One 3- to 5-pound chuck roast Pick a roast that has nice marbling throughout. The more marbling, the more tender.
1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
2. Generously salt and pepper a chuck roast.
3. Heat vegetable or olive oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the halved onions to the pot, browning them on both sides. Remove the onions to a plate.
4. Throw the carrots into the same very hot pot and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so. Reserve the carrots with the onions.
5. If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pot. Place the meat in the pot and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.
6. With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pot, scraping the bottom with a whisk. Place the roast back into the pot. You may add half cup hot water of beef broth.
7. Add in the onions.
8. Put the lid on or cover with foil. Roast for 3 hours for a 3-pound roast. For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours. The roast is ready when it's fall-apart tender.
You may cook carrots and potatoes with this roast or cook them separately. If you cook them with the roast, peel and cut into quarters and 2” pieces. Add a cup or two of beef broth to the pot or pan. I sometimes use a cake pan covered with foil to cook a large pot roast or two roasts at once for family dinner. I usually cook my carrots in another cast iron pot with broth, salt and pepper and butter. We like mashed potatoes, so I use the beef drippings to make gravy. Make gravy the same way I instructed in Roasted Chicken.
