Contest-Winning Old-Fashioned Pot Roast

Drove to Midland to help Tyler pick a ring. This is not something I have experience with — I bought Christine's ring at a pawn shop in 1999, which tells you everything about both my budget at the time and my understanding of what women want. Tyler has a better budget and, apparently, better taste. We went to three jewelry stores in Midland and one in Odessa. The jewelers were polite. I was not helpful. I kept saying "that one's nice" about every ring, which Tyler correctly identified as useless.

He found it at the third store: a simple platinum band with a modest diamond and two smaller sapphires on the sides. Clean, understated, practical. Like Jessica. I said, "That's the one." Tyler said, "How do you know?" I said, "Because it looks like her." He looked at me like I'd said something profound. I hadn't. I'd said something obvious. But sometimes obvious is what people need to hear.

On the drive back to Houston — Tyler following me in his truck because we'd driven separately — I called Linh and told her Tyler was proposing. She said, "Bobby, does every one of your children have to get engaged in the same year?" I said, "They're not all engaged." She said, "Give it time." She's probably right. Lily and James are heading that direction. But that's their timeline, not mine.

Made a batch of Vietnamese-style grilled short ribs — sườn nướng — when I got home. Short ribs marinated in lemongrass, fish sauce, garlic, honey, and a touch of Chinese five-spice, then grilled hot and fast over charcoal. The ribs get a caramelized crust from the honey and the fish sauce sugar, and the inside stays tender and juicy. You eat them with your hands, over rice, with a side of pickled vegetables and fresh herbs. It's messy and primal and perfect. I ate them standing at the grill, alone in my backyard, listening to Outlaw Country on the Bluetooth speaker, and I thought about my son buying a ring for a woman who fixes hydraulic valves, and I was happy in the uncomplicated way that happiness used to scare me and doesn't anymore.

The sườn nướng was for me — just me and the backyard and the Bluetooth speaker, a quiet private happiness I didn’t need to share. But there’s a different meal coming, the one where Tyler brings Jessica to the house and we all sit down together for the first time as something more than just people who know each other. That meal needs to be something generous and unpretentious, something that says “welcome to this family, we’re glad you’re here” without making a fuss about it. This pot roast is that meal. You put it in the oven and it takes care of itself, which leaves you free to actually be present with the people you’re feeding.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 3 hrs 30 min | Total Time: 3 hrs 50 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 to 4 lbs)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 tsp black pepper, divided
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups beef broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
1 bay leaf
4 large carrots, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 1/2 lbs baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
3 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cold water
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat and season. Preheat oven to 325°F. Pat the chuck roast completely dry with paper towels. Season all sides generously with 1 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp pepper.
Sear the roast. Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the roast and sear without moving it for 4–5 minutes per side, until a deep brown crust forms on all sides. Transfer roast to a plate.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Pour in beef broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add liquids and herbs. Stir in diced tomatoes with their juices, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Return roast to the pot. The liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the meat; add water if needed.
Braise covered. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover tightly and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours.
Add vegetables. Remove pot from oven and nestle carrots, potatoes, and celery around the roast. Replace cover and return to oven. Cook until roast is fork-tender and vegetables are cooked through, about 1 hour 15 minutes more.
Rest the meat. Transfer roast and vegetables to a serving platter with a slotted spoon. Tent loosely with foil and let rest 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf from the braising liquid.
Make the gravy. Place the Dutch oven over medium heat and bring the braising liquid to a simmer. Whisk cornstarch and cold water together in a small bowl until smooth. Gradually whisk the slurry into the simmering liquid and cook, stirring, until gravy thickens, about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve. Slice or pull the roast into large chunks. Arrange on the platter with vegetables, spoon gravy over the top, and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve family-style with crusty bread or dinner rolls.

Nutrition (per serving)

Contest-Winning Old-Fashioned Pot Roast — The Celebration Meal I’m Already Planning