Simple Pot Roast

Ingredients

• 4 lb beef chuck roast
• 1 carton (32 oz) beef bone broth
• ½ yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 jalapenos, chopped
• Small handful of fresh thyme, chopped
• Olive oil
• Black pepper
• Salt, to taste

Instructions

• Pat the roast dry and season generously with black pepper
• Heat olive oil in a stainless steel Dutch oven over medium-high heat
• Sear the roast on all sides until deeply browned, about 3-4 minutes per side
• Add the bone broth, onion, garlic, jalapenos, and thyme
• Bring to a simmer on the stovetop, then cover and transfer to the oven

Oven Temperature Schedule

Total cooking time is 5-6 hours. The high heat at the start gets the braise going quickly, then the long low stage breaks down the connective tissue in the chuck without drying it out.

• Keep the lid on for stages 1 and 2
• Turn the roast over once, about halfway through
• Start checking at the 4 hour mark of stage 2. It is done when a fork twists into the meat with no resistance and it pulls apart easily
• If it is still tough, it just needs more time. Chuck goes from tough to tender quite suddenly near the end
• For stage 3, remove the lid to reduce and thicken the broth. Skip this if the liquid level is already low

Serving

• Rest the roast in the liquid for 15 minutes before slicing or shredding
• Skim the fat from the broth and season with salt
• Serve with mashed potatoes or crusty bread and spoon the broth over the top

Leftover broth makes a great base for soup.