Heavenly Pikes Peak Roast

The end of last fall I purchased 1/2 a side of beef from a local farmer in Colorado Springs. The cattle he sells are humanly raised and grass fed. The only kind of beef I would ever consider buying and consuming. I was able to pick all the cuts in advance and my family requested “lots of roasts”. They love a good roast with endless flowing gravy. Well, who doesn’t? One of the cuts for the roasts was called Pikes Peak roast. Well, it actually has nothing to do with the mountain Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs. Nevertheless, here is a picture of Pikes Peak . I took this picture just 2 minutes away from my house at the end of October last year. It was a stormy evening with some weather moving in. Isn’t it so dramatic? I love it.

You are may familiar with a Pikes Peak roast under a different name. It is also known as heel of round.  A Pikes Peak roast is cut from low in the round, just above the hock. It contains many small muscles and lots of connective tissue. It is the least tender of the round roasts, but cooks up into a pot roast with excellent flavor which my recipe will totally confirm.

Pikes Peak Roast (Heel of Round)

Prep time: 20 min.
Cook time: 2 1/2 – 3 h
Total time: 3- 3 1/2 h
Yield: 6

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs 8 oz pikes peak roast (Heel of Round), from humanly raised organic grass fed beef
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, large, chopped
• 3 carrots, big, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups red wine ( I used Merlot)
• 3 cups water, divided
• salt to taste
• freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 F.
2.  Wash the roast and pat it dry. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a bigger dutch oven on medium- high heat, add the oil, and brown the roast from all sides really well.
4. Remove roast from the pot and add the onions and carrots and cook until well done and browned.
5. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
6. Pour the red wine into the pot. Stir well to loosen all the brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 cups of water and the tomatoes.
7. Return the roast to the pot and place the pot with closed lid into the oven. Cook for  about 3 hours or until the roast is very tender.
8. Remove pot from the oven and the roast from the pot. Add one cup of water and mix the sauce with a stick blender until well pureed. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Cut the roast against the grain into 3/4 inch slices. Return the slices to the pot and cover with the sauce.
10. Serve with some egg noodles and green salad.