Instructions

1. Rinse your roast in cool, running water. Pat the excess moisture off with paper towels.

2. Coat all sides of the roast with a generous sprinkling of kosher salt and cracked pepper.

3. Press the salt and pepper gently into the roast and let it sit for no longer than 60 minutes, or until it reaches room temperature.

4. Poke the top of a small paring knife into the roast several times on all sides.

5. Insert garlic slices into each small hole. It’s okay if you miss a few, just stuff as many of the small holes as you can.

6. Coat the bottom of a heavy Dutch oven or brazier pan with a thin layer of olive oil. Heat the oil until you can clearly smell it and the surface develops a slight shimmer.

7. Brown the roast thoroughly on all sides. Don’t just sear it so that it turns gray. In order to bring out the full flavor, the outer layer should form a dark brown crust.

8. Pour just enough liquid into the pot to cover the bottom inch of the roast or so. You can use water, red or white wine, broth, beer or a mixture of water and wine or beer. Sprinkle in a few seasonings if you like. Rosemary and thyme go particularly well with pot roast.

9. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Cover the pot tightly and simmer the roast until an instant-read thermometer reads at least 145 F in the thickest part of the roast and the meat shreds easily with a fork. This should take at least 2 to 3 hours, so don’t rush it.