Today's Pot Roast

The oven bag is the unsung hero here. Tossing a rump roast with stewed tomatoes, onion soup mix, and a flour slurry inside a sealed bag traps every drop of steam and turns the meat fork-tender without a sear, a dutch oven, or even a basting spoon.

The stewed tomatoes break down into a gravy as the beef cooks, the onion soup mix hits all the savory notes you’d otherwise build with browning and aromatics, and the potatoes and carrots tucked in around the roast pick up that beefy, herby flavor as they soften.

Kitchen Tips

• Don’t skip the flour shake. Coating the inside of the bag prevents the gravy from breaking and keeps it from sticking to the bag walls.
• Cut the six half-inch slits in the top of the bag exactly as directed. Fewer slits and the bag balloons; more slits and you lose too much steam.
• Trim visible fat from the roast before bagging. Excess fat melts into the gravy and creates a greasy finish you’ll have to skim later.
• The 5-minute rest in the bag is the difference between juicy slices and a dry roast. Resting lets the muscle fibers reabsorb their liquid.

Variations

• Swap stewed tomatoes for a 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chilies for a Tex-Mex spin.
• Add a quartered yellow onion and a handful of mushrooms for more body in the gravy.
• Use chuck roast in place of rump for richer, more marbled meat (it’ll need closer to 2 ¼ hours).