ONION BRAISED BEEF ROAST

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350'F (Let chuck roast sit on counter for at least one hour if it was previously chilled in the fridge. )
• 2. With your stove burner set to medium-high heat, in a dutch oven or heavy roasting pan add your olive oil.
• 3. While your olive oil is reaching smoking temperature, liberally rub the chuck roast with salt, pepper and garlic salt.
• 4. Once oil has reached smoking temperature, sear your chuck roast off in the pan on all sides. Don't move the roast around while searing or you won't get good browning. (Pan should be hot enough to quickly sear the meat if it is on medium-heat and oil is just smoking.)
• 5. Remove roast from pan and set aside once it is seared. (Meat should still be completely raw on the inside.)
• 6. Turn burner heat down to medium heat.
• 7. Deglaze pan with balsamic vinegar.
• 8. Add your garlic and onions to pan. Caramelize them gently. DO NOT over brown or burn.
• 9. Add celery and carrots to the pan, along with the red wine, bay leaves, parsley and Worcestershire sauce. Stir, then sweat covered with a lid in the pan for about 10 minutes.
• 10. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine beef stock, mushroom soup and gravy mix. Stir until completely incorporated. Set aside.
• 11. Once veggies are done sweating, remove lid from pan and add the roast back to the pan.
• 12. Pour beef stock mixture over the roast.
• 13. Salt and pepper pan to your preference.
• 14. Cover pan and leave it on the burner, set at medium, for 10-15 minutes. (This will allow the temperature of the liquids to raise before you put the entire pan in the oven. This is important for keeping the meat tender. Ovens cook from outside in making all the surface area of the pot heat first. But heating on a burner heats from the bottom up, heating only the liquid and not the entire pan and all the interior surfaces. Keeps the meat from seizing up.)
• 15. With the pan still covered, place in the oven for 3 hours.
• 16. Remove lid carefully, and cook for an additional 20-30 minutes uncovered.
• 17. Let meat rest 10-15 minutes before serving. (Reserve any excess juices from cooking, it makes a great soup stock, or gravy later.)