French Onion Pot Roast

SEAR: Pat all sides of the boneless chuck roast dry. Preheat a large dutch oven over medium high. Coat the bottom of the dutch oven with the oil and, once shimmering, place the chuck roast down. Cook until the beef has a lovely deep brown crust and releases from the pan, about 5 minutes, then turn over and repeat until all sides have browned. If the fat gets too hot, turn down the heat a little as you go. Remove the beef to a plate to rest. Take your time to really build that crust because it’s the bedrock of this dish’s beefy flavor!

SOFTEN: While the beef is browning, peel and chop the onions & shallots into thick half moons. Peel the garlic and slice thinly. Remove the now-empty dutch oven from the heat and carefully pour in 1/4 cup / 60 milliliters of the broth – it will splash and splatter a bit! – to de-glaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom with a spatula. Add the sliced onions to the dutch oven and stir to coat. Return the dutch oven to the heat and reduce to a low medium. Cook, stirring often, until the onions wilt down a little and start to release their own liquids, about 5 minutes or so.

REDUCE: Preheat the oven to 325 F / 160 C and lower the oven rack if you need to make room for the dutch oven & its lid. Sprinkle the onions with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and add the sliced shallots. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and cook, stirring often, until there is very little liquid left in the bottom of the pot, the onions have reduced by about half and are lightly coated with the thickened vinegar but do not brown, about 5 – 8 minutes or so. Stir in the sliced garlic and cook until fragrant.

SEASON: Scooch the onions over and drop the tomato paste into the pot, frying for a few seconds before stirring it through. Next add the seasoning mix of dried onions, onion powder, granulated garlic, parsley, thyme and black pepper, stirring through. Make a well in the middle of the onions so that you can place the chuck roast in the middle on the bottom of the dutch oven. Pour over the red wine, remaining 2 cups / 480 milliliters of broth and the red wine vinegar. Add the bay leaves and make sure that the onions are covered by the broth, then partially cover with the lid and bring the french onion pot roast to a gentle simmer.

COOK: Remove the now simmering pot roast from the stove top and cover with a loose layer of foil, then place the lid on top so that it has a nice tight seal. Pop the french onion pot roast into the oven and cook for 2 hours. Remove from the oven and use a spatula or two to carefully flip the pot roast over & nestle it back into its onion bath. Replace the foil and lid, then cook until tender, about another 2 hours.

REST: Once the beef is fork tender, transfer the dutch oven to a trivet. Remove and discard the foil, then replace the lid and let it rest for 15 – 30 minutes.

SERVE: Carefully transfer the pot roast to a chopping board and use tongs or a couple of forks to gently pull it into chunks but without over shredding the meat. Discard the bay leaves and any stray pieces of fat or membrane that remain, then return the pot roast pieces to the dutch oven and stir through the gravy. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed before serving the french onion pot roast with its gravy spooned over the top.