INGREDIENTS:

4 to 5 pound boneless chuck roast with good fat marbling
6 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch lengths
6 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
6 medium onions, peeled and quartered
8 cloves of garlic, peeled (optional)
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup fortified wine such as Port, Sherry or Marsala wine (optional)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black peppercorns (Tellicherry)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Crisco oil or Peanut Oil
1 teaspoon Kosher salt (to taste)
1 package of onion soup mix, use low sodium (optional)
2 cups beef stock
1 teaspoon Wild Bill's Meat Rub (open hyperlink for recipe)
2 cups water (reserve one cup for gravy)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or cornstarch
1/4 cup water for flour or cornstarch
Fresh thyme, several sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried
Fresh rosemary, several sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Make 8 slits evenly spaced throughout the roast and insert a clove of garlic (optional) into each slit.  Coat roast with a sprinkling of Wild Bill's Meat Rub which is my house seasoning and let sit at least 30 minutes to an hour.   In a small bowl mix one package of Onion Soup Mix with 2 tablespoons of water and make a thick paste.  Heat a large Dutch oven on medium-high heat adding 2 tablespoons of Crisco oil or oil of your choice.  Sear roast on all sides and remove from the Dutch oven and place on a plate or pan.  Coat top of roast with the onion soup paste (optional).

Add beef stock, 1 cup water, wine, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves to Dutch oven and bring to a boil.

Add roast to Dutch oven, cover;  bake for  2 hours.  After 2 hours, remove from oven; add carrots and bake an additional 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven again and add the onions and potatoes and bake an additional 50 minutes or until the roast and veggies are tender.  If you don't mind the larger pieces of carrots being al dente, you can add all the veggies after the roast has been in the oven for 2 1/2 hours instead of "layer cooking".  Total oven baking time 3 1/2 hours.

Remove roast from Dutch oven placing on a cutting board and cover loosely with aluminum foil until ready to slice.  Transfer veggies to a serving platter and cover.  Reserve the liquid broth to make a gravy and/or sauce and remove bay leaves.

Skim off any fat from liquid, strain and add  2 cups of reserved broth and 1 cup of water to a medium size sauce pot and bring to a boil.  Mix 2 tablespoons of flour or cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and add to the liquid and simmer 5 to 10 minutes or until thickened.  Season with salt and pepper to taste if needed.  Normally, you will not need to add any additional salt since there is a fairly high sodium content in the beef stock and the Onion Soup Mix.

Slice roast across grain and arrange on serving platter surrounded by the veggies and serve while hot with tossed salad and fresh baked bread, French bread or bread of your choice and a good red wine if desired.

This is a modification of my Venison Meal In Foil  and a fairly generic recipe.  My Wild Bill's Meat Rub does add a good crust or bark to the outside of the roast if you get a good sear on it at the beginning of this recipe and does enhance the flavor, IMHO.  As with any recipe, you can add or take away any ingredients and spices as desired.  The above referenced fortified wines go very well with this pot roast recipe and if you are into red wines, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir will work for you.

I am currently a teetotaler and bottled water works fine for me!

YIELD: 8 servings

Above plated pot roast n veggies baked on 02-01-20 and was fantastic using a small boneless shoulder roast weighing a little less than 3 pounds.  I used my latest 60mm Macro lens on the top two pixs.   My bad on the overkill of the garnish....I didn't have any parsley on hand and had to improvise with green onions and sliced small cherry tomatoes.  Yea, there is a beef roast there somewhere.  Grin if you must!

This pot roast n veggies was "off the chain good", about melt in your mouth!

Below pixs of pot roast n veggie meal served on 07-14-12:

Click on thumbnails sequence pixs for a larger screen view:

ADDITIONAL NOTES: 

This roast would melt in your mouth and come apart when slicing it.  I could have used a much larger serving platter but didn't take the time to "dig" one out.  I served the pot roast and vegetables with fresh garden tomatoes and French bread.  I am glad I didn't fix a side salad because my bride and myself were both tight as ticks when we finished this wonderful meal.  Grin if you must! Looks like plenty of left over for some delicious sliced pot roast sandwiches or skillet beef hash.

Web published by Bill aka Mickey Porter 07-14-12 with updated pixs on 08-25-13.

LEAVING ON A SPIRITUAL NOTE