Okay, that tells me that I should try cutting up my chuck roast into smaller pieces to get more of the yummy outside stuff to the inside. I know this has to work somehow: I have had oso buco and it was terrific.

I found some Swanson unsalted beef stock at my local market, so I'm going to try using that with some mirepoix and tomato paste blended in to approximate the demi glace.

I've been reading a bit about the five mother sauces, and was surprised to see that I have already been making several of them without knowing their names or place in classical French cooking. (I just knew what I liked. smile )