Classic Pot Roast

Classic Pot Roast mains This easy to make Pot Roast recipe delivers fall-apart tender, melt-in your mouth beef with vegetables combined to give you a flavorful one pot meal. The perfect make ahead meal and comfort food to keep you well fed and cozy through the fall and winter. slow cooker meals Classic Pot Roast beef, one pot meals

This easy to make Pot Roast recipe delivers fall-apart tender, melt-in your mouth beef with vegetables combined to give you a flavorful one pot meal. The perfect make ahead meal and comfort food to keep you well fed and cozy through the fall and winter.

Classic Pot Roast

Pot Roast Recipe Ingredients

  • VEGETABLE OIL: I usually use olive oil for searing the beef but any vegetable oil will do
  • BEEF: The cut of beef matters.You will need beef chuck roast or boneless bottom blade roast is what I use - the best cut for slow braising tender beef as it becomes tender and juicier the longer you cook it. (see Recipe Notes below for more info)
  • SPICES: I use a combination of dried rosemary, dried thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and of course salt and pepper for the beef rub. I also use a bay leaf for flavor as well.
  • ONION & GARLIC: I use 1 white onion and 4 cloves of garlic peeled and smashed or rough chopped - if you prefer more garlic feel free to add more
  • WINE: I like to deglaze and braise this roast in red wine - it’s always a wonderful way to do any stew. But feel free to swap it out for more broth if you prefer - you could also use beer or white wine as well.
  • TOMATO PASTE: Adds richness and flavor to the roast.
  • WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE: For flavor.
  • BROTH/STOCK: I like to use beef broth/ beef stock but you can easily use chicken broth
  • VEGETABLES: I like to add some potatoes, carrots and celery to the roast approximately halfway through cooking - they not only add flavor to the roast but help make this into a one pot meal. If you prefer you can replace these veggies with others like: rutabagas, turnips, or parsnips.
  • ALTERNATE ADD INS: If you would like a more tomato based sauce you could also add in a small can of diced tomatoes or some like to add in a 1-ounce envelopes onion soup mix for even more flavor. You could also bump up the flavors by whisking a little mustard, or even soy sauce to the broth mixture, or adding fresh herbs or herb bouquet (with fresh thyme, fresh rosemary) to the pot. Some like to mix the herbs with a little flour and use that to dredge the roast in before searing.

Classic Pot Roast

How To Make Pot Roast

  1. Season & Sear Beef: Season beef with salt and pepper and remaining spices then sear in a hot dutch oven or heavy bottom pan then remove from pan
  2. Braise Beef With Sauce: Saute onions and garlic, deglaze with the wine/broth mixture then return beef to pot along with bay leaf then braise until fall apart tender
  3. Add the Vegetables: 1.5 hours after the initial cooking add the vegetables and continue to braise until fork tender.
  4. Shred Beef: Remove beef from braising liquid and shred, serve with sauce on the side or place back in sauce and serve as a stew
  5. Serve: As a stew with the veggies

Classic Pot Roast

Classic Pot Roast

Got Leftover Pot Roast? Here’s What To Do With It:

  • Make tacos with it
  • Enjoy with eggs and toast
  • Make sandwiches with it
  • Toss it into soup
  • Toss it into salad
  • Use it in a casserole, burritos, pasta bake or even shepherds pie
  • Toss it into pasta like my stroganoff

Classic Pot Roast

Pot Roast Storage, Make Ahead, & Freezing

  • STORAGE: Shredded beef can be stored in the sauce or kept seperate in airtight containers in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat stovetop or in the microwave.
  • MAKE AHEAD: Of course this whole dish can be made 1-2 days ahead - like any stew the flavors just keep getting better as they sit. Store chilled in an airtight container. Reheat and serve.
  • FREEZING: Shredded beef can be stored in the sauce or kept seperate in airtight freezer containers for up to 3-6 months. Thaw in fridge and reheat stovetop or in the microwave. The veggies will not freeze as well - their texture will be altered.

Classic Pot Roast

If You Love Low & Slow Food You Will Love These Recipes:

Recipe

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 3 hours 30 mins
Total Time: 3 hours 45 mins

Ingredients

For the Pot Roast

  • 1-2 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
  • 3½-4 pounds chuck roast (boneless bottom blade)
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2½ cups beef broth, plus more as needed
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 cloves garlic coarsely chopped or smashed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 carrots cut into 2” pieces
  • 2 stalks celery cut into ½” pieces
  • 1 pound baby potatoes

For Beef Spice Rub

  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 spring fresh)
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 5 springs fresh)
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika

Directions

  1. Prep Beef: 20-30 minutes before you’d like to begin preparing your pot roast, transfer the beef from the refrigerator to counter, allow it to come to room temperature for even searing.
  2. Preheat your oven to 325°F.
  3. Combine spice rub ingredients in a small bowl, then coat the beef chunks with the rub.
  4. In a medium bowl whisk together the wine, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and set aside
  5. Warm oil in a large dutch oven on medium high heat. Brown and sear the beef for 5-6 minutes on each side adding more oil if needed. Remove from pan onto a plate and set aside.
  6. Add onion and garlic to pan and sauté 1 min
  7. Pour wine mixture into pan and scrape bottom of pot to release brown bites
  8. Nestle roast in the pan and add bay leaf
  9. Bring to a simmer. Cover with the lid, carefully transfer into pre heated oven and bake for 1.5 hours
  10. Carefully remove pan from oven, uncover and add the carrots and potatoes. Cover and return to oven and bake for another 2 hours, removing the lid the last 30 minutes (optional). It is ready when the carrots and potatoes are fork tender and meat is fall apart tender.
  11. Once done remove pot from oven and remove and discard bay leaf. Gently pull beef into large pieces with a fork or slice into thick pieces. Serve with juices (or make gravy below if desired).

Recipe Notes

  • TO MAKE GRAVY
    1. Combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth.
    2. Remove beef and vegetables from the pot and set on a plate to rest.
    3. Bring broth to a boil stove top and whisk in cornstarch mixture a little bit at a time until thickened. Add extra broth if needed. Season with salt & pepper to taste
  • CROCKPOT: Follow directions as written above then transfer everything into the crockpot nestling the roast into the liquids and cook for 5-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low heat. Hard, starchy vegetables like potato and carrots are best added around 2-3 hours before the meal is done if cooking on High, and 4 hours on Low.
  • STOVE TOP: Follow directions as written. Once pot roast comes to a boil, cover pot roast with lid and lower heat to medium/ low or just until it has a continuous simmer. Let Pot Roast cook on stovetop for 3 hours, or until meat is tender. During the 3 hours, add more water to keep beef submerged at least ⅔ of the way in broth if needed. Adjust heat up or down as needed. Add veggies around the same time as you would in the oven version.
  • Pot roast is classically made with boneless chuck roast. This cut of beef is nicely marbled and does very well cooked low and slow. It can render quite a bit of fat after cooking. If you want to minimize the fat, after the cooking time is done, use a fat separator to strain the cooking liquid or if making ahead and then chill the pot roast, the fat usually collects on top and you can easily be scooped out of the dish and then simply reheat and serve. You can also try a different cut of beef, like sirloin tip roast, arm roast, or bottom round roast - all good for slow cooking. Because they have less fat, they put off less liquid while cooking, so keep an eye on the meat and add extra broth or liquid as needed.
  • Cooking times will definitely vary according to how small or large the roast is. This recipe is for a 3½-4 lb roast - the larger the roast the longer you may have to cook it and vice versa.
  • This is a great roast with or without the vegetables. Some like to cook the roast low and slow and roast veggies separately. If you would like to make this roast without the veggies you definitely can simply omit the carrots celery and potatoes.

Classic Pot Roast