Teriyaki Beef Roast

The week after Thanksgiving and the leftover brisket is being repurposed — sandwiches on Monday, hash on Tuesday, a brisket-and-egg situation on Wednesday that would horrify a nutritionist but which satisfies the fundamental law of the Jewish kitchen: nothing is wasted. The leftover brisket is not less than the original brisket; it is the brisket in a different form, evolved, adapted, still nourishing, still connected to the same recipe and the same hands that made it. I find this metaphor applicable to more than food, but I will not belabor it.

Hanukkah is early this year — starts Sunday night, November 28th — which means the holiday season is compressed and the cooking is overlapping and I am operating at peak production, which is where I am most comfortable, which is where Sylvia was most comfortable, which is where the Rosen women have always been most comfortable: in the kitchen, at full capacity, producing more food than is strictly necessary for the number of people expected, because "strictly necessary" is a concept that has no place in the Jewish kitchen. The Jewish kitchen produces excess. The excess is the point. The excess is the love.

I made the first batch of latke batter on Saturday — the potatoes grated by hand, the onion grated into the potatoes, the eggs beaten in, the flour added, the whole mixture pressed through a towel to remove the liquid, because dry batter makes crispy latkes and wet batter makes sad latkes and I did not grate five pounds of potatoes by hand to make sad latkes. The batter is in the refrigerator. The oil is ready. The menorah is on the table. The first candle lights tomorrow. Let the light begin. Again.

When the brisket is finally gone and the week demands something new but the spirit of the thing — the slow heat, the tender pull, the promise of leftovers that keep giving — needs to carry forward, this teriyaki beef roast is the answer I keep coming back to. It has that same quality Sylvia’s brisket always had: it is better the next day, and the day after that, and it asks very little of you while the oven does the work. At peak-production season, that is not a small thing.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 2 hr 30 min | Total Time: 2 hr 45 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

3 to 4 lb beef chuck roast or bottom round roast
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Sliced scallions and sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

Make the marinade. Whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Reserve 1/2 cup of the marinade separately for the sauce.
Marinate the roast. Place the beef roast in a large zip-top bag or covered dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the roast, seal, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, turning once halfway through.
Sear the roast. Remove the roast from the marinade and pat dry. Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or oven-safe pot over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deeply browned.
Roast low and slow. Pour the reserved marinade over the seared roast. Cover tightly and roast in a 325°F oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the beef is fork-tender and pulls apart easily.
Thicken the sauce. Remove the roast and tent with foil. Place the pot over medium heat on the stovetop. Stir together the cornstarch and cold water, then whisk into the pan drippings. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce thickens to a glossy glaze.
Slice and serve. Slice the roast against the grain or pull it apart with two forks. Arrange on a platter, spoon the teriyaki glaze over the top, and finish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

Nutrition (per serving)

Teriyaki Beef Roast — The Brisket’s Worthy Cousin, Ready for What Comes Next