Chuck Roast

I'm going to be feeding a couple of red meat lovers tonight and this coming week.  In my younger years I used to make pot roast fairly frequently.  It has been many years since I've made a pot roast, so I am testing the recipe tonight to make sure it will be fit to serve company.

I mostly used the Pioneer Woman recipe http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/2008_the_year_of_the_pot_roast/, but I made it in my cast iron skillet, since I don't have a Dutch oven.

I think I need to get a Dutch oven, use a foil packet, or cook it in the slow cooker next time.  Too much of the steam escaped, tho it still got cooked and tasted good.  I think it would have cooked more quickly and gotten more tender if sealed better.

INGREDIENTS

3-5 pound chuck roast

2-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Rosemary

Thyme

2 Onions, cut in half root to tip, peeled and ends cut off

6-8 Carrots, peeled or unpeeled, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 cup beef broth or red wine

Additional beef broth

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oil in cast iron skillet.  Brown onions, about a minute per side.  Remove.  Throw the carrots into the skillet and stir them around for a minutes or so to brown slightly.  Remove.   Season meat with salt and pepper.  Make sure there is some hot oil still in skillet - add 1 or 2 Tbsp if needed.  Sear the meat on all sides, a minute or two per side.  Remove.  Deglaze the pan, heating the wine or beef broth in the skillet and whisking loose any bits of the food we just browned in it.  Remove skillet from heat.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Return meat, onions, and carrots to skillet.  Add broth/stock to half-way fill skillet.  Add thyme and rosemary - if you have fresh, 2-3 sprigs of each - if dried, 1/2 tsp each.  Cover with oven-proof lid or aluminum foil.  Bake 3-4 hours.  Test to see if done - done if meat readily falls apart when attacked by a fork.  Can slice to serve or shred with fork to serve.