Slow pot roast with dried fruit, onions, and pan drippings

A chuck roast slow-simmered in tallow with onions, dried sour cherries, and saskatoon berries until the pan drippings turn rich and glossy. It echoes Grease Cakes on the Portage, where Red River country c. 1810 prized dried fruit and rendered fat as winter currency along the fur-trade trails.

Serves 6

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Ingredients

• 3 lb beef chuck roast
• 1 cup dried sour cherries
• 2 large yellow onions
• 4 tbsp beef tallow or butter
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1/2 cup dried saskatoon berries or blueberries
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. 1Pat the roast dry and season all over with the salt. Heat the tallow or butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the roast on all sides.
2. 2Slice the onions thickly and add them the meat along with the dried sour cherries and saskatoon berries.
3. 3Pour in the beef broth, bring to a gentle boil, then cover and reduce to the lowest simmer. Cook 3 hours until the meat is fork-tender.
4. 4Remove the roast, skim excess fat from the pan drippings if desired, and serve the meat and fruit-onion mixture with spoonfuls of the rich drippings.