pot roast - this will see your family turn up in time for dinner

Last Saturday my new pot got another work out, the fourth since I bought it.
Such a handy pot!

Still shiny.

I'd decided to cook a Pot Roast, I hadn't done one since before I met L.
That's a heck of a long time ago!

I'd bought a nice blade roast, just about a kilo, enough for one for several meals.

Almost no fat, just how I like it. Not too much trimming to do.
If I was roasting this in the oven, I'd leave the fat on and trim it off after cooking, but not for a pot roast.

A pair of meat forks are great for lifting large pieces of meat in and out of pots and roasting pans, handy for the barbecue too. Really, any large forks will do as long as you have two of them. One to lift, one to balance.

Start with roughly chopping up onions and carrots. Nice sized chunks, not the fine chopping I do for soups.

Damn! How many times has this happened to you?
Slice the top off what appears to be a perfectly good onion....

.....only to find an inner layer soggy with mould.
Luckily I had more onions.

Heat some oil in the pot and brown those chunky little carrot and onion pieces, then remove them into another bowl and set them aside for now.

Heat a little extra oil and brown the meat on all sides. Here is where the meat forks come in handy for turning the meat. It's wise to wear an apron for this part because browning meat will spit at you.

Once the meat is browned on all sides, put the veggies back in, add enough hot water to cover and toss in a couple of bay leaves.
The water needs to be hot so the meat doesn't cool down at all.

Turn the heat down to a slow simmer, put the lid on the pot and leave it alone for about four hours.
Well, not entirely alone, turn the meat now and again. With a slow simmer you shouldn't need to top up the water at all.

When you notice the meat beginning to fall apart as you turn it over, remove it from the pot onto a plate.

See? Falling apart tender. Mmmm, tasty.
Can you tell I've been tasting it?
Scoop out the bayleaves and toss them away.

Use what ever method you'd normally use to thicken the cooking liquid into a gravy.
I use gravox powder, mixed with a little water to a runny paste. (the traditional kind not the instant kind)
I had too much liquid in the pot for just me, so I scooped out enough to fill two 500g tubs and cool them ready to freeze for another day's gravy.

I most often serve pot roast with mashed potatoes (because of the yummy gravy) and greens.
Usually brussels sprouts or green beans, sometimes broccoli.

The shredded meat is also nice, hot or cold, in a sandwich.