Pot Roast

Ingredients

1 beef chuck roast, approximately 3-5 pounds

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

1/2 cup red wine, your favorite

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, and their juice

2 cups beef broth

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp Italian seasoning

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Directions

Preheat your oven to 325°F.

Heat a large Dutch oven, with a lid, over medium high heat. I like to use a cast iron-enameled oval pot to make my pot roast. It perfectly holds both the chuck roast and the vegetables I will add later.

Season the meat generously with salt and ground black pepper. Don't be shy with your seasoning. A delicious pot roast has layers of flavor and this will be your first layer. Remember your roast has two sides. Season both sides, friends. Add the oil to the pan and carefully place the meat in the pot. Sear both sides until they are brown. This will take 8-10 minutes. The meat will release itself from the pan when it is seared enough so don't struggle with it or rush the searing process. Remove the meat to a plate. You may need to pour off some of the fat. You want to have 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan.

Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the pan. Cook the vegetables until they are tender, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and the tomatoes, cooking until the liquid thickens, about 5 minutes. Next add the beef broth, thyme and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Nestle the roast in the liquid. The liquid will surround, but not cover the roast. Cover the pot and place in the preheated oven. Cook for 2 1/2 hours, or until the roast is tender. Increase the oven heat to 350°F.

Prepare the vegetables you plan to serve with your pot roast. I used potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and pearl onions. Peel and quarter the potatoes and carrots. Depending on the size of the mushrooms you can either leave them whole or cut them in half. The pearl onions (I used frozen) can be added right to the pot as is. Add these vegetables around the roast, cover the pot and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and continue cooking until all the vegetables are tender and the pot roast pulls apart easily with a fork. Stir in the vinegar to add brightness to the sauce.