Pot Roast is an easy Sunday dinner made with a salt cured beef chuck roast, carrots, celery and red potatoes in a red wine gravy. Because everything braises in one Dutch oven, this comfort food recipe suits family dinners, holiday meals, potlucks or a cozy fall weekend supper at home.
Pull the roast when it is tender but still holding its shape, since meat that falls apart has gone past its peak. Three to three and a half hours is the window, so start checking at three rather than trusting the clock.
This version cures the roast in three tablespoons of salt for up to three days, which seasons the meat all the way through. Chicken stock replaces the usual beef stock too, so the sauce tastes of the roast rather than of bouillon.
Pot Roast
Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
servings45
minutes3
hours30
minutes705
kcalA salted chuck roast browns in a Dutch oven before onions, garlic, tomato paste, red wine and flour build the sauce. Carrots, celery and potatoes go in around the beef, then everything braises covered at 275 degrees for hours.
Ingredients
1 boneless beef chuck roast (4 pounds), trimmed and tied
4 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
2 large onions, cut into 2-inch wedges
4 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
7 carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces
4 stalks celery, cut into 3-inch pieces
2 pounds medium red potatoes, quartered
Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Chopped chives, for garnish
Directions
- Salt the roast:Sprinkle the roast with 3 tablespoons of the salt, rubbing it into the grain on all sides. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.
- Heat the oven:Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 275°F.
- Brown the beef:Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Cook the roast, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Brown the onions:Reduce the heat to medium high and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil. Cook the onions with the remaining 1 tablespoon salt, stirring occasionally, until browned but not cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Build the sauce:Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook until the paste turns brick red and the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and bay leaves, scraping the bottom of the pot, until slightly reduced and the alcohol smell is gone, about 4 minutes. Stir in the flour to coat the onions and cook 1 minute, then add the broth and pepper and bring to a boil.
- Braise:Nestle the roast and its juices into the onions. Arrange the carrots, celery and potatoes around it. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is very tender but still holds its shape, 3 to 3½ hours.
- Braise:Nestle the roast and its juices into the onions. Arrange the carrots, celery and potatoes around it. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is very tender but still holds its shape, 3 to 3½ hours.
- Rest and serve: Let rest covered at least 45 minutes. Transfer the roast to a board, snip off the twine and slice against the grain. Divide the vegetables among plates, top with the beef, spoon over the sauce and garnish with parsley and chives.
FAQs
Why does the oven go to 275 instead of a higher temperature?
Collagen in chuck dissolves into gelatin slowly, and a low oven gives it three hours to do that without squeezing the meat dry. At 350 the muscle fibers tighten and push out moisture faster than the collagen can break down. You end up with a roast that shreds but tastes dry, which is the usual pot roast complaint.
Why cook the tomato paste until it turns brick red?
Straight from the can, tomato paste tastes raw and metallic, and a minute in hot fat cooks that off. The color shift from bright to brick red means the sugars have caramelized, which deepens the whole sauce. Skip the step and the gravy stays thin in flavor no matter how long the roast braises in the oven.
Should you rinse the salt off the roast before browning?
Leave it on, because three tablespoons across four pounds of beef works out to normal seasoning once cooked. The salt has already drawn into the meat over those hours, so rinsing removes surface moisture rather than salt. Pat the roast dry with paper towels instead, since a wet surface will not brown properly in the pot.
Why cut the carrots and celery into 3-inch pieces?
Small pieces disintegrate over three hours, so large chunks are the only ones that survive the braise intact. Three inches also matches the potato quarters, which means everything finishes tender at roughly the same moment. Big pieces plate well too, since you want visible vegetables rather than mush spooned over the sliced beef.
Why rest the roast for 45 minutes before serving?
Forty-five minutes lets the juices redistribute through a four pound roast, which a ten minute rest cannot manage. The meat also firms up enough to slice against the grain cleanly instead of tearing into shreds. Keep the pot covered during that time, so the roast and vegetables stay hot enough to serve straight away.
