Pot Roast and Gravy

.
This is a huge family favorite. It's really easy to do, but for some reason my daughters have struggled with it. I think maybe they don't get the foil closed up properly. So just make sure to get that part right.

2-3 pound boneless chuck roast
1 package of onion soup mix

Preheat the oven to about 325 to 350 degrees. The temperature depends on how long you have to cook the roast. The lower temperature is for about 3 hours, the higher for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

If your piece of meat has a lot of fat on it on the outside, cut off some of the fat, as you only need so much fat.

Find a shallow baking dish easily big enough to hold the roast. Then put a large piece of aluminum foil into the dish. I use heavy foil. Perhaps double the thickness if you only have the light foil. Put the piece of meat into the middle of the foil.

Sprinkle the packet of soup mix over the top of the meat, and pat it around evenly. Then carefully close up the foil, sealing all the edges so no steam can escape while cooking. Put it into the oven until you are ready to serve it. If it cooks longer it will simply fall apart more easily.

Making the gravy

When the roast is out of the oven carefully open the foil, making sure not to tear it, scrape the onion bits on top of the meat into the liquid in the dish, and lift out the meat onto a platter. Then get a gravy making pan, like a 10 inch skillet, and carefully put all the stuff left in the foil into the pan. Into a small jar with a lid put about 1 heaping tablespoons of flour and about a cup of water. Put the lid on and shake up vigorously. Heat the pan with the drippings and using a wire whisk slowly stir in the water and flour. Stirring constantly over medium heat cook until it forms a nice gravy. Taste for seasoning, and add salt of pepper or more water if necessary. When the gravy is done, pour into a pitcher and put in a ladle for serving.

A very nice accompaniment for this dish in the fall or winter is roasted vegetables - like potatoes, parsnips, carrots, onions, etc. I put the meat onto a big platter and surround the meat with the roasted vegetables.