Barbecued Chuck Roast

I closed on a beautiful home in Davis Island this week. The buyers — a young couple, first-timers — looked at the keys the way I looked at my real estate license in 2012: like they were holding the future in their hands.

Mama called at noon to tell me Aunt Sophia has heartburn again. She reported this with the urgency of a woman who considers every piece of information critical and every phone call an opportunity to also critique my cooking from forty miles away.

Some weeks are ordinary. This was an ordinary week. I sold houses. I cooked dinner. I called Mama. I drove to Tarpon Springs on Sunday. The extraordinary thing about ordinary weeks is that they are the ones you miss most when they are gone.

I made gemista — stuffed tomatoes and peppers, filled with herbed rice, baked until soft and fragrant. Summer in a baking dish. I served it with bread and olive oil — always too much olive oil, because in this family there is no such thing as too much. We ate and the conversation was easy and the evening was warm.

Sophia told me this week that she is proud of me. I was not expecting it. We were in the car, driving to Tarpon Springs for Sunday dinner, and she said Mom, I am proud of you. I said for what. She said for everything. For the bakery. For the houses. For making dinner every night even when you are tired. I gripped the steering wheel and blinked and said thank you, koritsi mou. She said do not cry. I did not cry. Much.

Gemista is my Sunday ritual — but it is not always the recipe I reach for when I want to feed a table full of people who matter to me. This barbecued chuck roast is the other one: low and slow, forgiving, the kind of thing you put in the oven and let the house fill up with the smell of it while you drive to Tarpon Springs and back. Sophia’s words were still sitting warm in my chest when I pulled it out to rest, and somehow that made it taste even better than usual.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 3 hrs 30 min | Total Time: 3 hrs 45 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 large yellow onion, sliced into rings
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup beef broth
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce, divided
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

Preheat and season. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels. Combine the salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder, then rub the mixture evenly over all sides of the roast.
Sear the roast. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the roast for 3–4 minutes per side until a deep brown crust forms. Transfer the roast to a plate and set aside.
Build the base. In the same pot, reduce heat to medium and add the sliced onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
Make the sauce. Stir in 1 cup of the barbecue sauce, the beef broth, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot and stir to combine.
Braise. Nestle the seared roast back into the pot, spooning some of the sauce over the top. Cover tightly with a lid and transfer to the oven. Braise for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, turning the roast once at the halfway point, until the meat is fork-tender and pulls apart easily.
Finish and glaze. Remove the lid, brush the top of the roast with the remaining 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce, and return to the oven uncovered for 15 minutes to caramelize the glaze.
Rest and serve. Remove from the oven and let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing or pulling. Spoon the braising sauce over the top and serve with mashed potatoes, crusty bread, or roasted vegetables.

Nutrition (per serving)

Barbecued Chuck Roast — The Sunday Table That Holds Us Together