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Mom's Pot Roast

Source of Recipe

From "An Unapologetic Cookbook" by Joshua Weissman


Recipe Introduction

"I'd like to call this the 'family weekend meal crutch.' By that I mean it's the number one choice I think everyone should be able to lean on when they want something special on the weekend that feeds a lot of mouths with relatively minimal effort. It's fantastic with mashed or roasted potatoes. My mom knew exactly what she was doing when she came up with this one. Love ya, Mom; thank you for this recipe!"

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 4 pounds chuck roast
â—¦ Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to season
â—¦ 2 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil
â—¦ 1 large yellow onion, quartered
â—¦ 5 cloves garlic, sliced
â—¦ 1 quart beef stock
â—¦ 8 sprigs thyme
â—¦ 5 medium carrots, cut into 1 ½-inch sections

Gravy:
â—¦ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
â—¦ 3 ½ cups cooking liquid from the roast


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Season the roast generously with salt and pepper. Heat a 5- to 7-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil. Once the oil is extremely hot, add the roast and sear for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until the roast is nicely browned on every side. Remove the roast and set on a plate to the side.

Add the onion, garlic cloves, and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté over medium-high heat until the garlic is fragrant and the onion is just beginning to soften. Add the broth, and as soon as it boils, immediately reduce the heat to low. Once gently simmering, lower in the roast. Add the thyme sprigs around the roast. Cover, transfer to the oven, and braise for 1 ½ hours. Then add the carrots around the roast, cover, and cook for another 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until the meat is falling-apart tender. Remove the roast and veggies to a platter, and cover with foil to keep warm. Discard the thyme stems. Reserve 3 ½ cups cooking liquid.

To make the gravy, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 45 seconds. Gradually whisk in the cooking liquid until the desired consistency is reached. (You may not use all of the reserved liquid.) Continue stirring until completely smooth and then remove from the heat. Enjoy the roast and veggies with a generous ladleful of gravy per serving.

Serves 5 to 6