Beef Chuck With Braised Vegetables

Cut from the muscles surrounding a cow’s shoulder joint, chuck roast is a wonderful example of how the right cooking method can make or break a dinner. A cow’s shoulder does a lot of heavy lifting, so the muscles are well-developed and strong, and the meat is full of connective tissues. Try to fry or grill a chuck roast, and you’ll end up with a tough and unappetizing lump. But if you slowly coax the flavor out of it with a long, gentle roast, the muscle fibers will soften, and the tissues will melt into a tender, intensely flavorful dinner.

The result isn’t just delicious, either: it also has health benefits. All that connective tissue is primarily made of collagen, the same protein that makes bone broth such a nourishing food. When you cook collagen, it turns into gelatin, which is not only tender and delicious, but also very healing for digestive issues and joint pain. At the time of year when achy bones and joints start acting up, this really is the perfect dinner to relax with after a long day.

Braised vegetables also help add to the “comfort food” value, and conveniently cook a side dish in the same pot as the main event. You could also experiment with different vegetables: winter squash, cauliflower, or beets are also good choices for braising. Just toss them in, pop the lid on, and enjoy the delicious smells drifting from the kitchen until it’s time to sit down and enjoy!

Beef Chuck With Braised Vegetables Recipe

Serves 4 to 6

Prep Time: 15 min.

Cooking Time: 2h. 30 min.

Ingredients

• Beef chuck; (about 3 1/2 pounds)
• 1 cup carrots, diced;
• 1 cup celery, diced;
• 1 large onion, diced;
• 2 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced;
• 1 tbsp. cooking fat;
• Additional ¼ cup Paleo cooking fat or ghee;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 275 F.
2. Season the chuck to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
3. On the stovetop, warm the coconut oil in a Dutch oven over a high heat, and brown the beef on all sides.
4. Remove the chuck. Add all the remaining ingredients to the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to medium-low.
5. Cook the vegetables for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Return the beef to the pot. Cover and roast in the oven for 2 hours or until the beef is fork tender.
7. Let the beef rest and serve with the braised vegetables.