The Most Perfect Pot Roast

 On the TODAY show last week a perfect cold night dinner by Ree Drummond. It looked so fabulous. I added a few halved baby potatoes.

3 tablespoons olive oil 1 (4- to 5-pound) whole chuck roast 

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste 

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste  

2 yellow onions, peeled and halved 

6-8 carrots, trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks 

1 mounded tablespoon tomato paste 

1 cup red wine (or more beefstock) 

3 cups beefstock, homemade or store-bought 

3 thyme sprigs, or more to taste 

3 rosemary sprigs, or more to taste 

chopped parsley, forserving

Preheat the oven to 275 F.

Heat a large heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.

Season both sides of the pot roast with the salt and pepper, then place it in the pot to sear.

Let the roast cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned and crisp around the bottom edges. Turn it over to the other side to sear for another 2 to 3 minutes and remove the roast to a plate.

Lay the onions in the pot cut side down, then sprinkle in the carrots. Let the veggies sear on the surface until they get some brown edges, turning a bit for even browning, about 3 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and stir it around to fry for 1 minute, then pour in the wine and the stock.

Stir everything together, then slide the beef back into the pot on top of the veggies (be sure to let all juices from the plate drip into the pot!).

Arrange the herb sprigs around the meat, then cover the pot and roast in the oven until the roast is falling-apart tender (pull it apart with two forks to check). This can take anywhere from 3 to 4½ hours, depending on the weight and the piece of meat.

Remove the herb stems from the pot. If there is an excess layer of oil on top after the pot has sat for a few minutes, you can use a shallow spoon to remove some. Just add the oil to the same plate as the herb stems.

Use two forks to shred the meat. It should shred very easily without requiring any force at all. (If it seems tough or doesn't pull apart easily, it hasn't cooked long enough! Return it to the oven for another 45 minutes and that should do the trick.) Keep shredding, keeping it mostly in larger chunks with some smaller shreds. Taste and add a little more salt if it needs it, then cover the pot and keep it warm until serving.

I like to serve by spooning mashed potatoes in a wide, shallow bowl adding some meat, onion pieces, and carrots, then spooning over some of that delicious cooking liquid!

Sprinkle a little chopped parsley over each serving.