Tender slow-cooked beef dish (Print version)

Tender beef slow-cooked with potatoes, carrots, onions, and savory gravy for a comforting meal.

# What You Need:

→ Beef

01 - 1 (3–4 lb) chuck roast
02 - 2 teaspoons kosher salt
03 - 1 teaspoon black pepper
04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Vegetables

05 - 1½ lb Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
06 - 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
07 - 2 large yellow onions, quartered
08 - 4 cloves garlic, smashed

→ Liquids

09 - 2 cups beef broth
10 - 1 cup dry red wine (optional; substitute with additional beef broth if desired)
11 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
12 - 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

→ Herbs & Spices

13 - 2 teaspoons dried thyme or 4 fresh thyme sprigs
14 - 2 bay leaves

→ Gravy Thickener

15 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or cornstarch (for gluten-free option)
16 - 2 tablespoons cold water

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 300°F.
02 - Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels and season all sides evenly with kosher salt and black pepper.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the roast for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until a deep crust forms. Remove and set aside.
04 - Add quartered onions and smashed garlic to the pot. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and slightly softened.
05 - Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Pour in red wine, scraping the bottom to release browned bits.
06 - Return the seared roast to the pot. Add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves.
07 - Arrange potatoes and carrots evenly around the beef in the pot.
08 - Cover with lid and place in the preheated oven. Braise for 3 to 3½ hours until beef is fork-tender and vegetables are cooked through.
09 - Transfer roast and vegetables to a serving platter. Skim excess fat from the cooking liquid remaining in the pot.
10 - Whisk the flour or cornstarch with cold water until smooth. Stir into the pot and simmer on medium heat, whisking constantly until the gravy thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes.
11 - Slice the roast and serve alongside vegetables, topped with the thickened gravy.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The meat becomes so impossibly tender it barely needs a knife, and the gravy tastes like pure comfort.
  • Everything cooks in one pot, so cleanup is almost as easy as the cooking itself.
  • It fills your kitchen with a smell so good that people start arriving before dinner is even ready.
02 -
  • Don't skip the searing step, even though it seems like an extra fussing around—that brown crust is where half the flavor lives.
  • Resist the urge to raise the heat or rush it; low and slow is the entire point, and those three hours transform toughness into tenderness in a way nothing else can.
03 -
  • If your roast is very thick, tie it loosely with kitchen string so it cooks evenly—this small step prevents the edges from getting overdone while the center finishes.
  • Make this recipe a day ahead if you can; the flavors deepen overnight and the meat becomes even more tender as it cools and warms again.
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