I grew up eating roasts from my great grandmother’s Sunday roast to my mom’s easy weeknight roast. They were good but I wanted to create a depth of flavor to the meat. My go-to flavoring came from my great grandmother. She simply used salt, pepper, garlic, onions and beef broth.
It wasn’t until I developed a recipe for short ribs that my best roast recipe came to life. Short ribs have a bone in them which lends a rich depth of flavor. The chuck roast doesn’t develop quite the same depth of flavor but it is a great cheaper option than short ribs. Keeping short ribs in mind, I wanted to create a similar presentation so I cut the chuck roast into individual roast portions. Alternatively you can simply cut the roast into 1 to 2-inch cubes, slow cook and serve. By cutting the large roast down into individual portions or cubes, it will decrease the amount of time the roast has to cook. This is a really nice benefit! I also like the look of the portion and cubes versus shredded beef.
I hope you enjoy this comforting dish.
Best Roast Ever
Print RecipeIngredients
- 3 tablespoons light olive oil
- 4-pound chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fine ground black pepper
- 2 small yellow onions, roughly chopped
- 4 celery ribs, roughly chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 1/2 cups beef stock
Instructions
Preheat a slow cooker on low heat.
Remove the fat cap of the roast and save. Cut the chuck roast into 6 equal portions. Using kitchen twine, tie a piece around each portion to hold their rectangle shape. Season each chuck roast with the salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the chuck roasts to the skillet. Brown all sides of the roasts and then transfer to the slow cooker. Repeat with the additional roasts.
Reduce the heat of the skillet to medium heat. Add the onion and celery. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute.
Add the in the sundried tomato, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and beef stock to the slow cooker.
Add the cooked vegetables. Add the fat cap to the top.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
Discard the fat. Transfer the roasts to a plate. Strain the sauce over a wire mesh strainer into a large bowl. Pressing the vegetables against the strainer to extract as much sauce as possible. Discard the vegetables. Spoon the top layer of fat off from the sauce.
Serve the individual roasts over mashed potatoes or creamy grits. Serve the sauce over each roast.
Notes
You can also cut the roast into 1 to 2-inch cubes to cook and serve as well. Also for a more rustic dish, skip straining the vegetables. You can also add cubed potatoes and cut carrots to the slow cooker for a complete meal.
4 Comments
Donna Ott
July 24, 2019 at 6:27 pmHi! Thanks for all your yummy recipes! I will probably decide to cook the roast as one big roast instead of individual portions. What time and heat do you recommend for that?
Whitney
July 25, 2019 at 3:41 pmHey Donna!
I am so glad you enjoy them. My general rule is a hour per pound. If you are cooking it in the slow cooker like the recipe then keep the heat the same.
Michelle
July 29, 2019 at 7:07 amI made this for dinner last night (after binging the first season of master chef for the first time). My boyfriend and I love you! I made this exact recipe for family dinner and mom said it was “probably the best dinner” I’ve made!
Whitney
August 26, 2019 at 3:55 pmYea! I love hearing that.