Flavor-Packed, Feast-Worthy Chuck Roast

• 1 Beef, chuck roast, about 6–8 pounds

- Cooking oil, as needed

- Salt, as needed

- Black pepper, as needed

- Rosemary, about 3 sprigs, as needed

- Garlic, crushed, about 5 cloves, as needed

• 30 g Herbs, fresh, such as thyme or rosemary
• 15 g Black peppercorns, whole
• 40 g Salt, Maldon flake, or other coarse salt
• 1 Egg white
• 0.5 l Stock, beef, about 1 pint

1. Before I select the temp I want, I’d like to see what the meat will look like when it is cooked.
2. If you’d like to see exactly how your roast will turn out, check out the Joule app, available for free from Google Play and the Apple App Store. Download the app, head to the Holiday Roasts collection, and select the Flavor-Packed, Feast-Worthy Chuck Roast guide. Scroll through videos of all the donenesses and choose the one that looks best to you.
3. What do I need to know before I shop?
4. The best marbling is found in beef chuck from the rib end, so ask your butcher or meat counter for that.
5. What bags should I use?
6. You also want to make sure you have the right type of bag for this beast. When you are cooking heavy food, or cooking at temperatures above 158 °F / 70 °C, the seams of ziplock-style bags can fail and expose food to the water. In these cases, opt for heavy-duty sous vide bags. In a pinch, you can double-bag with two ziplock-style bags, but sous vide bags are preferable.
7. I don’t have the time or desire to trim, portion, and truss.
8. That’s fine—you can ask your butcher to do it for you. If you want to truss your own meat, it’s simple—remove the tough stuff and portion the large cut into two smaller ones that you can easily truss into even, symmetrical shapes. This will allow for even cooking and a good-looking hunk of meat.
9. I will definitely try chuck in the future, but I think I’ll stick to prime rib this season. What’s the best way to sous vide that?
10. Gotcha. Here is our recipe for sous vide prime rib.
11. Using a sharp knife, remove all of the tough stuff from your roast.
12. If you end up separating parts of the roast while trimming, worry not. Just arrange pieces together to form a roast shape, and truss together. In any case, trussing will help your meat maintain a nice shape as it cooks, ensuring a gorgeous presentation.
13. Start by cutting about 6–8 evenly sized pieces of twine that are long enough to wrap around your roast. Position these below the roast at even intervals. Starting in the middle, tie the strings around your roast as demonstrated in the video above.
14. Everyone has their own perfect doneness. Think about how you want your meat to look and taste—rare and red, warm and rosy, cooked all the way through—then just choose the corresponding temp, set it, and forget it.
15. Medium-rare and real rosy: 129 °F / 54 °C
16. Still rocking some rosy hues: 133 °F / 56 °C
17. Medium: 136 °F / 58 °C
18. Medium-well: 144 °F / 62 °C
19. Well-done, if you must: 162 °F / 72 °C
20. Heat a heavy pan over medium-high heat, and add oil. Season your roast with salt and pepper. Once the pan is surface-of-the-sun hot, add the roast and sear on each side for roughly two minutes per side—enough to get a good crust going.
21. Remove the meat and add garlic and some rosemary to the hot pan to toast them and release flavors.
22. Allow your meat, herbs, and aromatics to cool for a few minutes.
23. Transfer meat, herbs, and garlic to the bag.
24. Pop the bagged roast into a pot with Joule, and cover with plastic wrap or another tight-fitting lid to avoid water evaporation.
25. Let that roast do its thing for 18 hours while you go deck the halls with boughs of holly. If you get caught up in the merrymaking, no big deal—after an extra 6 hours, your roast will come out the same, and leaving it in for up to 48 hours will make it even more tender.
26. Start making the herb rub about an hour or so before you are ready to finish the meat.
27. Pick rosemary and thyme, chop finely, and set aside.
28. CHEF’S TIP: You can use any fresh herbs you like, but the heartier ones will work best. We used rosemary and thyme, but sage or marjoram would work well with this roast too.
29. Grind your peppercorns. The finer you grind, the spicier your roast will taste, because more pepper will stick to the meat.
30. PSST: No grinder? You can crack the pepper with a cutting board and a pan. Place the peppercorns on the board and apply pressure with the bottom of the pan until they’re about the same size as in the right-hand photo.
31. Combine herbs and ground peppercorns with salt in a bowl. Set aside.
32. With a whisk, beat egg whites to create a velvety foam. It’s important to create a uniform texture because it will make the eggs much easier to work with later on.
33. Remove roast from the bag and transfer to an oven-safe platter or baking tray. (Don’t discard juices and other goodies from the bag; we’re gonna make sauce with those.)
34. Use a brush to coat the meat with the egg wash—this will help your herb rub stick. With your fingers, sprinkle on rub until you have an even crust.
35. Heat a pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, pour in the juices, garlic, and rosemary from the bag, and reduce until almost no liquid remains.
36. Once the garlic and herbs start browning, add beef stock and let the whole thing simmer until the thickness is to your liking. Strain, and feel free to add extra herb rub or seasonings of your choice. Then remove the sauce from heat and set aside for serving.
37. Heat the oven to 475 °F / 250 °C (with convection on if you have it).
38. Roast that good-looking chuck for about 10–15 minutes to create a good crust. Ovens vary, so keep an eye on the meat—if you have a thermocouple probe, stick it about a half-inch below the roast’s surface to monitor the temp.
39. When the roast is all ready, remove it from the oven. Use a carving knife to slice thinly.
40. Drench with delicious, beefy sauce, and serve to your super-lucky guests.