blank slate shredded chuck roast

OK, so you have a three-pound, grass-fed chuck roast, and you want to use it for multiple recipes. Mexican. Asian. Italian. You need to cook the roast in such a way as to provide a succulent blank slate for several wildly different flavor profiles. After a bit of trial and error, I’ve arrived at a simple recipe that does the trick. As an added bonus, my picky son really likes it plain.

ingredients

1 chuck roast, 2 or 3 lbs
3 cups of plain beef stock (or water in a pinch)
1/4 cup bacon fat or lard
1 teaspoon salt, adjust up or down to taste

tools

1 slow cooker
1 large cast iron or nonstick pan

prep and cook

Step 1: Brown the roast on all sides. Put the bacon fat or lard in your pan and heat it until is gently sizzling. Sear your roast until it is light brown on all sides. This shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. Your goal is to “lock in” the roast juices before slow cooking.

Step 2: Into the slow cooker! Put the roast in your slow cooker, then add salt and beef stock (or water). Let it cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Step 3: Shred it. Turn off the slow cooker and pour the liquid into a bowl. (You can use your “roast juice” as stock for future recipes or for gravies.) The roast meat should be very tender and almost falling apart. Put the roast meat onto a large plate or into a bowl and shred it with a large fork.

And voila! You have a wonderful blank canvas for days of recipes.