Old Fashioned Pot Roast takes a little while to make, but the flavor and the tenderness of the beef and vegetables make it all worth the effort.
It seems like folks these days are so interested in quick and easy that they forget how delicious slow and steady can be.
Don’t get me wrong. Quick and easy plays a significant roll in my nightly dinner line up. We often have less than an hour to cook, eat, and get ready to go to some extracurricular activity after the kids get off the bus.
Often we all leave the house early in the morning and don’t even get home until after dark. So, I get it. We are all busy.
But some days are not as busy as others. Sometimes we find ourselves actually home during the day. These days are usually spent catching up on laundry or yard work and having a little family time together.
I love these days. On those days, I may never get out of my sweatpants or put on a bra. I can plan a dinner that takes hours to cook knowing that the result will be absolutely phenomenal.
I wish I had more of those days. On those beautiful, rare, slow days I love to make pot roast.
I have pretty strong feelings about pot roast. Pot roast, in my opinion, should never be made in a crock pot. It should only be made in a large, heavy, dutch oven either on stovetop or in the oven.
Not in a crock pot where the very life of something that should be delicious is sucked out and evaporated into the ether.
I am very fortunate to have a good friend who is of the same mind set and bestowed upon me her very large cast iron roaster/camping grill. (Here’s a similar one) I can’t think of a better pan to make pot roast in ( or braise a duck or turkey).
If you don’t have the world’s largest and heaviest pot, use whatever you have that is close ( I also own this adorable green Le Creuset dutch oven) You don’t want the liquid to evaporate out of this dish. You want all of that juicy goodness to stay in.
What type of meat to use in a pot roast?
So, the best beef to use for a pot roast and a traditional selection is a chuck roast. A chuck roast has lots of marbling which means there’s plenty of fat to give the meat flavor, but it’s a tough cut and requires a long cook time in order to be edible.
You could use a sirloin roast or stew beef, but a chuck roast is really your best bet here.
Keep your veggies in big chunks for this recipe, too. The long cook time means that smaller veggies will disintegrate into mush before the meat is finished cooking.
All in all,pot roast is a really simple recipe to make, it just takes a little time to cook. I hope that you give it a try!
Ingredients
- 1 T olive oil
- 4 lbs beef chuck roast
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 8-10 new potatoes
- 1 – 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1 t .each thyme and rosemary
- 1 t kosher salt
- 1/2 t pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large dutch oven ( preferably cast iron), heat oil over high heat. Sprinkle chuck roast with 1/4 t. salt and pinch of pepper and then sear on both sides in the hot oil. Transfer to a plate.
- Add onion, carrot and celery to the pan and cook over medium high heat until softened and slightly browned. add garlic and potatoes and stir for 30 seconds. Add the roast and any juices back to the pan. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to boiling. Cover with a heavy tight-fitting lid and transfer to the oven. Bake, turning once halfway through, until roast is tender, about 3 hours.
- When the roast is done transfer the meat and veggies to a large platter and keep warm. Discard the bay leaf and skim off fat. Heat liquid over medium heat until slightly thickened then pour over meat and veggies to serve.
That looks so good! I have made roast by cooking them in those seasoning bags you can get at the store and they always come out to dry. I bought a crockpot recently because people told me the roast would be better. I haven’t tried it out yet but after seeing your recipe on pinterest I will try it first. Thanks for posting it.
Yah!! Pot roast, in my opinion, should ALWAYS be done in the oven or stovetop. If you absolutely HAVE to do it in the Crock Pot, wrap the top with aluminum foil before putting the lid on. Good luck!!
yum!
Oh my gosh is all I NEED to say! I have made this recipe multiple times and it keeps getting better!!! My family absolutely loves it! It’s full of flavor and the meat is so buttery! Thank you for shareing this amazing recipe! I can’t wait to make it this week!