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Nothing like a hunk of beef swimming in wine. That’s how I make my pot roast, whether I buy the cheaper or pricey cuts, because it’s a fail-safe way to ensure a tender roast. Forget those dry chewy rawhide roast beefs of your grandmother’s past. Okay, maybe your grandmother was good at it, but I don’t recall the cooking being particularly grand at my grandmother’s house. There are loads of variations on this recipe, but this is my simple version of it.

Drunken Pot Roast Recipe

1 beef roast (pot roast, eye round, chuck, etc.)
LOTS of salt and pepper
Dried Rosemary
Olive oil
1 large white onion sliced
4 garlic cloves sliced
1 14-oz can chopped tomatoes
1 32-oz. box beef (or chicken) broth
At least 2 cups of red wine
Fresh thyme

Season the roast well on all sides with salt, pepper & rosemary. Set it in a hot pan (my Le Creuset is great for this) whose bottom is covered with olive oil. Let brown at least 5 minutes on each side or until dark and crusty all around. I’m talking about the ends as well as the large sides. Remove from pan and let rest on plate.

Toss onions and garlic in same pan and cook about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth and wine. Bring to boil, reduce. Return roast to pan. Make sure there’s enough liquid to cover. Otherwise add more wine. Alternatively, you could flip the beef halfway through, but it won’t be as tender all the way through as if you’d covered it. Toss in the fresh thyme and set in a 350 degree oven for 3 hours. You can add chopped potatoes carrots and onions about an hour or two before the end of cooking time if you want a one-pot meal.