7-bone beef chuck roast with root vegetables - slow-roasted foil packet

3 to 4 hours. That is the real ask of this recipe, and almost all of it is the oven working while you do not. Some days hold that and some days do not. This one is for a day that does.

Low heat buys time rather than speed. Collagen converts to gelatin faster the hotter it gets, but a hot oven also races the inside of the roast past the point where the muscle fibers have already wrung out most of their water. At 275 F the meat spends hours inside the window where connective tissue is breaking down and the center has not yet overshot, and the gelatin that comes out of it reads on the tongue as moisture.

Glycine comes out of that gelatin. It is an amino acid involved in the repair work going on at the intestinal wall, and with eggs and legumes off your plate for now, a cut like this covers ground they would otherwise be covering.

Pat the roast completely dry before the arrowroot rub goes on, or it slides off inside the packet instead of setting into a crust, and crimp the foil tight so the steam has nowhere to go. Then eat it slowly. An animal was raised for this, bone and all, and 4 hours of your day went into it. Neither one deserves to be eaten standing at the counter.

Ingredients

For the rub:

• 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
• 4 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1-2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar (optional)

For the roast:

• 1 (3-4 pound) bone-in chuck roast
• 2 small onions, quartered
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
• 1 pound white sweet potatoes or other root vegetable, peeled and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
• 2 bay leaves

Method

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F (135 C). Combine the arrowroot starch, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, thyme, and coconut sugar (if using) in a small bowl. Pat the chuck roast completely dry with paper towels - this helps the rub adhere and the surface brown. Press the spice rub firmly onto all sides of the roast, covering as much surface as possible.

Lay a large sheet of heavy-duty foil in a roasting pan, leaving enough overlap on each side to form a sealed packet. Scatter the quartered onions, carrots, sweet potato pieces, and bay leaves across the center of the foil. Set the rubbed roast on top of the vegetables. Fold the foil up and over the roast, crimping the edges to seal it tightly so steam is trapped inside.

Place the pan in the oven and roast for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat is very tender and beginning to pull away from the bone. The time will vary with the thickness of your roast. Start checking at the 3-hour mark by pressing the meat gently through the foil - it should feel soft and yielding. Open the foil carefully; the steam inside is very hot.

Let the roast rest for 10 minutes before carving. The pan drippings are rich with flavor and gelatin - spoon them over the sliced meat and vegetables before serving.

Instant Pot variation

Pat the roast dry and press the rub onto all sides as described above. Set the Instant Pot to Saute (high) and add a thin layer of avocado oil. Sear the roast for 3-4 minutes per side until browned, then remove and set aside. Add the onions and carrots to the pot and stir for one minute. Nestle the roast on top of the vegetables, add the sweet potato pieces and bay leaves around it, and pour in 1/2 cup of water or bone broth. Seal the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 60 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then carefully release any remaining pressure before opening. Verify the meat is fork-tender; if not, reseal and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

*Adapted from gutsybynature.com*