This is a pretty good recipe for Yankee Pot Roast…if you don’t know the difference between it and regular pot roast well…I didn’t either till I looked it up. Honestly it’s about the vegetables you cook with it…mostly tuberous root veggies. So…now you know too. this seems complicated but swear to god it’s not…and was super good.

INGREDIENTS

3lb beef chuck roast (use this instead of bottom round…trust me)
kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 cup medium-bodied red wine (I used a Merlot)
4 cups beef stock, divided
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
3 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 bay leaf, whole
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme

DIRECTIONS

1. Before preparing the meat, place the oven rack in the lower half of the oven and then set it to preheat at 350 °F.
2. Dry the meat and season it GENEROUSLY with salt and pepper. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then brown the meat evenly on all sides, about three minutes per side, then put on a plate and set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining olive oil. Sauté the onion, garlic, and chopped herbs, keep stirring until the onions are translucent. Pour in wine and beef stock to deglaze the pot and as usual, scrape up all the bits from the bottom.
4. Add the tomato paste, as well as the browned meat to the pot, then pour in the remaining beef stock so that it reaches halfway up the meat. (The size of your dutch oven will determine how much of what you have left you use up.)
5. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the stove, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil and then with a lid. Place the pot in the oven and cook for 2 or so hours until the meat is tender. (See notes below)
6. Take the pot out of the oven and add to it vegetables, bay leaf, and herb sprigs, arranging AROUND the meat… then cover and place back into the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are done.
7. Remove from oven and place on a plate and keep covered with aluminum foil for 15 minutes.
8. Use two forks to pull the meat into chunks, it’s definitely tender enough to do that. Discard the bay leaf and herb sprigs.

NOTES: Pair this with mashed potatoes or rice. The length of cooking time will depend on the size of the roast, the accuracy of your oven and the quality of the cooking pot. The trick is to leave it in the oven until tender but not so long that it just shreds and falls apart unless you like that sort of thing.