Pot Roast Recipe

Is there anything more comforting than a beautifully cooked pot roast? That slow cooked meal that just melts in your mouth is the perfect flavorful dish to serve with any side dish like roasted potatoes or veggies, and you can even cut up the leftovers to make tacos, or sandwiches the next day. This Pot Roast Recipe is a great recipe for serving a crowd and it’s really easy to make!

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Pot Roast Recipe

• Easy: Cooking for a crowd or during the holidays can be stressful so it’s great to have easy recipes like this that can feed a crowed and you can prep and just throw in the oven.
• Flavorful: This perfectly marinated Pot Roast Recipe is so full of flavor. Slow cooking it is what gives it the best texture and blend of flavors.
• Budget-Friendly: Despite pot roasts being so impressive when served, they are actually a budget-friendly cut of meat that can serve a crowd.

🍲 Ingredients

Beef Chuck Roast – Beef chuck roasts are a popular cut of meat that is known for its rich flavor and suitability for slow cooking. This cut of beef comes from the shoulder of the cow so it contains connective tissue which breaks down the longer you cook it to become a tender, succulent piece of meat.

Cinnamon Stick – There is a variety of seasonings in this recipe but I pulled out the cinnamon stick because you probably are wondering why I’ve included this. Cinnamon isn’t just for sweet dishes, they are great in savory dishes like this Pot Roast for adding depth to your dish. Using a stick in particular slowly infuses the meat over the long cooking time and adds a nice complexity to your dish. Just trust me on this one!

👩‍🍳 How to Make Pot Roast

You can make this Pot Roast Recipe in either your oven or on the grill. Here are instructions for both.

Oven Method

1. Preheat the oven to 300F.
2. Pat the beef chuck roast dry with a paper towel. Season generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
3. To an oven-safe dutch oven or 4 qt braiser, add 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, sear the beef until golden brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the beef to a plate and set aside.
4. Turn the heat to medium and add the diced yellow or white onion, diced shallots and diced red onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
5. Add the minced garlic, salt, all-spice, cinnamon stick and bay leaves and cook for one minute, until fragrant.
6. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and cook until it’s almost all evaporated.
7. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine, cook for one minute.
8. Add the crushed tomatoes and 4 1/2 cups beef broth and then bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
9. While you wait for the liquid in the pot to simmer, pierce the beef roast about 8-12 times on the top side with a sharp knife and then insert a quarter garlic clove and small piece of a rosemary sprig into each cut.
10. When the liquid in the pot is simmering, turn off the heat and add the garlic & rosemary stuffed beef back to the pot. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and then with a lid and roast in the oven for 2 hours, basting with the sauce every hour.At the 2 hour mark, add the potatoes into the broth surrounding the beef – make sure they’re submerged. If needed add 1-2 cups more beef broth, up to 3 cups more if you notice the liquid levels are too low.Cover and roast for 1 – 1.5 more hours, until the beef is very tender and easily falls apart when pulled with a fork.
11. Serve the pulled beef with tzatziki and potatoes.

Grill Method

1. Preheat the grill to 450-500F.
2. Pat the beef chuck roast dry with a paper towel. Season generously with salt and pepper.
3. When the grill is preheated, sear the beef until golden brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the beef to a plate and set aside.Turn the heat down on the grill to 300F.
4. Inside on the stove top, heat a grill-safe dutch oven or or 4 qt braiser to medium heat and add 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the diced yellow or white onion, diced shallots and diced red onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
5. Add the minced garlic, salt, all-spice, cinnamon stick and bay leaves and cook for one minute, until fragrant.
6. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and cook until it’s almost all evaporated.
7. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine, cook for one minute.
8. Add the crushed tomatoes and 4 1/2 cups beef broth and then bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
9. While you wait for the liquid in the pot to simmer, pierce the beef roast about 8-12 times on the top side with a sharp knife and then insert a quarter garlic clove and small piece of a rosemary sprig into each cut.
10. When the liquid in the pot is simmering, turn off the heat and add the garlic & rosemary stuffed beef back to the pot. Cover the beef with a piece of parchment paper and then with a lid and roast on the 300F heated grill for 2 hours, basting with the sauce every hour. If needed, add more beef broth to ensure there’s always about 1 inch of liquid in the pot at all times.At the 2 hour mark, add the potatoes into the broth surrounding the beef – make sure they’re submerged. If needed add 1-2 cups more beef broth, up to 3 cups more if you notice the liquid levels are too low.Cover and roast on the grill for 1 – 1.5 more hours, until the beef is very tender and easily falls apart when pulled with a fork.
11. Serve the pulled beef with tzatziki and potatoes.

🗒 Tips and Tricks

• Choose the Right Cut of Meat: Opt for “tougher” cuts. These cuts, are high in connective tissue which is what become incredibly tender and flavorful with slow cooking. Cuts like chuck roast, brisket or rump roasts.
• Don’t Forget the Sear: Before your roast cooks slowly in your oven or grill, you want to ensure you sear all sides until golden brown in a hot pan. This helps the roast stay flavorful and juicy.
• Low & Slow: The key to a perfect Pot Roast is to just let it cook low and slow. This isn’t a recipe you may when you only have 30 minutes of time. By cooking it slowly you’ll get the perfect flavor and texture to your meat.

🗒 Substitutions

• Beef Chuck Roast: If you can’t find a chuck roast you can use a brisket or rump roast.
• Rosemary: You can swap the fresh rosemary for your preferred fresh hearty herb like thyme or oregano.
• Red Onion: You can easily swap the red onion for a white or yellow onion in a pinch.
• White Wine: If you don’t like the idea of adding white wine into your recipe, you can use more broth instead. You can also swap the white wine for red wine instead. Use what you have!

🗒 Best served with

👝 How to Store Leftovers

This Pot Roast Recipe is great leftover. Store it in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Use leftovers on nachos, tacos, in bowls or on sandwiches. You could even add the shredded meat into a creamy mac and cheese.

🤔 Common Questions