Chuck Tender Roast (Slow Cooked)

Chuck Tender Roast (Slow Cooked)

How to cook a chuck tender roast to fork tender perfection. Braising this lean and tough cut of beef in a flavorful and aromatic liquid alongside root vegetables invariably results in richly flavored, juicy meat that is easy to pull apart. You can choose to simply break apart the roast and serve it the traditional way, perhaps with the suggested easy to make gravy. Alternatively, you can shred the cooked chuck tender a bit more dilligently and allow it to soak up the braising liquid.

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Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 3

Total Time: 3 30

Servings: servings

Calories: 875kcal

Author: Milena Perrine

Ingredients

4 lbs chuck tender roast*
kosher salt and black pepper to season roast (to taste, but use generoulsy)
3 tablespoon vegetable oil or similar
1 yellow onion large, diced
4 large cloves of garlic or about 6 smaller, diced small but not minced
2 tablespoon tomato paste
6 oz dark beer or 4 oz red wine or 6 oz beef broth
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 carrots large, peeled and sliced thick
1.5 lbs potatoes red or baby gold, scrubbed clean, larger ones halved
4 celery ribs large, or 5-6 smaller, peeled and sliced thick
1 ¼ cup beef broth
fresh thyme and oregano to taste

Instructions

PREPARE THE CHUCK TENDER ROAST

Remove the beef from its packaging and pat it dry with paper towels. Remove the silver skin lining covering one side of the roast by gently sliding the tip of a sharp knife underneath it to lift it up and then peeling it off by holding it with paper towel.
Generously season all sides of the roast with salt and pepper. Allow to sit for a little bit at room temperature.

SLOW COOKER (CROCK POT)

Heat 2 tablespoon of the oil in a large, heavy bottomed frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the prepared roast on all sides until it looks golden brown and has acquired an appetizing crust. About 6-8 minutes total. Set aside.
Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and saute the diced onion and the garlic. Once softened stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute.
Deglaze with the beer (or wine or beef broth) and be sure to scrape all the tasty brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the brown sugar, bay leaves and dried oregano. Bring to simmer. Turn off heat.
Place the carrots, potatoes and celery at the bottom of the slow cooker. Nestle the seared chuck tender on top. Pour the braising liquid you made over all that, straight from the pan. Add the 1 ¼ cup of beef broth and the fresh herbs (thyme and oregano). Close the lid.
Cook until the beef is fork tender and can be pulled apart without effort. On high this is likely to take between 3 and 4.5 hours. On low up to 8 hours.
When ready to serve, transfer the vegetables to a platter, slightly break up the beef and allow it to absorb a bit of the juices in the crock pot and then serve it next to the vegetables. If you have at least a cup of braising liquid remaining (should be more) you can make a quick gravy (see the notes below).

OVEN BRAISING (DUTCH OVEN OR BRAISER)

Note: If you are using a large braiser you do not need a separate skillet, do everything in the braiser. If a Dutch oven, follow the instructions below because searing a whole chuck tender in a Dutch oven will cause it to steam rather than form a nice crust.
Preheat the oven to 300 F.
In a large skillet or heavy bottomed pan heat 2 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Sear the prepared roast on all sides until it looks golden brown and has acquired an appetizing crust. About 6-8 minutes total. Set aside.
Lower the heat to medium, add the diced onion and garlic and saute until softened. Work in the tomato paste and cook for another minute.
Deglaze with the beer (or wine or beef broth) and be sure to scrape all the tasty brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the brown sugar, bay leaves and dried oregano. Bring to simmer. Turn off heat.
Place the vegetables at the bottom of the Dutch oven. Nestle the seared chuck tender on top. Add the braising liquid from the pan and the 1 ¼ cup beef broth. Add the fresh herbs. Close the lid and transfer to the oven.
Cook at 300 F until the meat is fork tender and you can pull it apart without effort with forks. Start checking for tenderness after 3 hours.
To serve see step #6 above.

Notes

*This is about the average weight of the chuck tender cut of beef. It varies between 3 lbs and 4.5 lbs.

Cooking Time Note:

The cooking time will depend on the size of the chuck tender roast and the temperature setting for the braise.

If using a slow cooker on high and cooking a smaller cut of beef 3 to 4 hours as noted above will most likely be just enough. If cooking on the low setting it can take up to eight hours to see tender meat, especially if the roast is more sizable.

The meat temperature is irrelevant with this cut - cook until your desired tenderness is reached.

How to Make a Gravy:

Strain about 1 cup of the braising liquid and set aside.
In a sauce pan over medium-high heat melt 1 tablespoon of butter and work in 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour. Stir enthusiastically until the mixture just begins to brown. Add the braising liquid and whisk vigourously to achieve a homogenous consistency. Once the gravy looks thick enough remove from the heat. Taste and season as needed. Transfer to a gravy boat.

If the gravy needs thinning out while you are still whisking – add a bit more of the liquid. Finally, you can easily double the amount of the gravy by simply doubling the noted ingredients.

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