Pat 2 ½ pound boneless bottom chuck roast dry with a paper towel. Season with 2 ½ teaspoons of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Make the seasoning mix: teaspoon each of garlic powder and onion powder; ½ teaspoon each of allspice, smoked paprika, rosemary, basil, thyme, and fennel seed. Season the roast on all sides.
Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add a tbsp of olive oil and sear meat on all sides to develop a nice brown crust (about 4 minutes per side). Remove from the pot.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pot. Saute mirepoix (two celery stalks, two carrots, and one onion), five garlic cloves, and a ¼ teaspoon of anchovy paste (careful, it’s salty!).
Add two diced roma tomatoes, tablespoon of tomato paste, teaspoon of dijon mustard, two bay leaves, and remaining seasoning mix.
Deglaze the pot with about 3 cups of beef stock (until the beef is covered a little more than halfway with liquid). Return the roast to the pot. Bring to a simmer and add about a ¼ tsp of maggi cube.
Cover the dutch oven with a lid, leaving the lid slightly open. Put it into the oven for two hours. Flip the pot roast over and cook until roast is fork tender and falling apart. For mine, that took nearly four hours total.
Discard the bay leaves and remove the meat. Purée the braising liquid until smooth, and simmer for a few minutes to reduce and concentrate the flavors. I added a cornstarch slurry with a tablespoon of cornstarch and three tablespoons of the braising liquid to thicken it into a gravy.
Shred the beef with two forks and return it to the pot.