Billy’s Tips For Preparing A Delicious Chuck Roast.
A beef chuck roast is a cut from the exercised shoulder area of the cow. A beef chuck roast is a beautiful cut of meat with superb marbling but take care when cooking because it can be tough if not done correctly. Low and slow is the way to go. Slow cooking in relatively low heat nicely breaks down the inherent connective tissues, resulting in a tender, juicy, and delicious experience.
At Hagberg’s we cut our beef chuck roasts to about 3-4 pounds. Naturally, you can request a different size cut, but we think this is an ideal size for easy, consistent preparation.
The ideal vessel for preparing your roast is a roaster with a good-fitting lid. We like enameled cast iron, but any good roaster should do the trick. The beef chuck roast should fit nicely inside the roaster, a couple of inches from the sides. The roast should not touch the sides.
Preheat your oven to 325° F.
While your oven is warming up, rub a little Lawry’s Seasoning Salt on all sides of the roast. Add a little oil to the bottom of the roaster and heat it on your stovetop. Then, gently set your roast on the heated oil and flip it until all of the outside gets a nice brown color. This step can get a little smoky but also starts the delicious aromas permeating the house.
Smear a very thin coating of tomato paste on the roast and set it in the middle of the bottom of the roaster. Then, add equal amounts of beef stock. The total amount of liquid will vary depending on the size of the roaster and roast. Fill so that the entire bottom of the roast rests in about a half-inch of the beefy bath.
Place the covered roaster into your preheated oven and cook for about one hour per pound. If you’re adding veggies, drop them on and around the roast for the last hour of cooking.
At the end of the cooking time, the roast should set covered for about 10 minutes before serving.
Now, if this is your first roast rodeo or you’re not confident about your oven temps, you have to check to ensure your roast is thoroughly cooked. But don’t wait too long. While an underdone roast can be tough, an overdone roast can be dry. You can always cook an underdone roast a little longer to finish it off, but there’s no going back from overdone. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the meat is up to temp and do the fork test. A perfectly done roast will pull apart easily with a fork.
