Preheat the oven to 300 F and place the rack to the middle position. Trim any visible fat on the outside of the roast. Measure the seasonings into a small bowl. Peel the pearl onions by first slicing off the stem end, then using the blade of a paring knife to help coax the thin skin off of the onion. It will take several minutes to skin them all.

Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Dry the chuck roast with a paper towel and season both sides well with salt and pepper. When the pot is very hot, add the fat and swirl to coat the bottom of the pot. Brown the chuck roast on all sides, then turn heat to low.

While the dutch oven is heating and the meat is browning, start preparing the vegetables, adding them to a large bowl as you go. Then, nestle the vegetables in the pot around the browned pot roast. Add the seasonings, sprinkling them evenly over all.

In a medium bowl, add the wine to the tomato paste little by little while mixing with a small whisk or fork. Then add the beef broth. Pour the mixture over the ingredients in the dutch oven. The liquid should be almost to the top of the roast. If not, add a little more broth until it is. Turn the heat up to medium until the liquid is hot and begins to simmer.

Cover and place the pot roast into the oven to cook for 3 hours or until the roast is fall-apart tender. It's done when a fork pierces easily all the way through the meat and/or it shreds easily with a fork. Check after 3 hours but it may take as long as 4 depending on how thickly cut the chuck roast is.

**Check the pot every hour to add water if you have a lose fitting lid. At the end of cooking, replenish the gravy with water and scrape the caramelized bits (spatters) from the side of the pot into the gravy. Skim the fat and check the gravy for seasoning.

Turn off the oven and return the pot roast to the oven to keep it warm for up to two hours. If left on the stove top it will keep hot for up to an hour.