Pot Roast

Ingredients

0 of 15 out on the counter

• 2½ lb boneless beef chuck roast, all outside fat and seams trimmed off (about 900 g trimmed, about 600 g cooked and eaten)
• 1¼ tsp salt, divided: 1 tsp on the roast, ¼ tsp in the gravy
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, cut in thick wedges
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1½ lb carrots, cut in 2-inch chunks
• 3 parsnips, peeled, cut in 2-inch chunks
• 1½ lb small gold potatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp cold water

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1Set a rack in the lower third and heat the oven to 325 °F. Trim every bit of outside fat and the thick seams of fat off the roast; the trimmings go in the bin, not the pot. Pat it dry and rub it all over with 1 tsp of the salt and the pepper.
2. 2Warm the olive oil in your heavy pot on a strong medium heat. Brown the roast 4 to 5 minutes a side, until dark. Move it to a plate.
3. 3Turn the heat to medium. Cook the onions in the same pot 4 minutes, scraping up the brown bits. Stir in the garlic powder, then pour in the broth and the Worcestershire. Add the thyme and bay leaves.
4. 4Put the roast back in, cover with the lid, and bring it to a simmer. Move the pot to the oven and cook 2 hours.
5. 5Tuck the carrots, parsnips and potatoes around the roast and cover again. Cook 1 to 1½ hours more. It is done when a fork twists in with almost no pull and the meat reads at least 145 °F; it is most tender around 195 °F.
6. 6Lift the roast and vegetables to a platter and tent with foil for 15 minutes. Pull the roast apart along its seams and cut out every seam of fat that softened in the braise; it goes in the bin, not on the plate. Discard the bay leaves. Skim all the fat off the pot liquid and throw it away; a spoon, or a cup that pours from the bottom, makes it quick.
7. 7Whisk the cornstarch into the cold water. Bring the pot liquid to a simmer on the stove and whisk in the slurry and the last ¼ tsp salt. Simmer 1 to 2 minutes, until glossy.
8. 8Slice or shred the roast against the grain, about 2½ oz (75 g) of lean meat a person, and heap the plate with the vegetables and gravy. Cool leftovers within 2 hours, freeze flat in portions with gravy, and reheat to 165 °F inside.