Bursting with flavor, this delicious cranberry orange roast will surely be a holiday crowd pleaser. The orange, cranberry, and cardamom really stand out and add a fresh take on your classic roast; and bonus, there is zero added sugar. Serve it with a side of arugula and you’ve got yourself a healthy, balanced, naturally flavored meal.
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Let the cooking begin!
The steps:
- Start by seasoning your roast on each side. You’ll want generous amount of salt, pepper (omit for AIP), and cardamom.
- Next, you’ll sear the roast on each side. This should take 4-5 minutes per side. You want it a nice color, not too light and not too dark. Once it’s seared, you’ll take it out of the Dutch oven and set it aside.
- To deglaze your pot, drizzle a little apple cider vinegar in the pan and stir it around with a silicone or wood spatula. This will help get rid of any stuck on spots. It works amazingly well!
- Sauté the veggies in the same pot next. This will be your carrot, onion, and cranberries. Cook them until your onions are starting to become translucent, or about 5-7 minutes. Then, you’ll add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- In a blender you’ll add all of the sauce ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Next, you’ll move the veggies to the sides of the Dutch oven to make space for your roast, place the roast in the pot, and then pour the sauce around the roast and veggies.
- Now it’s ready for the oven! Set the oven to 350F (177C), place the lid on your Dutch Oven, and let the roast cook in the oven until it’s tender and falling apart. The cooking time will depend on the size of your roast, but it should be anywhere from about 2.5-3.5 hours. My roasts are generally 2-3 inches thick and take 3 hours. Check to see if it’s done at 2 hours, and add time in 30 minute increments from there.
- Finally, remove your roast from the oven and slice it into serving sizes. Reserve the remaining veggies and liquid to serve on top.
- Plate with a side of arugula and top with the reserved “gravy.” Enjoy!
Substitutions:
- The ingredients are pretty simple in this dish, so there’s not really much I would consider swapping.
- Canned cranberry sauce would only work in place of fresh cranberries if it’s unsweetened. A sweetened type would probably make this dish much too sweet.
- You can use water in place of the chicken bone broth; just add salt to taste.
Suggested kitchen items:
- Lodge Dutch oven. This thing is heavy duty. I use it for this pulled pork, soup, hash, artisan bread, or any large meal.
- Unbleached parchment paper sheets. I have these in a drawer and love that I can pull one out when I need it, and I love that these sheets are unbleached.
- Silicone oven mitts. I love using silicone oven mitts, because they totally protect your hands, unlike the fabric ones I’ve used in the past. I use this set daily.
- Blendtec blender. This is one of my absolute favorite appliances in my kitchen.
I hope you love this recipe, and would love to hear about how making it went for you! Share with me in the comments below, on Pinterest, or @whitsfoodfit on Instagram.
Cranberry Orange Braised Roast
(AIP, Paleo, Whole30, GF, DF, Soy free, Nut free)
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil (or EVOO)
- 3-4 lb chuck roast
- sea salt
- cracked black pepper (omit for AIP)
- ground cardamom
- 1-2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 2 cups fresh cranberries divided
- 5 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 cup chicken bone broth
- 3 naval oranges zested and juiced (about 3/4 cup juice)
- arugula for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F (177C).
- Heat your Dutch oven on your stove over medium high heat and add the avocado oil. You want enough to cover the bottom of the pot.
- Season your roast with generous amounts of sea salt, cracked pepper, and cardamom. You want a nice thick layer of spices on either side of the meat.
- Next, sear your meat in the hot Dutch oven for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Deglaze your Dutch oven by drizzling a small amount of apple cider vinegar into your pot and scraping off any bits of meat that have stuck to the bottom.
- Add your onion, carrots, and 1 cup of cranberries to the pot and sauté until the onions become translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute, or until it becomes fragrant.
- In your blender, add the bone broth, zest and juice of 3 naval oranges, and the remaining 1 cup of fresh cranberries. Blend until very smooth.
- Turn off your stove and push your veggies to the sides of your pot to make room for your roast.
- Add the roast to the Dutch oven, pour the blended liquid all over the veggies, around the meat, and place the lid on the pot.
- Place it all in your preheated oven and let it cook for about 2.5-3.5 hours. You want it to be tender and falling apart, so check it after 2 hours, and add 30 minutes increments, as needed.
- Once the meat is done, remove the pot from the Dutch oven, and slice the meat into servings. Reserve the remaining gravy that's in the pot.
- Serve with a side of arugula and top with the reserved gravy.
