I've had a Pot Roast Recipe for years. You can do the same one, it is on the back of the Lipton's Beefy Dry Onion soup. A couple of years ago I decided that I could do better than that, plus my quack, er Doctor, wanted me to reduce salt. The Lipton's package is rather salty.

I've a decent Onion Soup, actually a couple of them. My wife wanted me to go with Julia, but I figured Thomas Keller's Onion Soup from Bouchon was a better bet. Actually we use his sweated onions a lot. Enough that I do 20 lbs at a time and freeze. As a matter of fact I'm down to my last bag, so sweating onions is on the to do list, as is lots of dry cure and some baking. And stock, around this kitchen, is not a problem.

So I like to do this pot roast with a blade chuck steak 2-3 inches thick. Fortunately I had a couple on hand.

My wife was using the big Dutch oven for turkey ragu, the third serial use of the Thanksgiving birds, so I used the cast iron one.



And assembled my mise.





That is about a 3 pound chuck steak.

The only other specific amount is 1.5 cups of the onions from the Thomas Keller Onion soup recipe from Bouchon on pps 47-50.

3 lb Chuck Steak 2 or so inches thick.
1.5 cups sweated onions
root vegetables as desired (onions, carrots,  turnips, parsnips, celeriac, rutabagas, potatoes and I also use celery.
several pieces of pancetta (see here).
dark beef stock, home made or use water.
Red wine (of course drinkable, have a glass while cooking).  Note, if you don't use wine, use more beef stock.
Salt and pepper as needed.
A bay leaf.

You will need an oven thermometer with probe.

Set oven to 275 F.

Put the pancetta (or at least bacon, or if Kosher, schmaltz) in the bottom of the Dutch oven over heat, you are using this instead of adding oil.




After some cooking remove and reserve the pancetta, you will need to cut it into small pieces.

Brown the seasoned chuck.





Insert thermometer probe.

Start adding root vegetables in a size that you like. Celery isn't a root vegetable, but I like it.

There are also two pints of beef stock that had been frozen in there.



Add back in the cut up pancetta.



Add the sweated onions


I will add more vegetables than that, this makes at least 6 servings.

Fill to near top with beef stock and red wine. I use 2 cups stock to 1 cup wine.

Place in oven, watch thermometer and when it gets to 175 F turn oven down to 190F.

I wanted the pot roast to have a couple of hours at about 185 F, range of 180-190. I don't know if I got that idea from Ruhlman or McGee or if I infered something from their writing. About four hours total, longer isn't a problem, WATCH THE TEMPERATURE!

It works, the pot roast



seen above was moist. You can dry out meat being braised by heating above 190 F.



I don't put potatoes in the pot as we prefer this over mashed potatoes, which my wife does with a food mill.

And this was a quite appropriate meal for a day like the one in the picture below.



Which is the view from my home office.