Savory, fork-tender Pot Roast smothered in a rich brown gravy just might be the most wanted comfort food dish of all. This one, in particular, shines far above the rest thanks to a few simple steps other recipes are leaving behind. This is everything you need to know to make a killer Pot Roast every single time.
Today, in addition to a must-have recipe, we’ll cover the simple formula for a foolproof, perfectly tender pot roast, how to know if you’ve been searing all wrong, easy steps to add more flavor to your roast, and lastly, how to take your gravy from good to great without a reduction!
THE SECRET TO PERFECTLY TENDER POT ROAST
When it comes to making a perfect, fork-tender pot roast, it’s all about cooking the right cut of meat low and slow, at the right temperature, in the right amount of liquid…for the right amount of time. When all of these factors come together perfectly, you are guaranteed a fork-tender pot roast every single time. The best cut of beef for a fork-tender pot roast is beef chuck shoulder roast, and a three-hour braise is perfect for a 4-5 pound chuck shoulder.
Braising sounds technical, but all it means is that you are cooking something partially in liquid (not necessarily submerged), in a covered dish. Dutch ovens are going to be your best friend for this cooking process.
COOKING ROAST BEEF IN A DUTCH OVEN
Dutch ovens are by far the best product out there for braising meats, which is exactly how we are going to be cooking our pot roast. Using the Dutch oven for cooking your roast beef allows you to build an incredible amount of flavor in just one vessel. It is also an excellent even-heat distributor because of its thick cast iron makeup. Here is a simple overview of how we will cook out roast beef in the Dutch oven:
- Season and sear the meat.
- Sauté the vegetables.
- Add in the braising liquid and the roast.
- Cook low and slow for 3 hours.
ARE YOU SEARING THE WRONG WAY?
The perfect pot roast recipe is all about building flavor, and the sear is where the flavor begins. After the roast is seared, it leaves behind a plethora of savory fats and juices on the Dutch oven floor. Then, the vegetables take a turn in all that beefy goodness, picking up on all those left-behind flavors. Once the vegetables have softened slightly, a bold braising liquid goes in, picking up on everything both the beef and the vegetables had to offer.
But, before we can get to the end, we must start at the beginning, and as I said before, it all begins with a proper sear.
2 ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR SEARING MEAT
- To prepare the roast, you should first pat it dry with a paper towel to remove any excess water from the cut of beef. This step is essential to getting a good sear on the roast before braising, which in turn, equals flavor.
- When searing a roast, you want to be sure that your meat is not going into the Dutch oven ice-cold. For the best sear, allow your roast to sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
DON’T FORGET TO SEASON LIBERALLY
Once the excess water has been removed, season the beef liberally with your favorite seasoning. Adding the seasoning directly to meat will help to build flavor. I use my personal favorite, TAK House Seasoning. It’s a mix of Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, and it’s perfect for beef.
In addition to a fair amount of seasoning, we’ll also coat the roast in flour before searing.
THE OIL MATTERS AND THIS IS WHY
The type of oil you use for the process of searing is important. To get a good sear on the meat you must work with medium-high to high heat. Canola oil has a high smoke point, which means that it does not quickly burn, or quite literally begin to smoke as fast as let’s say, butter, which has a low smoke point. You can use an oil other than Canola, just make certain it has a smoke point of 400° or higher.
KEEPING THE VEGETABLES SIMPLE
After a nice crust has been developed from searing, the beef goes out, and the vegetables go in for a quick sauté. This is an elegant, yet simple pot roast, and calls for only onions and carrots from the vegetable department. The carrots add a subtle sweetness to an otherwise savory dish, and they’re absolutely perfect coated in a thick and luscious pot roast gravy.
A GRAVY THAT REQUIRES NO REDUCTION
To achieve a thicker consistency for your pot roast gravy, adding just a little flour to the vegetables before adding in your braising liquid is key. This approach also eliminates the need for any sort of stovetop reduction after the pot roast has finished its stint in the oven.
WHY YOU SHOULD USE WINE IN YOUR BRAISING LIQUID
Earlier, we touched upon a couple of things throughout the searing process that would help us to build flavor in our pot roast. Now, we’ll bring that flavor full circle with a perfect ending of red wine, beef broth, and fresh herbs. A bold red wine like merlot or cabernet sauvignon will enhance the flavor of your pot roast and take it from good to spectacular.
After you’ve added your braising liquid to the mix, your roast goes back in, the Dutch oven is sealed, and it will need to cook for three hours total. Half-way through the cooking process, you’ll turn your roast, ensuring both sides are picking up on all of those amazing flavors.
Remember, the braise is quite likely the most important part of the whole recipe, and allowing your pot roast to cook low and slow for the right amount of time will ensure a perfectly tender pot roast every single time.
As soon as the cold winds finally start to drift into Texas, we gladly welcome them with open arms. And naturally, I begin to yearn for those hearty and warming dishes we love so much, and I don’t know that there is another meal in existence that speaks more loudly to this craving than this here very pot roast.
Braised low and slow until fork-tender, smothered in a rich and savory gravy, and variegated with soft, sweet carrots. It is the epitome of comfort food. It’s a recipe that requires only simple preparation, time, and a hearty appetite.
9 MORE BEEFY COMFORT FOOD RECIPES TO TRY:
- Got leftovers? Make this Hot Roast Beef Sandwich — Po’ Boy Style! Actually, even if you don’t have leftovers, this recipe comes well-equipped with an easy slow-cooker roast beef recipe, fresh bakery bread, and toppings piled high! It’s the perfect, hearty dinnertime sandwich.
- Roasted Beef Tenderloin is easier to make than you think. Promise. Just some freshly ground pepper, a little Kosher salt, and the right recipe is all you need. This recipe is perfect for holiday dinners and feeding a crowd.
- Easy Beef and Broccoli is a classic Chinese take-out dish you can master at home! It features quick-cooking beef coated in a sweet and savory sauce, served with fresh broccoli over rice. The perfect quick-fix for a weeknight dinner!
- Easy Homemade Hamburger Helper is another family-favorite weeknight dinner you can whip up fast! Featuring flavorful, seasoned ground beef, freshly grated Cheddar cheese, and pasta! You can count on both the kids and the husband to go crazy for this one.
- Chicken Fried Steak features perfectly fried breaded cube steaks topped with a homemade country gravy, and it’s essentially Texas on a plate.
- Salisbury Steak is like having your own personal-sized meatloaf and makes for the perfect family-style, comfort food dinner.
- Spaghetti and Meatballs is every kid’s favorite dinner, and this one just might be the best of them all, equipped with homemade meatballs baked in the oven and a simple marinara sauce recipe.
- For another beefy braised recipe similar to this perfect pot roast, try savory, fall-off-the-bone Braised Short Ribs served with cremini mushrooms and a red wine sauce!
- Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas are loaded with taco-seasoned ground beef, cheese, and smothered in a perfect enchilada gravy. There’s no longer a need to go out for Mexican food. You can officially make it better at home.
An easy recipe for fork-tender pot roast made in the oven. The recipe features beef chuck shoulder braised in beef broth and red wine, with carrots, onions and fresh herbs.
- 4 1/2 lb Beef Chuck Shoulder Roast
- 4-5 tsp TAK Seasoning (see notes below) or use your favorite beef seasoning -- enough to cover roast
- 4 tbsp All-Purpose Flour separated
- ¼ c Canola Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion quartered and thinly sliced
- 6 Carrots peeled and sliced on a ½” bias
- 2 Cloves of Garlic minced
- 1 c Dry and Bold Red Wine such as Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2 c Unsalted Beef Broth
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- 2 Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
- 3 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
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Preheat oven to 325° Heat canola oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat roast dry with a paper towel and sprinkle generously with TAK Seasoning evenly on each side and rub to adhere. Coat the roast with 2 tbsp of flour.
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Place roast in Dutch oven and sear 4-6 minutes on each side. Once the entire roast has developed a golden-brown crust, remove it from the heat and set aside on a large plate.
Add the onion and carrots to the Dutch oven and sauté briefly to evenly coat with oil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and allow to cook 5 minutes, or just until barely softened. Add the garlic and sauté uncovered for an additional minute or so.
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Sprinkle over 2 tbsp of flour and stir until the flour takes on a yellow tinge and the vegetables are evenly coated. Slowly whisk in the red wine, followed by the beef broth, followed by the beef broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
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Add roast back to the Dutch oven, along with rosemary and thyme. Cover, transfer to the oven and bake for 1 ½ hours. Turn roast, return to the oven and bake for an additional 1 ½ hours. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, serve and enjoy.
Recipe Video
To make a quick mix of TAK Seasoning combine 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder in a bowl and mix to combine!
All the tips you have given to make pot roast so juicy and tender are great, dish and pictures looks amazing!
Ohhhhhhh…. hello there!!!! What a gorgeous pot roast and I cant believe how tender and perfect this looks!! Excellent recipe for a meal everyone struggles with and you really show how to make this perfect every time!!
Your pot roast looks absolutely delicious and so mouthwatering. I want to make it this weekend. I know it’s a dish that the whole family would love, and that’s not easy to find!
What a beautiful roast!! This sounds like a rich flavorful roast. I love all of your tips , so very helfup. I just bought a chuck roast , I might have to give this a try since I have basically every ingredient on hand.
OMG I love this recipe ! Delicioussss. Thank you so much for sharing all these amazing tips too! I cannot wait to try it.
This looks scrumptious and soo fork-tender! I love that it’s made in an oven and not the popular Instant Pots or slow cookers as I don’t own either. Great recipe!
I love the mix of herbs and red wine in this pot roast recipe. I so rarely do mine int he oven, but after seeing your recipe I really want to try it this way next time!
This is ultimate comfort food! This will be incredible over potatoes or rice. Pinning for later.
Really there is nothing better than a good tender roast, just making the time for that low and slow cooking is always my downfall. Your recipe looks perfect.
My Dutch oven is definitely my best friend! I use it for braising as well as pasta sauces or curries that need slow cooking! Your pot roast looks perfect. Can’t wait to try your recipe!
A good list of tips in here to have one lip smacking roast. The pot roast looks delicious and juicy.
Love this recipe. I use an argentinian Malbec and I add baby red potatoes when i turn the roast.
This looks amazing, I love a tender pot roast. The guide to searing your meat is so helpful, I can’t wait to give this a go myself.
Katie xoxo
This pot roast is amazing! I have made it at least 4 times over the winter months and get rave reviews every time. So often the meat can be flavorless – but not using this recipe! The roast is always tender with that rich roast flavor!
Thank you so much, Karen! Thrilled you enjoy it so much 🙂 We do too!
Your pot roast looks tender and delicious, yummy!
That gravy is one of a kind, there is no doubt about that. I love how this recipe looks, so I am so sure I will love the taste of it, too! Can’t wait to make it.
It is amazing to find out about those super important steps. I agree, there are not a lot of recipes that mention them – glad I’ve got them all saved now! 🙂
I made this recipe last night. I had everything but the beef broth so I used some roasted red pepper soup with a bit of water added. This roast was very tender. My husband who is very fussy, absolutely loved it. My son too! This is a winner!
That’s wonderful! So glad everyone loved it 🙂 Thanks, Jackie!
This is hands down the best! Followed you recipe to the T. My SO loved every bite. Will be making this again. Thank you for sharing!
Please Help! How long would you cook a 2.5 lb roast?
Hi Kristen! Check your roast after 2 hours to see if it is fork-tender. Since it is slow-cooking in a braise, you don’t have to worry as much about overcooking with this cooking method.
This was an incredible roast! I followed the recipe exactly and recommend reading the blog post throughly for the tips! I will definitely be making this again. I used a 3lb roast but stuck with the 3 hours. It was extremely tender and the gravy was perfect.
That’s awesome, Amber! Just what we love to hear 😉 Thanks so much!
So glad you mentioned that because I will using a 3lb roast!
Can I use a slow cooker??
You could potentially finish with the stovetop work and then transfer the pot roast to your slow cooker and cook on high! I’ve not personally tested this method, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Can this be done in a slow cooker??
You could potentially finish with the stovetop work and then transfer the pot roast to your slow cooker and cook on high! I’ve not personally tested this method, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Thank you! Sorry for the duplicate question.
No worries!
Hi I have a question.. I want to make this in a very large quantity, is there a formula to adjust cooking time with the weight of the meat? Please advise
What a comfort meal and so easy I absolutely love this recipe!
This pot roast is now the only pot roast I will ever make ever again! It is seriously SO good! It works perfectly every single time I make it!
This is an amazing recipe!! We have had it multiple times. Is there anyway to get more gravy? Could I double the braising liquid?
You could try adding a 1/4 cup of flour to the veggie mix (rather than the 2 tablespoons), then change the quantity of wine to 1 1/2 cups and the quantity of beef broth to 3 cups. That would almost double the gravy 🙂 Hope that helps, Alicia! And thank you for the kind words!!
Unlike most of the comments I actually made this recipe. I started with a good locally raised cut of meat and pretty much followed all the directions except added potatoes before end of cooking. I also cooked it longer because of my schedule. It turned out wonderfully rich and good tasting. I will use this method again. Loved the tips for braising. I think next time i will increase the wine.
Is there a substitute for the wine?
You could sub in the same amount of beef broth if you’d like!
Thank you for your quick response. Do you think it will affect the tenderness?
Technically, yes? There is acid in the wine which (theoretically) could help to further break down the proteins in the beef as cooks.
I’m not one for following a recipe as it’s written but this time I decided to give it a go and I must say that I’m glad I did!! It was so delicious!! Cleaned plates all the way around! I loved the tips, I’ve never seen that in a recipe before. I hate to admit it but this recipe is better than my usual “recipe “, I’ll be using this from now on.
Hi-
Made pot roast while nine-month old grandson underfoot and requesting my attention in whine-mode. Roast yummy, baby likes too.
This almost like my own roast recipe done in the oven. I use for liquid in roast cooking and for gray about 2 cups liquid coffee or made from instant coffee and water and about 1-2 cups beef broth. I also place a few bay leaves on top of roast when in the oven. My mother in law cooked all her roasts using coffee for liquid and it really gives it good flavor. I have done this for years after learning her secret. Really delicious!
Trying tomorrow but my roast is only 2.5 lbs. do I still cook at 325 for 3 hours. Also can I add potatoes?
Hi Debbie! You may just check the roast for tenderness after 2 – 2 1/2 hours and see if it’s to your liking at that point 🙂
Your recipe is in my oven as I write this! The smells coming from my kitchen are awesome and I’m surprised there are not carnivore animals beating down my door for it (we live on 60 acres in the country so we have our fair share of bears, foxes, coyotes, etc). If my roast beef tastes as good as it smells, I wonder if there will be any leftovers for hot roast beef sandwiches tomorrow! Thanks for a great step-by-step recipe!
That is awesome! Thank you, Ginny 🙂
Wow! I have made pot roasts for years, never making that “just perfect” one…until I tried this recipe. It reminded me of my grandmothers, no potato’s, simple with carrots. Thank you!
That is an amazing compliment! Thank you so much, Julianne 🙂 I’m so happy you finally found “the one!”
Very very easy. I was looking for a tender tasty roast recipe and I think I found it! This is my go to recipe for beed roast from here on out. Even with a smaller cut of beef roast I followed the recipe to the tee (minus the number of carrots). With that I said, I was concerned I added too much broth red wine(particularly), but it worked. I added brown sugar and red pepper to balance out the red wine and it added a flavorful twist which sweet and savory. Thank you for such wonderful directions, step by step video, and great recipe.
Thank you so much, Bianca! I’m so glad you enjoyed the roast 🙂