Pot Roast

This pot roast is fork-tender and juicy, and comes with an accompaniment of vegetables and lots of savory sauce so it can be served up in bread bowls, over mashed potatoes, or your favorite side!

Pot Roast, a Cozy and Belly-Warming Companion

Classic dishes with lots of savory, flavorful sauce, tender meat, and an array of colorful vegetables have always been my favorite kind of home cooking.

Dishes such as a rich and beefy pot roast are so rustic, so warming and so comforting, and are often made with very simple ingredients that come together to create a meal that is truly scrumptious.

What's wonderful about a good pot roast recipe is that it deliciously makes use of a fairly inexpensive, slightly tougher cut of meat—chuck roast—which provides the most flavor in a braise-style dish like this. And when given the proper time to gently simmer away, the results are mouthwatering, and make one's entire home smell exquisitely cozy. Isn't that divine?

Pot roast is a meal that's a belly-warming companion when healthy, home-cooked comfort food is what you're hungry for!

How to Cook a Pot Roast

Basically, a traditional pot roast recipe requires a braise, which calls for a tougher cut of meat (chuck roast in this case) to simmer at a gentle, lower temp for an extended period of time—typically anywhere from 1 ½ to 3 ½ hours in a flavorful liquid.

This tasty cooking method helps to tenderize the meat, and make it juicy and fork tender, perfect to enjoy as you might a thick, hearty stew with good bread!

Sure, one can prepare a pot roast on the stove top or even in a crock pot, if one prefers; but my personal preferred method is in the oven.

This allows me to start the cooking process stovetop (such as searing the chuck roast and getting all of the ingredients into the pan or Dutch oven), set my oven to a low temperature, and allow my pot roast to cook for several of hours, low and slow until tender.

Here's an overview of my pot roast recipe:

1. I preheat my oven to 325°.
2. Using a larger braising pan or a Dutch oven, I first season and brown all sides of my chuck roast on the stovetop; then remove it and set it aside for a moment.
3. Next, the aromatics are added in such as the onions and garlic, followed by some tomato paste, red wine, beef stock/broth and some dried herbs.
4. I return the chuck roast to the pan, nestling it into the liquid along with the vegetables and some fresh thyme branches, then place it into the oven to cook for about 3-3 ½ hours, or until fork tender.
5. To finish my pot roast, I like to remove the meat and shred it with a fork, and thicken up my sauce slightly with a small amount of flour before adding my meat back into the pan/pot.
6. I serve the pot roast either in bread bowls, with bread on the side, or with mashed potatoes.

(My full recipe is below...)

Tips & Tidbits for Pot Roast:

• Chuck roast, the meat for pot roast: Chuck roast is a tougher cut of meat that requires a longer cooking time, preferably in a flavorful liquid. It's the best pick for classic pot roast, and yields a tender, juicy and flavorful result when cooked low and slow.
• Hearty veggies: I love the classics with this recipe—the carrots, celery and potatoes—and even add in some parsnips for extra flavor. Then, I cut them into chunks that can withstand the longer cooking time without breaking apart. Other options to add are diced tomatoes or even peas.
• Dried and fresh herbs for extra flavor: I sprinkle in some Herbes de Provence during the cooking process for the nice fragrant aroma that particular mix brings, and also use a couple of fresh thyme branches during the cooking (I remove them after), and finish with chopped parsley.
• A hint of red wine, or leave it out: While there is only ¾ cup of red wine in the recipe, know that it does cook off during the cooking process. However, if you prefer to make this recipe free of alcohol, simply leave it out, and proceed with the rest of the ingredients.
• How to serve pot roast: I really love to serve pot roast in hollowed out sourdough bread bowls, or with a side of good crusty bread, or mashed potatoes.

Feast your eyes on these, or just jump to the recipe:

Recipe

Pot Roast

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

Juicy and flavorful, this rich pot roast is a classic recipe that comes complete with a medley of vegetables plus lots of sauce to sop up with good bread!

Category: Entree
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 6

Nutrition Info: 721 calories

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Total time: 3 hours, 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3-3 ½ pound boneless chuck roast
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Olive oil
• 1 large white onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
• ¾ cup red wine
• 3 cups warm beef stock/broth
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 3 ribs celery, chopped into chunks
• 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 4 baby yellow potatoes, quartered
• 4-5 sprigs thyme
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation:

-Preheat your oven to 325°.

-Liberally season your chuck roast with salt and pepper.

-Heat a large Dutch oven or braising pot over high heat until very hot, and drizzle in about 4 tablespoons of oil; once the oil is hot, add in the chuck roast, and sear for 4-5 minutes on each side; remove from pot with tongs and set aside for a moment.

-Reduce heat to medium-low/low, and add in the onions; saute for about 2-3 minutes until slightly golden, then add in the garlic, tomato paste, and Herbes de Provence, and stir to combine, cooking those for about 30 seconds or so.

-Add in the red wine and the beef stock/broth and stir, then nestle the chuck roast back into the pot and add in the carrots, celery, parsnip, and potatoes around it, plus the sprigs of thyme; bring to the boil, then cover and place into your oven to braise for about 3 – 3 ½ hours, or until the meat is fork tender and falls apart.

-Once the meat is tender, remove it from the pot, and set aside on a cutting board to slightly cool until you can handle it to shred it with a fork, or to cut it up into bite-size pieces; remove the sprigs of thyme.

-In the mean time, place the pot with the sauce and veggies back onto the stove top over medium-low heat, and bring to a gentle simmer.

-Combine the flour with 3 tablespoons of water, and using a fork, blend until smooth and lump-free; drizzle this “slurry” into the sauce in the pan, and whisk to blend in; simmer for 30 seconds to 1 minute to slightly thicken the sauce.

-Shred or cut the meat, and add it back into the pot; sprinkle in the chopped parsley and stir to combine.

-Serve in bread bowls, with a side of bread, mashed potatoes, or your favorite side!

Craving more saucy recipes? Check out this Chicken Cacciatore, these Braised Short Rib Garlic Crostini, or this Polenta with Oxtail Ragu!

Cook’s Note: This recipe was originally published in 2016, and has been updated with even more love!