Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 3-pound chuck roast
- salt, pepper, and other seasonings to taste or use your favorite seasoning blend
- 1/4 cup dried herbs and vegetables (such as Zydeco Chop Chop) rehydrated in 1/4 cup water or 1/3 cup fresh herbs and vegetables (such as onion, celery, garlic, peppers, and parsley), finely chopped
- 4 cups water or more
- 4 medium potatoes, cut in half, optional
- 4 carrots, cut in pieces, optional
- 1 celery stalk, cut in pieces, optional
Instructions
- Season roast generously, then cut slits into it and stuff with the herbs and vegetables.
- Pour oil into a large, heavy pot and heat until hot.
- Place roast into the hot oil and brown on both sides until very dark, almost burning it, leaving dark drippings in the pot.
- Add 4 cups of water or enough to cover the top of the roast.
- Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and cover the pot to slowly simmer the roast for about 2 hours, checking to see if adding more water is needed.
- Serve or add potatoes, carrots, and celery to the top of the roast and cook until the vegetables are fork-tender, about a half-hour.
Notes
- Whole crushed garlic cloves can be used alone to stuff the roast instead of the herbs and vegetables.
- Let meat marinate in the refrigerator overnight after seasoning and stuffing for a more flavorful roast and easier prep time before your meal.
- The secret to a good gravy is browning the meat as dark as you can get it.
- After cooking, the gravy should be dark and flavorful; if it's too thin from adding too much water then cook down the juices by itself until it's slightly thickened.
- Gravy can be thickened more with a little water and corn starch (or flour) mixture but this is not necessary if it's cooked correctly.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 1/2 hours
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Cajun