This is adapted from a recipe I found on the Internet, which in turn claimed to be a recipe from Cooks Illustrated.
- 2 lb chuck roast or other braising cut
- 1 tbsp (or more) of kosher salt
- 2 tbsp butter, bacon fat, or olive oil
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 1 large carrot, sliced (around 1 cup)
- 2 medium celery stalks, sliced (around 1 cup)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp ground thyme
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 tsp (or more) ground pepper
- 2 lb. root vegetables, cut into large pieces (e.g., carrots and potatoes)
- Apply kosher salt to roast on all sides
- Let meat rest on a rack at room temperature for an hour
- Pre-heat oven to 300
- In a large dutch oven, melt butter (or bacon fat, or olive oil) over medium heat
- Cook onions in fat until tender, around 10 minutes
- Add carrots and celery to pot and cook another 5 minutes
- Add garlic and thyme to pot and cook another minute
- Add 1 cup beef stock (reserving the other cup for later), red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce to pot
- Add bay leaf to pot
- Bring pot to a boil
- Apply pepper to all sides of the meat
- Add meat to pot
- Remove pot from stove, cover, and then add to oven
- Cook for 3 hours
- Remove pot from oven
- Add root vegetables
- Return covered pot to oven
- Cook for 1 hour
- Remove pot from oven
- Remove cooked root vegetables and reserve
- If the meat is not yet fork tender, continue cooking, covered, checking ever 30 minutes until it is
- Remove meat and reserve
- Move cooked, sliced veggies and broth to a blender
- Add reserved broth as needed to bring total in blender to 3 cups
- Blend sauce until smooth, about 1 minute
- Break meat into serving-sized chunks
- Return reserved meat, reserved root vegetables, and blended sauce to pot, stirring to coat it all
- Cover pot until ready to serve; or, refigerate and later re-heat on the stove over medium-low heat