Pot Roast with Tomato Red Wine Gravy

There is an endless variety of ways to make pot roast, which is generally held to be a cut of beef that requires long, slow cooking in liquid (or in culinary terms, braising) in order to be tender enough to eat.  That means a beef chuck blade roast as a rule.  My Number One Fan makes a delicious pot roast using simple ingredients like cream of mushroom soup, canned mushrooms, beef broth and a bit of Kitchen Bouquet, which is a beef flavored concentrate.  Then, she cooks it at 325 degrees for six-seven hours.  That's the key.  You can season pot roast with just about anything you want, but cooking a long time is necessary to get that delicious, tender beef flavor and texture that make a good pot roast.  The traditional "Yankee" pot roast would generally use beef broth and perhaps onion soup as the braising liquid, then potatoes, carrots and maybe celery would be added to the cooking liquid for the last hour

My version of pot roast is incredibly simple and requires no browning.  If you use a dutch oven or roasting pan with a domed lid, the meat will brown all crispy on top without the need for this superfluous step. I marinate the meat for three hours beforehand to assure tender, flavorful results.  So that, plus the six hour cooking time, makes for an all day event.  The aroma of this dish cooking away all day is what makes a Sunday at home a Sunday at home.

Ingredients

4-5 pound boneless chuck blade roast
3 cups red wine
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 tbsp dried powered mustard (like, Coleman's)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 can 14.5-oz petite diced tomatoes (like, Hunt's)
4 tbsp white or yellow onion
1/2 cup olive oil
Non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)

The Recipe

Mix all ingredients in a large plastic zip-lock bag and ensure the dried mustard is well incorporated into the liquid.  Dunk the roast so it is completely submerged in the liquid, and marinate for three hours.

Use a deep roasting pan or dutch over with a tight fitting domed lid, and coat well with the non-stick cooking spray.  Place the roast in the cooking vessel and add half the marinade.  Discard the rest.

Cover and put in a 325 degree oven, and cook for six to seven hours.

You can spoon the resulting gravy over rice.  The meat should be tender enough to pull apart with a fork, or you can serve in crusty slices if you want.