Tender Lovin' Pot Roast

 I am definitely not the classic meat and potatoes type of gal.  So when I promised my husband the best pot roast he had ever tasted, I obviously had a few beers in me and we were at high altitudes.  I think most adults have been scarred by over-cooked, dry, flavorless  pot roasts served at childhood Sunday dinners.  Let's face it, chuck roast is a tough, muscular cut of beef.  Usually if I'm going to splurge and eat red meat, it's going to be something worth eating, not a workout for my jaw or picking out the grizzle between my teeth, yuck!  So all that aside, I realized that even today, most people stand by their mother's traditional, bland way of preparing a bland choice of meat.  To me, I wanted to treat it as if it was a cheap top that I jazz up with a good piece of jewelry.  The concept worked great, this was really delicious!  The meat pulled apart without a knife and was tender-filled with flavor.  The extra ingredients really go a long way to reform pot roast!
The key for tenderizing this cut of meat is marinating it overnight.  It is way more the purpose of breaking down the proteins and connective tissue of the muscles, than just a nice touch for flavor.  I roast my vegetables separately because I don't like the hassle of adding them to a hot pan during the roasting of the meat.  I also dislike the fatty glaze that coats them after they have cooled and re-heated as leftovers.  While I was making this dish, I also had another dish of fennel and parsnips roasting and used that to make soup.  Pretty much in one session I made enough food for dinners for the week with little prep time.

Tender Lovin' Pot Roast
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb. prime boneless beef chuck roast, tied
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Marinade:
¾ cup good red wine(additional 1 cup needed for cooking)
5 cloves chopped garlic
3T aged balsamic vinegar
1 shallot, finely chopped
IF available: ½ cup of fresh pineapple juice*

1 slice of good thick cut bacon

ROAST VEGETABLES:
2 carrots, peeled, cut in half
¾ cup chopped celery root
1 head of fennel, quartered,  stems and fronds  trimmed and included
¾ cup quartered cremini mushrooms
4 cloves black garlic, chopped
1 T fresh chopped turmeric
1 medium size red onion, quartered and cut in half

1 cup red wine
2T cooking Sherry
1 cup chicken broth (could use beef or vegetable) will need additional amounts
1 chipotle bouillon cube (optional)
branches of fresh thyme and/or rosemary
2T whole black peppercorns
1T whole coriander seeds (optional)
1T dried juniper berries (optional)

Additional Roasted Vegetables:
2lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes (preferably organic) cleaned and cubed
1-2 lbs. carrots (preferably organic) peeled, halved
kosher salt, pepper
Fresh thyme and/or rosemary
Olive oil

1. MARINADE: 
Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Season the roast all over with a generous coating of kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Combine all marinade ingredients in a gallon-size freezer bag, add meat and seal. Place in the refrigerator at least 6 hours but preferably overnight

2.Prep Roasted Vegetables, place in a bowl and set aside.  If you are serving potatoes and additional carrots with your roast, prep them as well.

3. Pat dry the marinated meat, let sit at room temperature while heating 1T olive oil in a Dutch oven or other oven proof pan, over medium high heat.  Add the bacon and cook until crisp.  Remove the pieces of bacon.  Deglaze the pan to loosen up the brown bits with a few splashes of red wine or water.
With the heat on medium, add the roast and sear for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn and sear the other side and then turn and sear the ends. This should take 3 to 4 minutes for each side. Remove the roast to a large plate.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
If roasting additional vegetables: Coat the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and or butter.  Place the prepped vegetables and herbs in the dish, spreading out on one layer.  Add enough stock or water to come up the side of the dish about a ¼ inch.

4.  Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the Dutch oven. Add all the prepped roasting vegetables, onions, celery, , A sprinkle of salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned. Add the wine and sherry, bring to a boil. Add stock, bouillon cube. Add the thyme and rosemary, peppercorns and other whole spices (if used) to the pot.
Put the roast back into the pot; bring to a boil, and cover.  Place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is fork tender or about 160 degrees F internally. Turn the heat down to 250 degrees F after about an hour to keep the sauce at a simmer.  *Occasionally check to make sure there is enough liquid to keep the meat moist.  Add water if necessary and baste the roast with its juices.

5.  About an hour after the roast has been in the oven, place the potatoes and carrots in the oven with the roast.  They will be finished about the same time as the roast.

6.  Remove the roast to a cutting board. Remove the herbs and discard. Skim off as much fat as possible from the sauce (there shouldn’t be a lot if you trimmed your meat well beforehand).
Using an immersion hand blender or transfer the sauce and vegetables to a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth. Pour the puree back into the pot, place on the stovetop over low heat, and return the sauce to a simmer. Add enough stock to the pureed vegetables to achieve a thick gravy-like consistency.  If you need more gravy, add more stock, some Worcestershire sauce and place 1 tablespoon flour and the 1T soft butter in a small bowl and mash them together with a fork. Stir into the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring until thickened.

Taste for seasonings. Remove the strings from the roast, and slice the meat. Serve warm with the sauce spooned over it. 

* Check out the tenderizing science of meat, in particulartougher cuts such as chuck.