Sometimes I’m not overly excited about “French” versions of iconically American recipes. Sometimes they are amazing, and others? Well, I live in the US, so why bother with a dish that is too often defined by the ingredients that are not available? (I’ve stowed plenty of chiles and mass in my suitcase to be fair).
In full transparency, I did read that Cher liked this, so I had advanced knowledge. But I was also coming off of a party where something like this was served, and had guests coming who don’t typically eat meat. Decisions!!
Not wanting to always lag behind my friends, I bought my roast, saw that I had pretty much everything, and put my roast to absorbing all of the flavors in the rub.
Salt, smoked paprika, ancho chile powder, cinnamon, cocoa (was out of cumin…oops) along with some sea salt made for an aromatic and interesting rub!
Fast forward 24 hours, and a quick sauce thrown together (beer, barbecue sauce, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, a bit of soy and a little Sriracha), ready for a slow roast in the oven.
I have had misses on recipes from this book when I haven’t used Dorie Greenspan’s trick of foil and then the lid. Fortunately I remembered this time, so that the several hours of baking didn’t dry out the dish.
The roast gets turned over a few times, whenever you think of it. And ultimately comes out of the oven when it’s tender. I’m sure I roasted mine at 325 degrees for a little over 3 hours.
This turned out to be one of the big Franco-American hits!! The amount of sauce is perfect, the flavors balanced, and it was really easy!!
I’m sure some of this will get portioned out and put in the freezer for some other meals without enough time or too much heat. My friends want the recipe (another sure sign of something good) and I would definitely make this again.
The aroma? Amazing!! A delicious-smelling combination of the smoky paprika, combined with the sweet of the cinnamon and cocoa.
My guests arrived and the admitted carnivore had to taste it… proclaimed delicious! We brought it out again as part of a grazing kind of make-your-own-plate dinner. Paired with a little crusty bread, very yummy indeed.
To find out what others thought about this recipe, you can find links to their posts here.
dulceshome 
I’m so glad this was a hit with your guests, it really was delicious. (and easy). I packaged up little baggies to freeze for later cause this was way too much for me.
I still need to do that. I think it will be great for lots of things. Thanks, Ro!
Yum! Looks great, Candy! It sure does smell delicious when it’s cooking and I also loved how easy it was to make something so tasty! Glad your guests enjoyed it, too.
Thanks, Katie!! This is definitely a keeper. And it’s going to be nice to have some in the freezer for a quick dinner!!
This made my house smell AMAZING (the next day too!). It’s a perfect party dish for guests to assemble themselves as either a plate of food or a sandwich.
Mardi, you are so right! I can see this on the list. Already thinking about when. The aroma!!
Glad to hear this went well! I bet some of those dried Southwest chilies would have been a delicious addition.
Interesting the different cooks chose. I loved reading about the different choices. I immediately chose anchos (a favorite), but I bet they are all yummy. It seems like there are subtle changes to switch things up!
Aren’t you glad you made it! This may end up being one of my most-used/favorite recipes from the book. It’s always nice when I dish is raved over by dinner guests!
True!! I can see this as a precursor for Thanksgiving as everyone straggles in! This will definitely get a do-over. 😊
This recipe sounds right up my alley and I know my husband would love it! I can just imagine the smells coming out of that rub.