Pot Roast With Gravy

Veterans Day. Calvin preached at the ecumenical service this morning, the joint service with four other Birmingham churches that happens every Veterans Day in the civic center downtown. I went. I always go to the big services where Calvin preaches because I am the pastor's wife, yes, but also because Calvin at his best—at the full expression of the calling he has been answering for thirty years—is something I never tire of witnessing. The vessel holds and pours out and holds again and every time I see him do it I understand a little more what it cost and what it was worth.

He spoke about service today. About the difference between the service you choose and the service that chooses you. About the men and women who went to war because the country called them and the men and women who stayed home and served in other ways—in kitchens, in churches, in schools, in the daily labor of holding a community together against the forces that would break it—and how both kinds of service are acts of love, acts of courage, acts of the decision that says: I am here, I will be useful, I will give what I have. I sat in the third row and I thought about Tuesday evenings. About the forty-five people. About the chain from Bernice to me to every plate I have ever served. Service that chose me. I am not a veteran. But I know what it is to give what you have in the service of something larger than yourself, and to keep giving even after what the giving has cost you is almost more than you can carry. I know what that is. Yes. I know exactly what that is.

Thanksgiving is in two weeks. I am already planning the menu. The planning is its own pleasure—the organized mind moving through the logistics of abundance, the sequencing of what gets made when, the inventory of what needs to be bought and what is already in the pantry from the summer preserving. Full house this year. CJ coming from Huntsville. Destiny bringing Travis. First time Travis sits at the Simms table. I am ready for him. The table is ready.

Two weeks out from Thanksgiving and the menu is already taking shape in my mind the way these things do — the logistics of abundance, Calvin’s words about service still settling somewhere in my chest, the knowledge that Travis will be sitting at our table for the first time and that what I put in front of him will say something about who we are before he and I have exchanged more than a handful of sentences. A pot roast does that work. It fills the house with something that smells like intention, like someone has been at it for hours because they wanted to be, and when you set it down on the table with the gravy pooled dark and glossy around it, the message is plain: you are expected here, and we are glad you came.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes | Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

3 1/2 to 4 lbs boneless beef chuck roast
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed
3 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup dry red wine (or additional beef broth)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 lb baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Season and sear. Pat the chuck roast thoroughly dry with paper towels. Season all sides with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear the roast for 4—5 minutes per side until a deep brown crust forms. Transfer to a plate.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion and celery to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, letting it caramelize slightly against the bottom of the pot.
Deglaze and braise. Pour in the red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves. Return the roast to the pot — the liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the meat. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and transfer to a 325°F oven.
Add vegetables. After 2 hours, nestle the carrots and potatoes around the roast. Cover and return to the oven for another 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until the beef is fork-tender and pulls apart easily at the edges.
Rest the roast. Transfer the beef and vegetables to a serving platter and tent loosely with foil. Remove and discard the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves. Let the roast rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing or pulling.
Make the gravy. Set the Dutch oven with the braising liquid over medium heat. In a small bowl, mash together the butter and flour into a smooth paste. Whisk this paste into the simmering liquid a little at a time until the gravy reaches your desired consistency, about 4—5 minutes. Season with the remaining salt and pepper. Strain if you prefer a smooth gravy, or leave it rustic.
Serve. Arrange the beef and vegetables on the platter, pour some gravy over the top, and bring the rest to the table in a warmed pitcher or gravy boat.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pot Roast With Gravy — The Table Is Ready