I have literally made so many awful pot roasts in my life. My mom makes amazing ones, but I have not been able to master the meat. (HeeHee).
I don't like it when people cook the potatoes and carrots with the roast, it makes every part of the meal take exactly the same, and that is yucky to me.
Turns out, that it is more of a method than a recipe, and I have been doing it all wrong - and my mom had it right all along.
Ingredients:
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 3 to 5-pound chuck roast
2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 whole onions, peeled and halved
1 cup red wine, optional
3 cups beef broth
2 or 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
Generously salt and pepper the chuck roast.
Heat the olive oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the halved onions to the pot, browning them on both sides.
Remove the onions to a plate.
If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pot. Place the meat in the pot 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 red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pot, scraping the bottom with a whisk. (All the brown-yummy-goodness is going to taste amazing!)
Place the roast back into the pot and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway.
Add in the onions along with the fresh herbs.
Put the lid on, then roast for 3 hours for a 3-pound roast. For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.
The roast is ready when it's fall-apart tender.
