Classic Pot Roast
Classic Pot Roast is the ultimate comfort food, a simple dinner. The fork-tender beef and vegetables melt in your mouth, and are topped with rich gravy, all cooked low and slow for deep, belly-filling flavor.
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This is the best Chuck Roast recipe. It delivers big flavor with simple ingredients, and while it takes time, the oven does most of the work. Perfect for family dinners, holidays, or meal prepping to use the beef in various meals. This main dish goes great with various sides like Mashed Potatoes with Boursin Cheese, crusty Artisan Bread, Green Beans with Bacon, Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts, a side salad, and more.
Why Try My Recipe
You'll love that this is a one-pot recipe that makes clean up a breeze. You only need a handful of simple ingredients; no need for any extra grocery store trips. This tender beef recipe makes for some great leftovers, and those leftovers taste even better the next day.
Let's Gather The Ingredients
- Beef chuck roast: This can be a tough cut of meat, but the long cooking time gets it nice and tender.
- Oil: You can use vegetable oil or avocado oil.
- Veggies: White onion and carrots
- Garlic: Fresh minced is always best.
- Tomato paste: Adds a layer of flavor.
- Flour: Helps to thicken the liquid.
- Beef broth: Beef broth or stock works.
- Red wine: Optional, but recommended.
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds a layer of richness.
- Fresh herbs and seasonings: Bay leaf ,fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, kosher salt, and black pepper.
How To Make Classic Pot Roast
- Step 1: Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels. Season all sides generously with salt and pepper.
- Step 2: Heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Sear the roast until browned on both sides. Remove and set aside on a plate.
- Step 3: Add the remaining oil to the Dutch oven or pot. Stir in onion and carrots and cook a few minutes. Add garlic and cook a little longer until fragrant.
- Step 4: Stir in tomato paste to cook.
- Step 5: Sprinkle in flour stir and cook.
- Step 6: Pour in beef broth, wine, and Worcestershire. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
- Step 7: Return roast to the pot. Add potatoes around the sides. Add bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary.
- Step 8: Cover with tight-fitting lid or foil and bake. Remove herbs before shredding meat. Shred or slice the roast and serve with vegetables and pan juices.
Recipe Tips
- If you have the time, don’t skip the searing extra step! It adds big flavor.
- Check tenderness at 3 hours. If the meat is not shredding yet, cook longer.
- Let the roast rest in the braising liquid before serving to help keep it juicy.
- Use a large Dutch oven if possible for best heat retention. If you don't have one, just use a deep casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil. When putting it in the oven, place it on a baking sheet first to help catch any spills that may happen while cooking.
- If you don't have a dry red wine, just use extra broth or beef stock.
Recipe Faq's
Searing is technically optional, but highly recommended. Browning the roast creates a caramelized crust that adds rich, deep flavor to the final dish. If you’re short on time, you can skip it, but the end result flavor will be much less.
A pot roast is done when it easily pulls apart with a fork, typically 190-210F internal temperature. For best results, this usually takes 3-4 hours, depending on the thickness of the roast. If it still feels tough, it simply needs more time to break down.
Most often, tough Pot Roast means it needs more cooking time. Tough connective tissues break down during low, slow cooking.
More Roast Recipes
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Classic Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound beef chuck roast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup oil divided vegetable or avocado
- 1 large white onion cut into chunks
- 2 pounds carrots peeled and cut into chunks
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup red wine see notes
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat your over to 300 degrees
- Place your chuck roast on a cutting board and pat dry with a paper towel. Season both sides of the roast with salt and pepper.
- Heat the 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven on medium high heat and sear until browned (about 4-5 minutes) flip and sear the other side. Remove to a plate.
- Add the remaining oil into the skillet and add in the onion and carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes just to get some color. Then add in the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook another 2-3 minutes to release the flavors.
- Sprinkle in the flour, stir and cook another minute.
- Pour in the beef broth, red wine, Worcestershire sauce and mix until combined.
- Place the chuck roast into the sauce and add the potatoes around the edges. Along with the thyme, rosemary and bay leaves.
- Place the lid on or cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 3-4 hours. The beef will easily pull apart when it done.
