Pot Roast

Heat the oven to 325F (165C)

Pat the roast completely dry and season it all over with the salt and pepper. Let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes while the oven heats.

Sear the roast

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven that holds the roast with an inch to spare, over medium-high heat, until it shimmers. Lay the roast in and leave it alone for 5 to 6 minutes, until a dark crust forms and it releases from the pan without sticking. Sear the second flat side and both edges the same way. Move the roast to a plate.

Soften the onions and deglaze

Pour off all but a tablespoon of fat. Add the onions and cook over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until translucent at the edges. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pot clean with a wooden spoon, then simmer for 2 minutes.

Braise covered

Return the roast and its juices to the pot. Add the stock, bay leaves, and thyme. The liquid should come about halfway up the meat, so top up with stock if needed. Cover tightly and cook in the oven for 2 hours 30 minutes.

Add the vegetables

Tuck the carrots and potatoes around the roast, cover, and return to the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until they are tender.

Test for tenderness

Total time runs 3 to 3 1/2 hours. The roast is ready when a fork twisted into the thickest part meets no resistance and the meat shreds, which happens around 200F to 205F internal. A thermometer reading of 145F means it needs far more time, not less. Chuck is done by tenderness.

Rest and slice

Move the roast to a board and rest it for 15 minutes. Find the direction of the muscle fibers and cut across them into thick slices. Skim the fat from the pot and spoon the onions and juices over the meat.