Slow Cooked Rump Roast -- What You Make When the Waiting Begins

We went to the neurologist Thursday morning at 9 AM. Dr. Kim. A thorough, kind, methodical man, who took a long history and asked good questions and listened to both of us. He did the exam — cranial nerves, reflexes, eye movements, gait, coordination, all normal. He reviewed the ED CT. He said "I do not see anything alarming on the exam today." He said "that said, the pattern you are describing — new-onset headaches with vomiting in a thirty-six-year-old — warrants an MRI." He ordered the MRI. He said "not because I expect to find something. Because I want to rule things out." He said the wait for the MRI would be about three weeks.

Three weeks. I held Sean's hand on the way out. I did not say three weeks is a long time, even though I know three weeks is a long time. Sean said "he wasn't worried." I said "he was thorough, Sean. Thorough is good. He is doing it right." I did not say what I was also hearing in my own head, which was the way a neurologist of his generation frames these things — Dr. Kim spoke carefully, did not dismiss, said "rule out" not "look for," and I have been in medicine long enough to know the difference between "probably nothing" and "probably nothing, but we want to see." He was saying the second version.

Three weeks until the MRI. I am not going to write about it. I am going to garden. I am going to cook. I am going to do the things. I will write it down on the day of. I will write it down the day after. I will not take the page into the waiting.

Father's Day is Sunday. The kids and I plotted. Liam made a card at preschool — he drew a fire truck and Sean in front of it and wrote "DAD" in giant careful letters. Nora made a handprint card — Miss Alicia sent it home in her backpack, which I did not find until Saturday afternoon, and which made me cry when I realized I had almost missed it. Nora's handprint in green paint on yellow paper. Her name in wobbly letters that Miss Alicia had guided her hand to form. I will keep this card forever. I know this already. It is not up for evaluation. It is a permanent object in my life.

Sunday we went to the three-decker for a cookout in honor of Sean Sr. Patrick was there, and Sean III, and Colleen, and the whole assemblage. Sean Sr. got cards and fishing lures and a new chef's apron from my mother and a bourbon from me and Sean. He said "you didn't have to do all this" and then proceeded to put on the apron and pour himself a bourbon within thirty minutes, which is Sean Sr.'s version of thank you. Sean's father did not drive down from Worcester this year — his knees have been giving him trouble — but he called Sean in the afternoon and they talked for twenty minutes. Sean came back to the yard smiling. Good call. Good day.

I made a comfort stew for Monday, because Monday after a weekend like that deserves something that simmers. Beef shank, the big bone, vegetables, a bottle of red wine, eight hours low. The apartment — I keep saying apartment, I mean the house, the house — filled with it. Liam had two bowls. Nora had one. Sean had three. June is halfway.

After the neurologist, after Father’s Day, after all of it—Monday needed something I didn’t have to think about. I wanted to put something in a pot and let it do its work while I did mine. This slow cooked rump roast is what I made: beef, vegetables, red wine, low heat, time. The kind of meal that fills a house and asks nothing of you except patience, which felt right, because patience is what we are practicing right now.

Slow Cooked Rump Roast

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 8 hours | Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 pounds rump roast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 3 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 pound baby potatoes, halved
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

1. Season the roast. Pat the rump roast dry with paper towels. Combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and rub the mixture all over the roast.
2. Sear. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on all sides until deeply browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. This builds the flavor base. Transfer the roast to the slow cooker.
3. Build the braising liquid. In the same skillet, add the red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Pour in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste and stir to combine. Pour the liquid over the roast.
4. Add the vegetables. Arrange the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes around and over the roast in the slow cooker. Nestle the rosemary and thyme sprigs in among the vegetables.
5. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, or until the roast is fork-tender and falling apart. Resist the urge to lift the lid during cooking.
6. Rest and serve. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice or pull the beef apart with two forks. Serve with the braised vegetables and spoon the cooking liquid generously over everything.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 45g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 580mg