Red Wine Braised Pot Roast
A chuck roast braised low and slow in red wine and beef broth with a whole bulb of garlic, until it shreds apart. The carrots go on top and stay whole.
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds chuck roast
- 3 teaspoons salt divided — 2 for the meat, 1 for the vegetables
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour for dusting the roast
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion cubed small
- 2 stalks celery cubed small
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon beef base
- 1 cup red wine Cabernet, Merlot or Malbec. See notes for the non-alcoholic swap
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 whole bulb garlic left whole
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 2 cups beef broth enough to come up around the meat
- 4-5 carrots peeled and halved
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Season and flour the meat. Season the chuck roast all over with 2 teaspoons of the salt and the black pepper, then dust it with the flour.
- Sear. Sear the roast on all sides in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until deeply browned. Remove and set aside.
- Cook the vegetables. Melt the butter in the same pot. Add the onion and celery with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and cook until soft.
- Tomato paste and beef base. Stir in the tomato paste and beef base and cook for 1 minute.
- Red wine. Pour in the red wine, scraping up the browned bits, and let it reduce. Stir in the brown sugar.
- Meat back in. Return the roast to the pot with the whole garlic bulb, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Add about 2 cups beef broth so the meat is mostly covered.
- Carrots on top. Lay the peeled, halved carrots on top of the liquid. Do not submerge them.
- Braise. Cover and braise at 325 degrees F for about 2 1/2 hours, until the meat shreds apart easily and the carrots are tender but still whole.
- Shred and season. Lift out the carrots and the herb stems and skim the fat off the top. Taste the braising liquid and salt to taste — between the beef base and the beef broth it may not need any. Shred the meat with two forks right in the pot so it soaks up the sauce, then serve over mashed potatoes with the carrots and plenty of sauce spooned over.
Notes
Chuck roast is the cut for this. Lean cuts like round will not break down the same way.
No alcohol: swap in 1 cup non-alcoholic red wine, or 1 cup beef broth plus 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar.
Keep the carrots on top of the liquid so they steam instead of boiling. Submerged carrots turn to mush.
If the meat is still tough, it is not done. Cover and give it another 30 to 45 minutes.
Better on day two. Braise it a day ahead, chill it in the pot, and lift the set fat off the top before reheating.
Nutrition
Calories: 551kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 1817mg | Potassium: 970mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 7796IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 4mg