Ah yes—pot roast, the ultimate slow-cooked, melt-in-your-mouth comfort meal. Here’s a classic, foolproof recipe.
Classic Pot Roast 🍖🥕
Ingredients (Serves 6–8)
- 3–4 lbs beef chuck roast
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 4 carrots, cut into chunks
- 3 celery stalks, cut into chunks
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup red wine (optional, can use extra broth instead)
- 2 tsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
- 2 bay leaves
- Optional: 2–3 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
Instructions
1. Sear the Roast
- Pat the roast dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
- Sear roast 3–4 min per side until browned. Remove and set aside.
2. Sauté Aromatics
- Add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook 3–4 min until slightly softened.
- Deglaze the pot with red wine or a little broth, scraping up browned bits.
3. Slow Cook
- Return roast to the pot.
- Add remaining broth, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves.
- Cover and cook low and slow:
- Oven: 300°F (150°C) for 3–4 hours
- Slow cooker: LOW 8 hours or HIGH 5–6 hours
- Add potatoes about 1 hour before done if using.
4. Finish
- Remove roast and veggies. Tent with foil to rest.
- Optional: Reduce cooking liquid on stovetop to make a rich gravy.
- Slice or shred roast and serve with vegetables and gravy.
Tips
- Best flavor: Use chuck roast—it has the perfect fat and connective tissue to become tender.
- Make-ahead: Pot roast tastes even better the next day; just reheat gently.
- Shortcut: Use pre-cut stew meat, but the texture won’t be as melt-in-your-mouth.
If you want, I can also give a creamy slow-cooker pot roast version that’s rich, saucy, and basically dump-and-go.
Do you want that version?
