Company Pot Roast with Barefoot Contessa _ Barefoot Contessa - Cook Like a Pro _ Food Network

### Classic Company Pot Roast with Tomatoes and Red Wine: A Step-by-Step Guide

In this article, we’ll walk through the process of creating a hearty and flavorful **classic company pot roast** using the full transcription provided. This dish is perfect for impressing guests or enjoying a delicious meal at home. Let’s get started!

---

#### Choosing the Right Cut of Meat: Chuck Roast

The recipe begins with a 5-pound piece of chuck roast, a cut of beef known for its rich flavor and ability to become tender when braised. The chef emphasizes that using a more delicate cut, like filet mignon, would result in a tough and dry texture after cooking. This highlights the importance of selecting the right type of meat for a pot roast—chuck roast is the ideal choice due to its marbling and ability to hold onto moisture during long cooking times.

---

#### Preparing the Beef

Before searing, the beef is patted dry to ensure an even crust when cooked. The chef seasons the beef generously with 1 tablespoon of salt and ½ tablespoon of pepper. While this may seem like a lot, it’s explained that the size of the roast justifies the quantity. After seasoning, the beef is rolled in the mixture to evenly distribute the spices.

The purpose of this step is twofold:

- **Sealing in Juices:** The searing process will lock in moisture and flavor.

- **Thickening the Sauce:** The salt and pepper will help thicken the sauce as it cooks, adding depth to the final dish.

A Dutch oven is recommended for cooking, as it’s the best pot for this type of braising.

---

#### Searing the Beef

The chef heats about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the Dutch oven until it’s nice and hot. The beef is then seared for about 4–5 minutes on each side. During this time, the meat develops a golden crust, which enhances both flavor and texture. After searing, the beef is removed from the pot and set aside while the vegetables are prepared.

---

#### Preparing the Vegetables

The recipe calls for the following vegetables:

- **2 cups of carrots:** Chopped into big chunks to retain their earthy flavor.

- **2 cups of celery:** Also chopped into large pieces for a chunky texture.

- **Onions:** Two big Spanish onions, roughly diced.

- **Leeks:** Roughly chopped and added to the mix for additional depth.

The chef prefers these vegetables in larger chunks to maintain their texture and flavor throughout the cooking process.

---

#### Building the Sauce

Once the beef is seared and removed, the pot is used to make the sauce. A little extra olive oil is added, and then the prepared vegetables are seared until nicely browned and caramelized. This step is crucial for developing rich flavors in the sauce.

Garlic is then added to the pot, followed by a tablespoon of salt and a bouquet garni (a bundle of herbs, typically thyme and rosemary, tied together with string). These ingredients infuse the sauce with aromatic flavors.

Next comes the red wine: 2 cups of Burgundy are poured into the pot, adding complexity to the sauce. Finally, 2 tablespoons of cognac are added for a burst of flavor and aroma.

---

#### Adding Tomatoes and Chicken Stock

The dish is elevated further with the addition of one can of whole plum tomatoes (or those in tomato puree) and 1 cup of chicken stock. These ingredients combine to create a thick, rich sauce that will baste the beef as it cooks.

---

#### Returning the Beef to the Pot

Once all the ingredients are in the pot, the seared beef is returned to the Dutch oven, submerged in the flavorful sauce. The dish is brought up to a simmer and then transferred to the oven to cook for several hours. This long cooking time ensures that the beef becomes meltingly tender and absorbs all the flavors from the sauce.

---

#### Final Touches

After several hours of braising, the pot roast emerges as a masterpiece of flavor and texture. The meat is fork-tender, and the sauce is thick and luscious. The dish is served with confidence, knowing it’s good enough for company—or any special occasion.

---

### Conclusion

This **classic company pot roast** with tomatoes and red wine is a dish that combines simple ingredients with timeless technique to create something extraordinary. By following the full transcription provided, you can recreate this hearty and flavorful meal in your own kitchen, impressing family and friends alike. Happy cooking!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI'm making an old-fashioned classic what I call company pot roast with tomatoes and lots of red wine so I have a five pound piece of really good quality chuck roast if I did this with something like a filet of beef by the time it was done braising it would be tough and dry I wanted to be moist and absolutely delicious I'm gonna Pat it dry helps in the searing and then i season it tablespoon of salt it sounds like a lot but it's a big piece of meat I'm just all over whenever I serve and people go oh I love pot roast and a half a tablespoon of pepper we can't feel a flower on a plate and then just roll the pot roast in it so this is gonna help the searing outside of the pot roast but what it's also going to do it's gonna thicken the sauce and this is where the big pot comes in this is a Dutch oven and it's just the best pot you can use for pot roast so I'm just gonna heat up about two tablespoons of olive oil just enough to see how they meet all the way around just get it really nice and hot what the searing is gonna do is can the seal in the juices but it's also gonna make the sauce taste fantastic okay in goes the beef it's gonna cheer about four to five minutes on each side in the meantime I'm gonna get the vegetables ready I need two cups of carrots and I think this pot roast is ready to be turned just gonna turn it maybe a quarter of a turn so it gets browned all over look how gorgeous that looks next I'm gonna work on the cellar I need two cups of celery nice big chunks you can do it more finely if you like but I like to sort of earth the chunky flavor of the big chunks of carrots and celery next is the onions I've got two big Spanish onions you can use regular yellow onions but these are so much easier just come the big rough dice next to the leeks okay I'm just gonna give him a big rough chop these leeks are gonna go with the onions and carrots and celery it's gonna flavor the sauce okay I think it's all seared take this big baby out put it on a plate and then start making the sauce whoa I put a little bit more olive oil and then I'm gonna sear all the vegetables get them nice and browned and caramelized it's kind of like making soup you always want to start with the vegetables and get them nice and brown I'm gonna cook them for about 10 minutes okay while that cooks I'm gonna just put some garlic in and the garlic goes right in with the vegetables the tablespoon of salt just smells wonderful easy enough for everyday and delicious for company bouquet garni can be really any kind of herbs but I'm using thyme and rosemary from my garden sometimes with the French to us they like hang the string over the side of the pot but we'll be able to fish it out right and it's gonna flavor it's been fantastic next some red wine I like to use burgundy for this about 2 cups right in the pan and what this is gonna do is gonna flavor the sauce 2 tablespoons of cognac just at that nice head smelling pretty good ok next is one can of whole plum tomatoes I actually choose the tomatoes that are in tomato puree so it's even thicker 1 cup of chicken stock I use homemade chicken stock nobody can't really doesn't make a difference tomatoes and the wine celery and carrots @test makes is such a good sauce now it's just time to put the beef in oh this is some large pot roast just slide it right in and that's what's gonna make it taste moist and delicious all the gorgeous sauce just gonna bring it up to a simmer and it's gonna go into the oven and cook for several hours until it's meltingly delicious wooden with that for dinner I would say this is pot roast good enough for company youI'm making an old-fashioned classic what I call company pot roast with tomatoes and lots of red wine so I have a five pound piece of really good quality chuck roast if I did this with something like a filet of beef by the time it was done braising it would be tough and dry I wanted to be moist and absolutely delicious I'm gonna Pat it dry helps in the searing and then i season it tablespoon of salt it sounds like a lot but it's a big piece of meat I'm just all over whenever I serve and people go oh I love pot roast and a half a tablespoon of pepper we can't feel a flower on a plate and then just roll the pot roast in it so this is gonna help the searing outside of the pot roast but what it's also going to do it's gonna thicken the sauce and this is where the big pot comes in this is a Dutch oven and it's just the best pot you can use for pot roast so I'm just gonna heat up about two tablespoons of olive oil just enough to see how they meet all the way around just get it really nice and hot what the searing is gonna do is can the seal in the juices but it's also gonna make the sauce taste fantastic okay in goes the beef it's gonna cheer about four to five minutes on each side in the meantime I'm gonna get the vegetables ready I need two cups of carrots and I think this pot roast is ready to be turned just gonna turn it maybe a quarter of a turn so it gets browned all over look how gorgeous that looks next I'm gonna work on the cellar I need two cups of celery nice big chunks you can do it more finely if you like but I like to sort of earth the chunky flavor of the big chunks of carrots and celery next is the onions I've got two big Spanish onions you can use regular yellow onions but these are so much easier just come the big rough dice next to the leeks okay I'm just gonna give him a big rough chop these leeks are gonna go with the onions and carrots and celery it's gonna flavor the sauce okay I think it's all seared take this big baby out put it on a plate and then start making the sauce whoa I put a little bit more olive oil and then I'm gonna sear all the vegetables get them nice and browned and caramelized it's kind of like making soup you always want to start with the vegetables and get them nice and brown I'm gonna cook them for about 10 minutes okay while that cooks I'm gonna just put some garlic in and the garlic goes right in with the vegetables the tablespoon of salt just smells wonderful easy enough for everyday and delicious for company bouquet garni can be really any kind of herbs but I'm using thyme and rosemary from my garden sometimes with the French to us they like hang the string over the side of the pot but we'll be able to fish it out right and it's gonna flavor it's been fantastic next some red wine I like to use burgundy for this about 2 cups right in the pan and what this is gonna do is gonna flavor the sauce 2 tablespoons of cognac just at that nice head smelling pretty good ok next is one can of whole plum tomatoes I actually choose the tomatoes that are in tomato puree so it's even thicker 1 cup of chicken stock I use homemade chicken stock nobody can't really doesn't make a difference tomatoes and the wine celery and carrots @test makes is such a good sauce now it's just time to put the beef in oh this is some large pot roast just slide it right in and that's what's gonna make it taste moist and delicious all the gorgeous sauce just gonna bring it up to a simmer and it's gonna go into the oven and cook for several hours until it's meltingly delicious wooden with that for dinner I would say this is pot roast good enough for company you\n"