Chapter Menu
Chapter 4

Chucks

3-Jaw Chuck Roast

"Vegetarians liave wicked, shifty eyes and laugh in a cold, calculating manner."
--J.B. Morton of Morton's Steak house

Ingredients

1 3-pound beef pot roast (rump or chuck roast)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar, not heaping 2 large onions, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 cloves garlic, crushed, not minced
3 bay leaves
1 can (13-3/4 oz.) beef broth
1/4 teaspoon whole dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
2 to 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
2 (12-oz.) bottles dark beer, like Guinness--one to drink, one for the pot
12 small red or Yukon Gold potatoes, skins on, cut in half (or mash them)

Oven Preheat Temperature: 325°F
Heat Treat Cycle: 3 to 4 hours

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat the roast dry, season with salt and pepper and place in the pot. Brown all sides of the roast to a nice caramelized color. Do not skip this part or your gravy will be sickly pale. Add the onions and continue cooking, flipping over the roast a few times until the onions are lightly browned.
  2. Pour the beef broth and one beer over the roast. Drink the second beer. Add the thyme, bay leaves and garlic. Stir in the brown sugar. Cover the Dutch oven and roast at 325° for 3 to 4 hours, or until the meat is very tender. Turn the roast in the pot several times while roasting.
  3. Add the potatoes 1 hour before the roast is done. Check to be sure the potatoes are cooked through before removing the pot from the oven.
  4. Remove roast and potatoes from pot. Keep them warm. In a measuring cup, mix 2 tablespoons flour with 1/2 cup water and stir until smooth. Add to the pan juices. Cook over medium heat until the gravy is the thickness you like. Add more flour and water mix if the gravy is thin. Machinists like things smooth, so strain the gravy. Slice and serve with potatoes.
Feeds and Speeds
Feeds: 6 normal people or 3 meat-and-potato-loving machinists
Speeds: 30 minute billable shop time, plus 4 hours roasting time
Chapter 4