Papa's Pot Roast

I have, I'm not kidding, spent years trying to improve the recipe.  And I think I've tried just about anything that you could think of:

• I've tried making this in the slow cooker instead of the oven
• I've tried adding herbs, fresh or dried
• I've tried switching the water for red wine
• I may have even tried adding some vegetables but that was really so long ago that I don't fully trust my memory there

And yet despite all my best efforts, it NEVER tastes as good as when I just stick to the recipe card as my mother-in-law wrote it.  Sometimes you just can't mess with perfection.

Papa's Pot Roast
Recipe from my mother-in-law
Prep time: 5 minutes   Cook time: 6 hours

2 1/2 - 3 lb FROZEN chuck roast [Yes, frozen solid. Just go with me on this]
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 soup can water

1.  Preheat oven to 250.  

2.  Take the roast out of the freezer and give it just a super quick rinse in cold water.  Place the roast in center of heavy duty aluminum foil. Season generously all over with salt and pepper, which will now stick to the roast because it's wet.

It's a roast.  Don't be afraid of a good S&P crust.

 
2.  Sprinkle on onion soup mix and then cover with mushroom soup. Pour water around the edge of roast.

Sometimes I live dangerously do the mushroom soup before onion.

 
3.  Wrap roast with drug store type seal so juices won't come out [Side note: you really want to use HD foil for this.  Double wrapping with regular foil just isn't strong enough contain the awesome flavor]. Put wrapped roast on cookie sheet in case of leaks. Bake for 6 hours, "or until it smells so good that you just can't stand it any longer." 

Drug store Seal = folding the edges together and then rolling it down

Look at all that FLAVOR!!!!

Normally I wouldn't tell you what side dishes to make for a meal, but you pretty much HAVE to make mashed potatoes with this.  The two soups, water, and glorious meat juices come together to create this effortless gravy that begs to be spooned over some fluffy, buttery potatoes.

 Also, let me also say that Good Things Come to Those Who Wait.  Gavin has always hated anything with beef.  He's just not a Beef Eater.  But this last time I made this?  He turns to me and says "this is really good Mama." 

I'm not ashamed to admit that I teared up a little bit.  VICTORY!!!!