1/2 jar pickling spice (I used McCormick-3/4 ounce is 1/2 jar)
Cheese cloth 3 9" x 9" squares, stacked.
Kitchen string or twine
1 bulb of garlic, trim off 1" from the top leaving the bulb in tact.
3 lbs. Chuck roast, not too fatty, trim fat if necessary.
olive oil
salt & pepper
1-3 T flour
1 can (6oz) Tomato Paste
2 oz cider vinegar (1/3 of the empty can of tomato paste)
18 oz. water (3 empty tomato paste cans)
1 envelope onion soup mix (the instant kind, I used Lipton)
1 med-large white or yellow onion- chopped, small dice.
1 t. oregano
1 10oz bag frozen pearl onions, can also use canned, drain liquid.

Make a bundle of the pickling spice using the cheesecloth. Use 3 thicknesses of the cheese cloth, stacked, and place 1/2 of the jar of pickling spice in the center of the cloth. Draw up the sides of the cloth and tie with kitchen string and tie securely.

In a bowl mix the tomato paste, cider vinegar, the water and the onion soup mix

Cut the chuck roast into large chunks. Lightly salt and pepper the meat and toss in the flour. Do not use more than 3T of the flour. Heat the large pot on med-high heat with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the meat to the heated pot and sear on all sides for about 5-10 minutes, just to get color on the meat. Place the Pickling spice bundle on one side of the pot and the garlic bulb on the other side of the pot make sure that these two items are on the bottom of the pot not on top of the meat. Add the diced onion on top of the meat and 1 t. of oregano. Pour the tomato paste-onion soup-vinegar-water mixture in the pot on top of the meat. Simmer for about 1 hour. Saute the pearl onions in olive oil and add the pearl onions to the pot (sauteing of the pearl onions is optional, good both ways).

Treat it like a stew, low simmer (bubbling gently) for about 2-3 hours total. The meat will be fork tender with a savory sauce.

NOTE: Tri-Tip, London broil, boneless short ribs or stew meat also works well for this dish.

Serve with rice or noodles and a salad. Bread would be good too!

This is one of those dishes that will be made over an over again. This is one of the most popular dishes in our house, virtually everyone loves it. Fool proof too, you can't mess this up! I am guessing that you could also use a crock pot, set it on low and add a little more water, the crock pot should work well for this recipe.

Submitted by: Christina Bachman