Cook the Book: Perfect Pot Roast

Name: Cook the Book: Perfect Pot Roast
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 473 milliliters beef stock; 6 to 8 carrots; 1 kilograms chuck roast; 6 servings Kosher salt; 2 onions; 6 servings Pepper

Need From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes roughly 45 minutes. Head to the store and pick up beef stock, to 8 carrots, onions, and a few other things to make it today. To use up the pepper you could follow this main course with the Easy Peppermint Dessert as a dessert.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 275F.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

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Dutch Oven

Add the olive oil and let it get really hot. While it heats, prepare the other ingredients.

Ingredients you will need

Olive Oil

Generously salt the chuck roast on both sides. I like kosher salt because it adheres more readily to the meat.

Ingredients you will need

Beef Chuck Roast

Salt

Meat

Cut a couple of onions in half from root to tip...

Ingredients you will need

Onion

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.

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Onion

Cooking Oil

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Pot

Remove the onions to a plate.

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Onion

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.

Ingredients you will need

Beef Stock

Equipment you will use

Whisk

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.

Ingredients you will need

Vegetable

Carrot

Equipment you will use

Pot

Remove the carrots from the pot and allow the pot to get really hot again.

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Carrot

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Pot

Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan.

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Cooking Oil

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Place the meat in the pot and sear it, about a minute per side.

Ingredients you will need

Meat

Equipment you will use

Pot

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.

Ingredients you will need

Beef Stock

Equipment you will use

Whisk

Pot

When most of the bits are loosened, place the meat back in the pot...

Ingredients you will need

Meat

Equipment you will use

Pot

Followed by the carrots and onions.

Ingredients you will need

Carrot

Onion

Pour enough beef stock into the pot to cover the meat halfway.

Ingredients you will need

Beef Stock

Meat

Equipment you will use

Pot

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.

Ingredients you will need

Fresh Rosemary

Fresh Thyme

Fresh Herbs

Juice

Equipment you will use

Pot

Now, just cover the pot and roast for 3 to 5 hours, depending on the size of your roast. For a 3-pound roast, allow 3 to 3 1/2 hours. For a 5-pound roast, allow for a 4- to 5-hour cooking time. Don't disrupt the roast during the cooking process.

Equipment you will use

Pot

When the cooking time is over, check the roast for doneness; a fork should go in easily and the meat should be very tender.

Ingredients you will need

Meat

Remove the meat to a cutting board and slice against the grain.

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Grains