I love You Chuck! Never-Fail Roast Beef Sandwiches

Get yourself a nice cut of chuck roast, with a medium amount of fat. Not too lean and not too fatty. Most grocery stores will have them already cut into 3 to 4-pound roasts, which is perfect for about 6 very hearty sandwiches.

Just in case you have never seen chuck before, the label says boneless chuck pot roast. He’s very popular and so well-liked, so you should not have a hard time finding him.

Get out your big pot. I have one of those Le Creuset “type” cast iron pots. It’s basically a “mock” version of Le Creuset. Those darn things are expensive with a capital E, so I just bought one that’s a pretend version. Works perfectly but without the designer name on the lid.

Turn your heat up to medium high and throw in your butter and your chopped up onion. Feel free to use the whole onion. I just use half because if my hubby’s home at this step in the recipe, he walks in and says, “It sure smells alliaceous in here!” He thinks he’s such a smarty pants using big words. So I cut it back to just 1/2 an onion ’cause I’m nice that way, but a whole one is wonderful.

No need to make the onion pretty and be sure to leave it in somewhat bigger chunks. Get the butter all melty and swirl around your onions in the melted butter and cook on medium high for about 3 minutes.

Now gently lay chuck right on top of the melted butter and onion mixture. Pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, pop the lid on your pot, and turn down your stove to the number #2 (low).

Now just walk away and, as they say in Brooklyn and New Jersey, forget about it.

This will take about 4 to 5 hours. So go ahead and putter around the house, answer your emails, do some laundry. But I’m warning you, if you leave the house to run some errands, be prepared! When you walk back in your house, that is the time you will fall totally, utterly and completely in love with Chuck.

Your house will smell like … like … well, like … LOVE.

After about 4 to 5 hours on the number 2 low setting on your stove, feel free to lift the lid and check on Chuck. He should pretty much be done. When you take your tongs and try to pull him out, he will just start to fall apart. If it seems a bit “together” still, then let him cook another 30 minutes. I have found that 4 1/2 hours is perfect, but then again, it depends on the size roast you bought and how well your pot keeps its heat.

Once Chuck is ready, grab a nice casserole dish and slowly take Chuck out and place in the dish. You will probably have to keep going back to pull out hunks, cause Chuck is so tender, he’s liable to fall into pieces.

Let Chuck sit in the casserole dish and rest for a bit, he’s liable to be pretty hot. After about 3 to 5 minutes, take two forks and gently pull the roast apart.

This is the time you might want to discard any of the fatty pieces. Totally up to you, though.

Once all the roast has been pulled apart with your fork, take some kosher salt and gently sprinkle, then toss, and then sprinkle and toss. It just brings out the flavor and makes Chuck even more appealing.

Once it’s all pulled apart and the salt has been added, take your ladle and pour some of the juice from the pan on top. Get some of those onion pieces too that are floating around. I like to get about three good ladlefuls and pour it all over Chuck. You can save the rest of the juice to heat up and serve on the side for dipping if you wish.

Now is the time where my mind starts to wander.

Chuck, you are so diverse. Just think of all the things I could do with you right now. I could just serve you as is, with a big pile of garlic mashed potatoes. Or I could cover you in BBQ sauce and pile you high on a bun and serve you with BBQ beans. I could put you into a warm tortilla and have beef tacos.

But today, I’m going to put you on a toasted deli roll. Now is the time you can get creative.

I just put a bit of horseradish on my bread, and then sprinkled a bit of provolone on top, and popped it in the oven for just enough time to get the cheese all melty.

For sandwiches, I use toasted deli buns, horseradish or A-1, regular ol’ yellow mustard, BBQ sauce, sliced provolone or monterey jack cheese. Some like the juice of the broth to dip the sandwich in. All this, of course, will be to your liking.

However you serve Chuck, it will be love at first bite.

Why, Chuck, I bet you say that to all the girls.