The Ultimate Pot Roast

Sprinkle meat all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef and brown on all sides. Remove meat and discard oil.

Add bacon to pot and cook 2 minutes to render some fat. Add onions, carrot and celery and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and their juice, the wine and thyme and bring to a boil, breaking tomatoes into large chunks with a wooden spoon. Return meat to pot.

Cover and cook over low heat 3 hours or until meat is very tender, turning meat 3 or 4 times.

Remove meat to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes.

Meanwhile increase heat and cook sauce about 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Cut meat in thin slices; serve with the sauce. There's plenty of thick, delicious sauce just waiting to be soaked up, so serve this with noodles and watch it disappear.