This is one of our favorite recipes, the “Perfect Pot Roast” from Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. Wendy’s mom and sister introduced us to the Pioneer Woman cookbooks, and we have loved her recipes. This recipe is best with fresh rosemary and thyme as opposed to dried. It is also better with carrots and onions from the garden or farmer’s market. Those fresh and local carrots are sooo sweet! We cooked this the other night with an Oxbow chuck roast, and it was extremely tender and flavorful. In order to make a tender roast, remember you will need at least 3 hours of cook time. With roasts and brisket, low, slow, and longer cooking time is better!
- 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- One 3 to 5 pound Oxbow grass-finished chuck roast
- 2 onions
- 6 to 8 carrots
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups beef stock
- 3 or 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 2 or 3 fresh thyme sprigs
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and let it get really hot. While it heats, prepare the other ingredients.
- Generously salt the chuck roast on both sides.
- Cut a couple of onions in half from root to tip. Then cut off the tops and bottoms and peel off the papery skin.
- When the pot is very hot, place the onions in the oil and brown on both sides, about a minute per side. Remove the onions to a plate.
- Next, thoroughly wash – but do not peel- the carrots. Cut them roughly into 2-inch sections.
- Throw the carrots into the same, very hot, pot. Toss them around until slightly brown, about a minute or so. The point here is to get a nice color started on the outside of the vegetables, not cook them.
- Remove the carrots from the pot and allow the pot to get really hot again. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan.
- Place the Oxbow chuck roast in the pot and sear it, about a minute per side. Tongs works good for flipping the roast. Remove to a plate.
- With the burner on high, deglaze the pot by adding 1 cup of beef stock, whisking constantly. The point of deglazing is to loosen all the burned, flavorful bits from the bottom of the pot.
- When most of the bits are loosened, place the Oxbow grass-finished roast back in the pot, followed by the carrots and onions.
- Pour enough beef stock into the pot to cover the Oxbow roast halfway.
- Next, put in the fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs. The fresh herbs absolutely make this dish. Tuck them into the juice to ensure that the flavors are distributed throughout the pot.
- Now, cover the pot and Oxbow roast for 3 to 5 hours, depending on the size of the roast. For a 3-pound roast, allow for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. For a 5-pound roast, allow for a 4 to 5 hour cooking time. Do not disrupt the Oxbow roast during the cooking process.
- When the cooking time is finished, check the roast for doneness; a fork should go in easily and the meat should be very tender! If not, continue cooking until it is.
- When done, remove the meat and slice against the grain. Place on a plate with vegetables and spoon plenty of pan juices over the top. You can also serve baked or mashed potatoes with this dish.
- ENJOY!
