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Pot Roast | Tender And Easy

Pot Roast – When you have a hankering for something hearty, this pot roast is sure to hit the spot. This pot roast will fall apart in your mouth. It makes an excellent full meal that you can easily prepare with minimal effort.

What is Pot Roast

Pot roast is made from a thick cut of beef that’s seared and slowly cooked until it’s fall-apart tender, topped with herbs and vegetables in a flavourful broth. A gravy is made in the broth and drizzled over the pot roast to make a delish meal.

I will admit, it takes a bit of time to make––3 hours plus a little prep time, but nothing says love quite like it. 

You can make a pot roast with any beef roast cut, including chuck roasts, round roasts, and briskets.

For more delicious beef recipes, check out our Beef Stew, Ground Beef, and Beef stir-fry.

How to make pot roast

Ingredients for making pot roast

  • Chuck roast or rump roast – I used 3-4 pounds for this recipe.
  • Seasoning– Salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder
  • Olive oil – adds a bit of extra flavor. You can also use Canola oil.
  • Veggies Carrots, Celery, Baby potatoes, and Chopped onion. You can use yellow or white onions. I like to use baby potatoes because I don’t have to peel them.
  • Beef broth – for deep flavor.
  • Red wine – the alcohol in red wine helps cook the meat tender. You can use apple juice, more beef broth, or cranberry juice instead.
  • Chopped Garlic
  • Fresh/dried rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf – These herbs enhance the pot roast flavor.
Ingredients for making pot roast

How to Cook a Pot Roast

The first step in creating the perfect pot roast is choosing the right cut of meat. Pot roast is traditionally made with a chuck roast, which is a tough cut of meat that can withstand hours of cooking and still come out tender. But if you’re looking for something different, try an eye of round or top round roast.

It is pretty straightforward to make pot roast. Although the cooking time is a bit long, the prep time is minimal. You can easily get the ingredients as well. Follow these steps to make a perfect pot roast.

  • Pat the chuck roast beef dry with a paper towel.
  • Combine the salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder in a small bowl and season the roast generously with the mixture.
  • Brown the roast by heating the oil over high heat in a large Dutch oven. Sear the roast on each side until deeply browned, about 4 minutes.
  • Remove the meat from the pan and add the onion. Cook for about two minutes until lightly browned.
  • Cook the roast and veggies using your preferred method: stovetop, in a crockpot, or in the oven.
  • Serve with juices (or make gravy below if desired). Follow the following steps for your preferred method.

Different ways of making Pot Roast

  • Stovetop method – Add the celery, beef broth, red wine, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot and place the seared meat back in the pan. `Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours and 30 minutes, adding water as needed to keep the roast covered. Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for another 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the roast is easy to pull apart with a fork.
  • Crockpot Method – Pour the browned onion into the crockpot with celery, beef broth, red wine, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf— cover and cook on low for 5 hours. Then add the potatoes and carrots and cook for another 3 hours.
  • Oven Method – Preheat oven to 300°F. Add the celery, beef broth, red wine, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot and place the seared meat back in the pan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once the broth is simmering, cover and place in the oven and bake for 2 hours. Add the potatoes and carrots and bake for additional 2 hours or until the potatoes are fork-tender and the roast is easy to pull apart with a fork.

Equipment you will need

Storage and reheating

Keep in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 4 days. Don’t forget to let it cool before you store it. You can also freeze the roast for up to 2 months.

Let it thaw in the fridge and reheat in its gravy sauce on a stove pot or microwave. You can also reheat it in the oven at a preheated temperature of 350°F.

Pot roast

Tips for the Perfect Roast

If you’re interested in making pot roast, here are some tips:

  • Use a big enough pot or casserole dish to fit your meat and veggies. You want enough room for them all to cook together without crowding each other.
  • If you are using a stove pot and your cover is not tightly fitted, you can cover the pot with foil before putting the lid. I do this to secure the moisture in my roast.
  • I love to add baby potatoes because I don’t have to peel them and maintain their shape.
  • Cut your carrot and celery big to prevent overcooking since you will be cooking for a long time.
  • One secret – get a chuck roast with marbles. The marbling and layering shape helps retain flavor and gravy, making a tasty and perfect tender roast.
  • Don’t skip searing. Searing brings out the beef’s flavor and seals the juice and flavor to the beef. It is an important method for a mouth-watering pot roast.
  • Cook slowly to pack flavor and get an amazing texture at a low temperature.

Pot Roast for FAQs

How Much Water Do You Need to make Pot roast?

The quantity of water for this recipe varies. It depends on the amount of beef you want to roast. The water doesn’t need to cover the meat; ensure that you cook at a low temperature and the lid is tightly fitted.

How long does a Pot Roast cook?

Cooking time for pot roast depends on the type of roast. It takes time for tough tissues to break down, so the longer the time, the more tender roast you get. Typically, you will get a tender and moist roast when you cook for about 3 hours n the stove top or about 4- 6 hours in the oven at 350°F.

What is the best meat (most tender roast) for pot roast?

That depends on what you’re looking for!

If you’re looking for a tender roast, there are several options. The most popular choice is pot roast made from chuck, which is a cut of beef that comes from the shoulder and neck of the cow. Chuck roast is known for being flavorful and tender, making it perfect for slow-cooked dishes like pot roast. Other options include brisket, bottom round roast, top round roast, and rump roast.

If you’re looking for something with more flavor than tenderness, try using an eye-round roast or a flank steak instead. Eye rounds are small roasts that have a mild flavor, while flank steaks are large cuts of beef that are full of flavor but take longer to cook.

How can I keep the pot roast moist and tender?

Cooking at a low temperature means that the vapor won’t escape easily, and the beef will release its water to supplement. High heat is never an option because the water will dry out fast, giving you a dry pot roast.

How can I get a tasty pot roast?

  1. Use a high-quality roast, preferably one that has been specially prepared for pot roasting.
  2. Brown the roast on both sides in a pan on the stovetop before placing it into the slow cooker. This will add color to your meat and help create a crispy crust that will be delicious once you pull it out of the crock pot and slice it up.
  3. Use fresh herbs like parsley or rosemary and add them to your slow cooker about an hour before serving time so that they have time to infuse their flavors into the meat as it cooks

How to Tell When it is Done

Check the roast with a fork; if it is tender, it should fall apart. If you notice that it is still tough, you can cover the roast and cook some more. Once you get that fork-tender shredding, you are good to go.

What to serve with pot roast?

Pot roast is a side dish that you can serve with gravy, Browning Sauce, Easy All Purpose Barbecue Sauce, Chakalaka, Hearty mushrooms rice, Mashed potatoes, caramelized onions, Honey glazed carrots, Green beans, and roasted potatoes.

Pot roast and potatoes and carrots

This recipe is simple and straightforward, but you can throw in whatever vegetables you have on hand. If you’re looking for something new, try adding carrots or potatoes. If you’re feeling adventurous, go ahead and throw in some mushrooms or spinach!

We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Other Amazing beef Recipes you should try

Pot roast

Pot Roast – Tender and Moist shredded Beef

Pot Roast – a beef cut with potatoes and carrots smothered in gravy. This pot roast will fall apart in your mouth. It makes an excellent full meal that you can easily prepare with minimal effort.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Lunch/Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Beef, Pot roast
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 414.4kcal

Equipment

  • Crockpot/Pot/Dutch oven with a lid – Depending on the method of cooking you are using, you will need any of this to simmer and braise the roast.
  • Sharp knife – You need this to cut the beef.
  • Thongs – Perfect tool for browning the chuck roast.

Ingredients

  • 3-4 pounds chuck roast or rump roast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 4 carrots cut into 2" pieces
  • 2 stalks celery cut into 1 ½" pieces
  • 1 pound baby potatoes
  • 2 cups beef broth or as needed
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 4 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon thyme
  • 1 bay leaf

Gravy:

  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 4 tbsp water

Instructions

  • Combine the salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder in a small bowl and season the roast generously with the mixture.
  • Brown the roast by heating the oil over high heat in a large Dutch oven. Sear the roast on each side until deeply browned, about 4 minutes.
  • Remove the meat from the pan and add the onion. Cook for about two minutes until lightly browned.
  • After browning, you can now cook the roast and veggies using your preferred method. You can cook on the stovetop, in a crockpot, or in the oven.
  • Serve with juices (or make gravy below if desired). Follow the following steps for your preferred method.
  • Stovetop method – Add the celery, beef broth, red wine, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot and place the seared meat back in the pan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours and 30 minutes, adding water as needed to keep the roast covered. Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for another 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the roast is easy to pull apart with a fork.
  • Crockpot Method – Pour the browned onion into the crockpot with celery, beef broth, red wine, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf — cover and cook on low for 5 hours. Then add the potatoes and carrots and cook for another 3 hours.
  • Oven Method – Preheat oven to 300°F. Add the celery, beef broth, red wine, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot and place the seared meat back in the pan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once the broth is simmering, cover and place in the oven and bake for 2 hours. Add the potatoes and carrots and bake for additional 2 hours or until the potatoes are fork-tender and the roast is easy to pull apart with a fork.
  • GRAVY Serve the pot roast with gravy. To make gravy, mix the corn starch and water until smooth. Remove the beef and vegetables from the pan and bring the broth to a boil. Then gently whisk in the corn starch mixture and cook on medium heat until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste if needed.

Notes

  • If you are using a stove pot and your cover is not tightly fitted, you can cover the pot with foil before putting the lid. I do this to secure the moisture in my roast.
  • I love to add baby potatoes because I don’t have to peel them and maintain their shape.
  • Cut your carrot and celery big to prevent overcooking since you will be cooking for long.
  • One secret – get a chuck roast with marbles. The marbling and layering shape helps retain flavor and gravy, making a tasty and perfect tender roast.
  • Don’t skip searing. Searing brings out the beef’s flavor and seals the juice and flavor to the beef. It is an important method for a mouth-watering pot roast.
  • Add broth after browning and searing, and scrap the browning for added flavor.
  • You can cut the carrot and vegies a night before and store them in the fridge to shorten your prep time.
  • Cook slowly to pack flavor and get an amazing texture at a low temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 414.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.2g | Protein: 35.2g | Fat: 20.2g | Saturated Fat: 8.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10.2g | Trans Fat: 1.2g | Cholesterol: 117.4mg | Sodium: 718.3mg | Potassium: 1039mg | Fiber: 2.8g | Sugar: 2.9g | Vitamin A: 5303.9IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 65.8mg | Iron: 4.5mg

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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)
Recipe Rating




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