Name: Sliced Roast & Pan Gravy
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 240 min
Ingredients: 5 lb beef chuck roast (cut in half); 1 tbsp kosher salt; 1 tbsp black pepper; 1 tbsp garlic powder; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (for coating); 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp butter (for searing); 6 tbsp butter (3 per skillet); 3 large onions (sliced); 2 tbsp minced garlic; 1 can (6 oz tomato paste); 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce; 2 tsp Fireside garlic & herb blend; 1 tsp dried thyme; 5 cups beef broth; 1 to 2 packets brown gravy mix (to stretch the gravy)

Sliced Roast & Pan Gravy

SERVES 15 · PREP 30 MIN · COOK 4 HR

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 4

Servings: 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Video Notes

Ingredients

5 lb beef chuck roast cut in half
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour for coating
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter for searing
6 tbsp butter 3 per skillet
3 large onions sliced
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 can 6 oz tomato paste
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp Fireside garlic & herb blend
1 tsp dried thyme
5 cups beef broth
1 to 2 packets brown gravy mix to stretch the gravy

Equipment

2 Cast Iron Skillets

Method

Pat both halves bone dry. Mix salt, pepper and garlic powder; season every side.
Coat all sides in flour. This is what makes the gravy thick.
Heat two cast iron skillets hot. Add oil and 1 tbsp butter each.
Sear flat sides first, about 3 min per side, until brown all the way around.
Set on a plate.
Lower to medium. Add 3 tbsp butter and 1 1/2 onions per skillet. Cook until they soften.
Add 1 tbsp garlic, half the tomato paste, 2 tbsp Worcestershire, 1 tsp Fireside garlic & herb blend and 1/2 tsp thyme to each.
Pour 2 to 2 1/2 cups broth into each. Stir up the bottom, then set the roast back in.
Lid on. 350°F for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Do not open it.
Pull while it still holds its shape. Rest 20 min on a board.
Slice thin against the grain. Lay the slices back in the juices.
Lid on, back in a low oven 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
For gravy, strain the juices from the second skillet through a fine strainer. That strained liquid is your base.

Video

Notes

Cut the Roast in Half

A whole 5 lb roast is too thick to get tender in the time most of us have. Two halves fit flat in cast iron and cook in about two-thirds the time. You lose nothing, because you are slicing it anyway.

Pull It Before It Falls Apart

A roast you can slice and a roast that shreds are two different roasts, and the only difference is when you pull it. If a fork twists with almost no fight, it is ready. Leave it longer and it will not hold a slice.

Good to Know

The flour coat before searing is doing two jobs – crust on the meat, body in the gravy.
Slicing thin and returning the meat to its own juices is what carries the flavor all the way through.
Chuck has three or four muscles running different directions. Pull them apart at the fat seams first, then slice each chunk against its own grain.
To stretch the gravy, make brown gravy mix with beef broth instead of water – 1 packet to 1 cup liquid – and whisk it into the strained base.
Shingle the slices in a pan, ladle gravy over, cover and hold at 200°F until you sit down.

Start New Traditions

Sliced Roast & Pan Gravy