Simple Oven Baked Pot Roast Recipe
Learn how to cook a chuck roast in the oven. Its a fork tender pot roast with a delicious finger licking, velvety sauce that tastes even better the next day. The best part? You can cut it into thin slices to make an EPIC sandwich for lunch.
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 623kcal
Equipment
- large heavy pot e.g., large dutch oven
Ingredients
- 4 pound boneless chuck roast trimmed of excess fat
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
Mirepoix
- 1 carrot peeled and chopped
- 1 onion large, sliced
- 1 celery stalk cut into 1 inch pieces
Broth
- 1 Tablespoon flour
- 2 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cup red wine
- 3 cups beef or chicken stock low sodium
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 2 bouillon cubes
Vegetables
- 1 pound baby potatoes halved, , like klondlike fingerling potatoes
- 1 pound carrots large, cut into 2 inch pieces
Herbs
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Dry brine the roast. Pat the roast dry with a paper towel. Rub the roast liberally, with salt and pepper. Cover the roast with plasticwrap and refrigerate for a full 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Brown the roast. Heat oil in a dutch oven on medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown the roast all over evenly -about 3-4 minutes on each side for about 10-15 minutes.
- Sauté the mirepoix. Transfer the roast to a plate. Saute onions, carrot and celery in the dutch oven until fragrant and transparent.
- Brown the tomato paste. Add the flour and tomato paste. Sauté until the tomato paste is browned - browned tomato paste adds incredible flavor to the sauce.
- Deglaze the pan. Add the red wine and deglaze the pan. Stir the pan, scraping across the bottom on the pan to pick up all the browned bits.Transfer the roast to the dutch oven. Add the remaining broth ingredients and bring to a simmer.
- First Roast. Cover the pot with a lid and transfer to the middle rack of the oven. Roast for 2 ½ hours.
- Second Roast with Vegetables. Add the vegetables to the pot. If the liquid has been mostly absorbed, add another cup of broth. Roast for another hour or until the meat is fork tender and the vegetables are cooked through.
- Add the herbs. Remove the rosemary and thyme leaves from the stems. Chop into small pieces. Add to the pot and stir. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Break up the larger pieces of pot roast with a fork. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Let the roast rest for at least 15-20 minutes before serving. To serve, cut the roast into thick slices or break apart with a fork. Serve with the vegetables.
Video
Notes
- Select the Best Cut of Meat: Boneless chuck roast is the optimal choice due to its abundant marbling and connective tissue, making it both affordable and exceptionally tender for pot roast. While brisket is pricier, it also yields outstanding results. Bottom or top round roasts, being leaner with less marbling, are not as tender.
- Season the Meat for 24 Hours: To achieve very tender and thoroughly seasoned pot roast, rub the roast with salt and black pepper. During the 24-hour brining process, the salt is absorbed into the meat, resulting in exceptionally well-seasoned, tender meat.
- Trim Excess Fat: Trim any large ribbons of visible fat (not marbling) to prevent the sauce from becoming oily.
- Remove Excess Oil After Braising: Depending on the meat's fat content, there might be excess fat after braising. If there's more than a quarter cup of fat in the pan, remove it.
- Don't Forget to Brown the Beef: Browning the beef amplifies its flavor and creates "browned bits" that enhance the gravy later. While it may be tempting to skip this step, it contributes significantly to the overall taste.
- Brown the Tomato Paste: Brown the tomato paste to develop a "meatier" taste.
- Thoroughly Scrape the Browned Bits: When deglazing the pan, scrape along the entire bottom to release all the delicious brown bits created during the browning process.
- Put the Vegetables In Later: Cook the pot roast for at least 1 ½-2 hours before adding the vegetables to prevent them from dissolving.
- Use an Instant-Read Thermometer: Utilize an instant-read thermometer to efficiently determine whether the beef roast has reached the target internal temperature of 190-195°F for collagen breakdown and fork-tender meat.
- Allow the Pot Roast to Rest: Allow the pot roast to rest for at least 15-20 minutes. This significantly enhances the taste and flavor by allowing the protein molecules to relax, increasing their ability to retain moisture and resulting in juicy, flavorful meat. If cut immediately after cooking, the juices may simply pool onto the plate, leaving the meat dry.