Perfect Pot Roast

Recipe from Kiki (Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients

• 4-5 lb whole chuck roast, can be in pieces

• Kosher salt and pepper

  • Rule of thumb with large meats: 1 tsp salt/lb of meat and 1/2 tsp pepper/lb of meat.

• 2 Tbs olive oil

• 2 whole onions

• 1 c red wine or red wine vinegar

• 2-3 c beef stock

• 2 Tbs tomato paste (opt)

• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary

• 3 sprigs fresh thyme

For serving: roasted carrots and mashed potatoes

Directions

Choose a nicely marbled piece of meat. This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else. Trim large sections of fat off, even if you have to cut into Salt and pepper your chuck roast on all sides.

Preheat the oven to 275˚F. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then, add the olive oil (or you can do half butter, half olive oil).

Cut the onions in half and cut the carrots into 2-inch slices. When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate. 

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides, until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate. 

With the burner still on high, use either 1 c red wine or beef broth to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up. 

When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough of the beef stock to cover the meat halfway. Add in the onion,  rosemary sprigs, and thyme sprigs. Add tomato paste if using.

Put the lid on, then roast in the oven for 3 hours for a 3-pound roast or 4 hours for a 4-5 pound roast, plan on 4 hours. Let rest before serving and make the gravy.

Gravy

• 2-4 Tbs flour depending on desired thickness

• 1-2 c beef broth

Remove large chunks of herbs, veggies and beef from drippings. Add 3 Tbs or so of flour and whisk. You may add additional beef broth to grow the gravy.

Once combined, taste for seasoning then strain through a fine mesh strainer. Serve with beef, potatoes and sides.