Pot Roast...
 

I tried this recipe for pot roast, it comes out tender and delicious. The best I've ever had.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 pounds boneless chuck roast
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Directions

1 Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2 Heat a heavy Dutch oven on top of the stove over medium high heat. Add oil, and sear meat in the center of the pan for 4 minutes. Turn meat over with tongs; sear all sides for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove meat from pan. Arrange onion, garlic, and 1 bay leaf in the bottom of the pan, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Return meat to pan, place remaining bay leaf on top of meat, and cover.
3 Cook in the oven for 30 minutes at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Reduce the heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove roast to a platter to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice, and top with onions and gravy.

Nutrition at a glance
Servings Per Recipe: 8 amount
per serving

Calories 550
Protein 39g
Total Fat 42g
Sodium 446mg
Cholesterol 161mg
Carbohydrates 2g
Fiber -

Does anyone know what cut of beef to buy for this? I have never made a pot roast.

Thanks!

I, too, use boneless chuck roast for my pot roast. All that fat throughout the roast makes for some good eating. Sorry to admit I don't put it through fitness pal or any other tool which will give the nutritional breakdown. However, it's LCHF and tender and delish.

A dutch oven is okay, but a very large, heavy deep skillet with lid will do.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

On stove top put
Oil in the skillet.
When oil is hot, add the beef in one large chunk and sear on all sides until brown. Not too much, as this toughens the surface of the meat. Just enough to carmelize the surface.

Braising meat requires liquid, and I like to make certain the liquid reaches at least to the top of the meat. I tell you this because your roast may be small or large.

Add 1 large can tomato sauce, then some vinegar (I like to use balsamic because of the strong, dark taste). Both the tomato sauce and the vinegar are necessary to break down the connective tissue in the beef. That's what makes the beef tender.

Add salt, pepper remembering that the salt needs to penetrate the meat so a bit extra won't hurt.

When the liquid comes to a boil, cover the skillet or the dutch oven and put it into your preheated oven for at least 2 hours.

This ought to be fork tender. Lastly, adjust the seasoning to your cooking liquid, which can be your sauce.

Both chuck & 7 bone are good. I use my slow cooker with 1/2 an onion chopped up under the roast - no water added.

Any kind of shoulder roast is good for pot roast. Beef shoulder = chuck roast. Pork shoulder = Boston butt. Lamb shoulder = delicious. I add tons of veggies (which contain plenty of water), so I add no more than a cup of liquid (usually 1/2 broth + 1/2 wine) to my typical pot roast. As long as I cook it 3+ hours (on very low heat) it is fall-off-the-bone tender.

It seems there are many ways to skin a pot roast.

I cook pot roast in the pressure cooker. First on browning, then on high pressure for about 1/2 hour. I let the pressure drop naturally for the first 10 minutes, then use the quick release. Partly because it gets the roast on the table faster. Partly because it's fun.

I got a chuck roast from one of the farmers at the organic farmers' market last summer, and cooked about three weeks ago. Best pot roast I have ever had!

what veggies do you add Liz?

I'm going to have to try this! I love my pressure cooker.

thanks everyone!

Me, too, Nancy. I found one on a "one day sale" site a few years ago, and it's programmable, and so much safer than the old stovetop kind.

Even Husband uses it, when I want pot roast on my birthday. Hmmmmm. It's coming up in a little over a month. I think that's what I'll ask for. When I made it this time, I just put the onions, carrots, celery and some green beans in the cooker, and cooked a potato in the microwave for him.

Depends on the meat. For beef, I usually add mushrooms, onions, celery, garlic, turnips, celery root, maybe 1/2 can of crushed or stewed tomatoes, maybe a few carrots if I'm feeling adventurous. Spices: thyme and oregano, bayleaf

Pork = celery, onions, fennel, mushrooms. Spices: garlic, bayleaf and tarragon

Lamb = onion, celery, turnip, carrots, 1/2 can tomatoes, thyme, oregano, garlic, bayleaf.

Especially with lamb, I dice the veggies very fine - 1/4" cubes. They are more of a sauce than vegetables when I finish cooking them. I then serve with broccoli or other LC veggie.

I tend to leave the veggies *chunkier* with pork and lamb.

This would work with chicken as well. I'd probably use the same combo of veggies that I use with pork.

Thanks Liz, I don't eat carrots, although I love them....I'm on a version of induction so have to be careful with veggies, that's why I asked.

I'm doing a net carb ~20 per day so I need to be smart about the vegetables I use. I've been experimenting with little onion and garlic and lots of Collard Greens in my pressure cooker using Chuck Roast, Pork Butt and Lamb Leg (that didn't work out too good) Collards are tuff and can take the heat. I love them. Your milage may vary :-)

Here's some beef pulled out but you can see some of the Collars mixed in.

http://downhaul.com/lowcarb/keto29-56/Pages/31.html

For many years I did not include carrots either. Just leave them out. Pot roasts are versatile. I like Thud's idea of collard greens and I've been toying with the idea of adding kale. Go forth and experiment with vegetables that work for you!

Amen to that Sister! :) hard to go wrong with this advise.