Gullah-Geechee Pot Roast from Recipes from the American South

"What makes this recipe uniquely Gullah-Geechee? The green bell pepper, subtle spicing, bay leaf, and rice all give you the soul of a Sunday dinner in Charleston, South Carolina or Savannah, Georgia."

-Michael W. Twitty

We could devour this Gullah-Geechee pot roast every day, but I recommend saving it for those special moments - days when you don't have much time, but you want spectacular results.

With just 15 minutes of prep time, this pot roast does the work for you. Yet, it tastes as if you worked hard all day.

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Recipes from the American South

This Gullah-Geechee pot roast recipe is from Recipes from the American South by Michael W. Twitty.

It's hard to imagine today, but before the Europeans arrived, thousands upon thousands of game animals roamed the warm, primeval Southern forests. Deer, bear, bison, wild turkey, small birds, aquatic mammals, and small game comprise a significant part of the Indigenous Southern diet.

These animals provided meat - and, in the case of black bear, fat - and their skins, sinews, bones, claws, horns, etc. played numerous practical and spiritual roles.

As colonists migrated from the coast into the Southern backcountry, however, native wildlife was exterminated in many areas, showing a casual disregard for the abundance and an aim to deplete resources for Native Americans, forcing them to move on.

This colonization was further aided by the introduction of domestic animals from the Old World. This spread disease and encroached upon Native settlements by grazing, out-reproducing, and destroying native ecosystems.

But alongside the narrative of fatal first contact is the exchange of resources that enriched the Southern way with animal proteins. Charleson, SC, was the port where over ¼ of all enslaved Africans first set foot on American soil.

How to Make Gullah-Geechee Pot Roast

Ingredients

• beef chuck roast
• salt
• black pepper - freshly ground black pepper is recommended
• oil
• onion
• bell pepper - this pot roast calls for green bell pepper
• celery
• garlic
• stock
• tomatoes
• Worcestershire
• brown sugar
• house seasoning - this Southern blend consists of salt, paprika, seasoned salt or soul seasoning, black pepper, kitchen pepper (black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, mace, nutmeg, white pepper, cayenne pepper), garlic powder, and onion powder
• bay leaf
• cayenne
• sweet potatoes
• rice - cooked white rice for serving

Equipment

• prep bowls
• chef knife
• butcher block
• Dutch oven or rondeau
• tongs
• wooden spoon
• measuring spoons
• kitchen thermometer

Prep the Vegetables

Wash your hands with soap and water. Use a knife and a cutting board to dice the onion. Cut the bell pepper and celery into small chunks. Chop the tomatoes and mince the garlic. Cut the sweet potatoes in half. Transfer them to clean bowls.

Season the Chuck Roast

Season the beef chuck roast on both sides with salt and pepper. Be generous. Wash your hands when finished.

Brown that Beef & Get it Out

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the roast on all sides, about 4-5 minutes per side. Use tongs to turn the meat. Remove the roast when finished.

Cook the Vegetables

Transfer the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the same pot you cooked the meat in. Cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir occasionally. Add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.

Put the Beef Back In & Almost Everything Else

Place the roast back in the pot. Add the beef stock, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, house seasoning, bay leaf, and cayenne. Give it a stir.

Turn the heat up to high. Once boiling, turn the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 ½ hours or until the beef begins to soften.

Add Those Sweet Potatoes

Add the sweet potatoes to the pot. Push them down into the liquid. Replace the cover and simmer for another 1 ½ hours. The roast should be tender and the vegetables cooked through when finished.

Use a kitchen thermometer to check the internal temperature of the roast. It should be at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit to consider it done.

Slice & Serve

Remove the bay leaf from the pot. Slice up that roast and serve it over rice, along with the vegetables and gravy.