true key limes, try adding a few dashes of red wine vinegar to regular limes)
A large Dutch-oven style pot with a tight-fitting lid works well for this recipe; you can also use a roasting pan, tightly covered with aluminum foil.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Cut and juice the limes, removing any seeds. Keep both the juice and the empty lime halves.
Rub the meat with an evenly generous amount of: brown sugar, salt, ground pepper and cayenne pepper.
Warm the pot and heat the olive oil over medium-high, just to sizzling. Add the roast and sear both sides evenly, only turning once or twice, until both sides are browned to a dark, caramelized color.
Turn off heat. Add 3 cups of water to lime juice, then pour both juice and lime halves over the meat. Sprinkle the meat generously with oregano. Cover with lid (or tightly with foil) and transfer pot to preheated oven.
Bake for approximately 3 hours. Check once or twice while cooking; if juices have completely evaporated, add 2-3 cups of water, white wine or orange juice. When meat is fork-tender, remove from oven. Discard roasted lime halves (delicious, but not easy to eat) .
Cool meat until safe to handle, then remove roast from the pan. On a cutting board, shred meat roughly with a fork. Return shredded meat to pan and spoon juices over meat; cover and return to the oven for approximately 20 more minutes, until completely tender. Remove from oven and serve, with pan juices, over rice and beans.
Serves 3-4
For even stronger flavor, I prefer making this one day ahead and letting it steep, covered, in the refrigerator. Reheat and serve – or, if you’re like me, stand in the kitchen and eat it cold. It’s summer, right?
Honestly, limes and pot roast? I’d never have thought of it, but what a great idea! Usually I can’t stand the heat in the summer kitchen, except when it gets so hot that I think I’ll explode, and that’s when I decide to cook. (If I’m that hot, can I possibly be any hotter? That’s my rationale.) I might try this recipe in the slow cooker, though, just to keep the kitchen temperature down a bit, and because pot roast works so well in the slow cooker.
Lydia:
Yes, it’s an odd combo – and I don’t usually do odd combos, but I had a good-looking hunk of meat and even more attractive limes. I don’t have a slow cooker, but I’m sure that’s the perfect summer solution. And I know you know what to do with black beans!
What an unusual combination! I’ve never heard of anything like that before. I love a good pot roast, though, so I may have to find some key limes and try it sometime. I’m really curious about this one and dying to taste it. You’re so creative, Marilyn! -Julia
That really looks great – I would have never thought of Limes and a pot roast – I make a tri tip in the crock pot and put a couple limes in that. I will have to try this as Hubby loves pot roast and if I can spice it up a bit even better.
Cheers
Cathy
http://www.wheresmydamnanswer.com
I love roasts. I didn’t eat them growing up, but once I started, I didn’t stop.
I usually make mine in a slow cooker.
Never would have thought to cook with limes. But, I see how it could work. I usually use them when marinating skirt steak for fajitas…not key limes, but regular limes.
well this sounds downright fascinating! i’m fairly certain i’ve never had citrus-flavored beef, but hey, why not? you could definitely just pretend you’re in the caribbean. boy, i wish i was in the caribbean.
We’re doing that creepy mind-meld thing again.
At lunch today I was waxing poetic about pot roast, potatoes & carrots…then I come here…and there’s POT ROAST.
almost looks like burnt ends in one shot…mmm, burnt ends.
Wow! This looks wonderful. I think I need some right now.
How unusual… and immensely tempting!
Mmmm. I’ll have to try that. I’ve never attempted a pot roast before, and that looks wonderful.
WOW!!! That looks spectacular… My sweetie and I love pot roast and home-made, from scratch key lime pie!!! Looks like Monday’s dinner is set for the crock pot! :O)
Julia:
Obviously, I love a good pot roast too – in any weather. Enjoy!
Cathy C:
I’m sure a crock pot would be good for this – I really do everything the hardest way, don’t I?
Susan:
Fajita meat – or skirt steak, one of my favorites – is so good with lime juice!
Grace:
I am passing you a pretend mojito on a pretend Caribbean beach.
Jean:
Get out of my head, you!
Boy:
Missing the burnt ends, eh?
Dragon:
Welcome! Hope you get the chance to try it out soon.
Kittie:
Any slow-roasted meat is in the “tempting” category. Welcome, and enjoy!
Joanne:
Pot roast is easy – brown, simmer, and eat. You’ll love it!
Norsie:
Welcome, and thanks! I confess to making key lime pie this week, too…watch for it!
I am late here, but that does sound great. Maybe even with your nachos on the side.
Your photos are gorgeous! I had a key lime brisket once and it was amazing. Your recipe sounds like it, I’m excited to try it.
Jenni:
Never too late for you, never. Well, you know how I feel about nachos, but if they work for you on the side, go for it!
Madeline:
Welcome, and thank you. Where on earth did you get to have key lime brisket? Sounds wonderful.
Oh my goodness! This sounds SOOO good. How come I never thought of lime flavoring on steak? This looks deeeeeliiiiicious.
i’ll make this in my nesco roaster. it will do the same thing an oven does & kitchen won’t get hot. my husband will love it.
I just made this recipe but I think I messed up. Didn’t use key limes… thus maybe too much juice? It’s really sour and too limey and bitter tasting. And maybe I didn’t have enough meat cause its really soupy. I’ve added sugar but it’s not getting any better. Any suggestions on how to rescue this???
Hillary: Lime and beef, with the addition of a few spices, is really an incredible combination!
Virginia: A slow-roaster without a hot kitchen is a super idea.
Cooking Novice: Hmm…the finished dish shouldn’t be soupy; in fact, much of the liquid gets absorbed. Perhaps you had extra-juicy limes or not enough meat; that could account for overpowering flavor. When balanced with the brown sugar and the spices, it’s nicely tart but also savory. I’d remove all your excess liquid and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Good luck!
Yeah. Definitely too much lime juice/not enough meat. Overcooked it as well. Squeezed all the liquid out of it (and I literally mean squeezed… am really glad the boyfriend didn’t catch me in the kitchen wringing-out meat like wet laundry!) and it is now resting in fridge Fingers crossed! I gotta try this recipe again (once I get over the trauma) it really does look yummy. Thanks for responding so quickly, you rock!
I so enjoyed this post. I love pot roast, and I slow-cook and soup-simmer in all weathers. Isn’t that what AC is for?
You’re killing me! I just passed up a bag of key limes–not to mention ripe plantains that would have gone wonderfully with them. And that store is 45 mins from my house! Agh! What to do! Seriously, this looks great. Also, another tip for summer pot roast lovers–cook it overnight at like 250 F.