[Recipe] Beer Basted Pork Pot Roast

A traditional dish in our family for Christmas or New Year. It replaces the traditional ham usually present at these feasts. My mother cooks pot roast during these special occasions as far back as I can remember. Her recipe is a bit different from mine (she uses Rum instead of dark beer) but my brother tells me my pot roast is a lot better than hers (err... shh... better not tell her that hehe).

Ingredients:
1 Kilo Pork Rump rounded off (with skin on top side)
1 medium sized onion (peeled and quartered)
2 bottles of dark beer
1 can of Sprite or 7-Up
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
3 teaspoon Salt
1 Bay Leaf
Cornstarch

Directions:

Place the rump in a large pot, fat side up (it is advisable to use a low rack so that the meat is not in direct contact with the bottom of the pot - such as the ones used for pressure cookers). Pour in the 2 bottles of dark beer and the can of softdrink. Add enough water so that the meat is fully submerged. Add the onions, Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce, Black Pepper, Salt, and Bayleaf to the pot. Cover the pot and place on high heat until it starts to boil. Lower the temperature and let it simmer for at least an hour. At the end of the hour, skewer the meat with a long tined fork (or a barbeque stick). If the fork easily goes through then the meat is cooked inside. If there is a strong resistance to the fork, let it simmer for about 15 more minutes or so.

It is important not to overcook the meat. The meat becomes flaky and it will be harder to slice later (did that once and the meat was so tender it was coming apart as it was being sliced). To ensure that the meat is cooked through, make a cut at the bottom of the raw meat wide and deep enough so that the center cooks faster. This will also ensure that the marinade reaches further resulting to a more flavourful pot roast. You may opt to cut the rump in two if it is really that big but it won't look as impressive at the dinner table.

Once the meat is cooked, set it aside and strain the liquid from the pot and boil this liquid further. Add the brown sugar and reduce by boiling to about a third of its original volume. Dissolve about a tablespoon of cornstarch in a half cup of cold water. Add the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce. Add more salt/pepper/sugar depending on your preference.

While waiting for the liquid to reduce (in the previous section) to its desired volume, remove the skin from the meat leaving a thin layer of fat at the top. Glaze the fat with brown sugar and place the meat on a rack and place it in an oven or electric broiler (~180ºC). Cook until the top is golden brown (at this point the sugar will caramelize on the fat layer). Before serving slice about half of the roast on the serving plate and place the beer sauce beside it. Eat and enjoy.

Ok I know it's not exactly "basted" as the title suggests but the name just sound so nice. I named it that way in tribute to the "Beer basted boar ribs" recipe in WoW. So sue me... :)