Best Pot Roast EVER - A Joey Approved Recipe

So, I cannot take much credit for this recipe. Very rarely do I follow a recipe to a "t", but this one came pretty close. Thank you Pioneer Woman!

For those of you that are familiar with my husband, you know what he eats is very limited. If it was his choice, his entire diet would consist of five things: chicken wings, fried chicken, ice cream, beef (any kind) and beer. However, since I don't want him dropping dead in the next 10 years, I've tried to slowly expand his pallet to include the occasional vegetable. This is, a most definitely, Joey-Approved Recipe :)

Below is her recipe, and in bold are my changes. Enjoy!

Ingredients 

1 whole Chuck Roast (She says to use 4-5 pounds minimum, but I used 3 pounds, which would NICELY feed 3+ people) 

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 whole Onions

6 whole Carrots (Up To 8 Carrots)

Salt To Taste

Pepper To Taste

1 cup Red Wine (You Can Use Beef Broth Instead, but I used wine)

2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock (I didn't have any, so I used chicken stock!)
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste (I used dried)
3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste (I used dried)

Instructions

First and foremost, choose a nicely marbled piece of meat.  This will enhance the flavor of your pot roast like nothing else.  Generously salt and pepper your chuck roast. (I did this, and I did this generously. It was not enough. So, salt the heck out of it! And, when you are done, salt it again.)  Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or you can do a butter/olive oil split).  Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to).  When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.  Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so. If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan.  Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over.  Remove the roast to a plate.  With the burner still on high, use either red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.  When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups depending on the size of the roast).  Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.  Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast).  For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

When you are finished, you will get this yummy deliciousness…

I even separated the beef from the carrots and onions for Joey so he wouldn't be bombarded by too many vegetables at once. It was much appreciated :P

Gavin and Leroy were very sad I wouldn't give them any... It was TOO GOOD to give up! Look at poor, starved Leroy licking his lips!!

*Next time, I'm going to add celery and potatoes. You can also make AMAZING gravy from the remaining drippings. Just add a tiny bit of cornstarch to a tiny bit of drippings, stir, stir, stir until incorporated, then slowly add remaining drippings in a little at a time over low to medium heat. YUM! 

I did not make gravy this time. After draining my drippings using a colander, I poured them into a bowl, covered and placed them in my fridge. After a few hours the fat separated to the top. I scraped it off and saved that yummy stock for future roasts, soups, etc. It keeps great in the freezer and tastes SO MUCH better than the stuff in the can :)