Cook The Book: Perfect Pot Roast
- 2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
- One 3- to 5-pound chuck roast
- 2 onions
- 6 to 8 carrots
- Pepper
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups beef stock
- 3 or 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 2 or 3 fresh thyme springs
- Preheat the oven to 275F.
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and let it get really hot. While it heats, prepare the other ingredients.
- Generously salt the chuck roast on both sides. I like kosher salt because it adheres more readily to the meat.
- Cut a couple of onions in half from root to tip...
- Then cut off the tops and bottoms and peel off the papery skin.
- When the pot is very hot, place the onions in the oil and brown on both sides, about a minute per side. Remove the onions to a plate.
- Now, with the burner on high, deglaze the pot by adding 1 cup of the beef stock, whisking constantly. The point of deglazing is to loosen all of the burned flavorful bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Throw the carrots into the same (very hot) pot. Toss them around until slightly brown, about a minute or so. The point here is to get a nice color started on the outside of the vegetables, not to cook them.
- Remove the carrots from the pot and allow the pot to get really hot again. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan.
- Place the meat in the pot and sear it, about a minute per side. Remove to a plate.
- Now, with the burner on high, deglaze the pot by adding 1 cup of the beef stock, whisking constantly. The point of deglazing is to loosen all of the burned flavorful bits from the bottom of the pot.
- When most of the bits are loosened, place the meat back in the pot...
- Followed by the carrots and onions. Pour enough beef stock into the pot to cover the meat halfway.
- Next, put in the fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs. The fresh herbs absolutely make this dish. Tuck them into the juice to ensure that the flavors are distributed throughout the pot.
- Now, just cover the pot and roast for 3 to 5 hours, depending on the size of your roast.
- allow 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
- allow for a 4- to 5-hour cooking time. Don't disrupt the roast during the cooking process.
- When the cooking time is over, check the roast for doneness; a fork should go in easily and the meat should be very tender. Remove the meat to a cutting board and slice against the grain.
olive oil, kosher salt, chuck roast, onions, carrots, pepper, beef stock, rosemary sprigs, thyme
Taken from www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/perfect-pot-roast-recipe-pioneer-woman.html (may not work)