Sean’s Pot Roast
For pot roast, I recommend any thick chuck roast. You will need to tie though or it will fall apart in the process… (Seven-bone roasts are also good choices.) Remember to add only enough water to come halfway up the sides of thinner roasts, and begin checking for doneness after about 2 ½ hours.
- Boneless chuck roast (about 3 or 4 pounds will fit nicely into a dutch oven)
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- I medium onion, chopped medium
- 1 small carrot, chopped medium
- I small celery rib, chopped medium
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup canned low-sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 1 to 1 ½ cups water
- 1/3 cup dry red wine, (I use a cheap merlot…)
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Thoroughly pat roast dry with paper towels; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Brown roast thoroughly on all sides, reducing heat if fat begins to smoke, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer roast to large plate; set aside. Reduce heat to medium; add onion, carrot, and celery to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and sugar; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and beef broths and thyme, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Return roast and any accumulated juices to pot; add enough water to come halfway to sides of roast. Bring liquid to simmer over medium heat, then place large piece of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid; transfer pot to oven. Cook, turning roast every 30 minutes, until fully tender and meat fork or sharp knife easily slips in and out of meat, 3 ½ to 4 hours.
3. Transfer roast to carving board; tent with foil to keep warm. Boil remaining liquid over high heat until reduced to about 1½ cups. Add red wine and reduce again to 1 1/2 cups. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Using chef's or carving knife, cut meat into 1/2-inch-tllick slices, or pull apart into large pieces; transfer meat to warmed serving platter and pour about ½ cup sauce over meat.
Serve remaining sauce as gravy…
