Because pot roast is a cornerstone of the Sunday dinner repertoire, every cook should have a good recipe on file.

All of the basic pot roast precepts apply here, but in this recipe, you'll find a few additional steps. For example, you'll be dividing the chuck-eye roast in two before cooking, which allows you to trim away most of the intramuscular fat (cooking smaller roasts also shaves about 30 minutes of the cooking time). In addition, you'll be salting the beef 1 hour in advance of cooking to allow the seasoning to penetrate the meat. Finally, a few extra ingredients—such as chopped bacon, carrot sections, unflavored gelatin, and a pearl onion-and-mushroom garnish—elevate this version of pot roast to good-for-guests status.

Total Cooking Time: 330

Preparation Time: 30

Active Cooking Time: 90

Make Ahead: 2 days in refrigerator

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Difficulty: Intermediate