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.
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As soon as the cold winds finally starting to drift into Texas, we gladly welcome them with open arms. Naturally, we 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 a good old-fashioned pot roast.
HOW TO MAKE PERFECT POT ROAST
PREPARE THE ROAST BEFORE SEARING
The best cut of beef for a fork-tender pot roast is beef chuck shoulder roast. 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. Once the excess water has been removed, season the beef liberally with your favorite seasoning. I use my personal favorite, TAK House Seasoning, and you can get that recipe here if you’d like. Coating the roast in flour before searing will also help to develop flavor, and give it a nice variation in texture.
WHAT TO COOK THE POT ROAST IN
Dutch ovens are by far the best product out there for braising meats, which is how we are going to be cooking our pot roast. The Dutch oven not only allows you to build flavor, it allows you to build flavor all in one pot. It is also an excellent and even-heat distributor.
I have a collection of Dutch ovens: Two are Le Cruesets, and one is this Cuisinart. Yup. I’ll admit it — it’s a problem, but the good thing is, I can make a tried-and-true recommendation because of this. Both brands are excellent options and yield the same results. The Cuisinart is far more affordable and comes with a nice warranty, but the Le Creuset has been my favorite so far.
Now that we know what we are cooking in and why, let’s move on to the actual cooking process, shall we?
SEAR THE ROAST
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 prior to prepping. Once prepped, add canola oil to the dutch oven.
The type of oil you use for this process is important. 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 fairly low smoke point. You can use an oil other than Canola, just make certain it has a smoke point of 400° or higher.
To get a good sear on the meat you must work with medium-high or high heat. For this recipe, we will use medium-high heat, and this will be perfectly sufficient for our pot roast.
Sauté vegetables and add braising liquid
After a nice crust has developed from searing, the beef goes out, and the veggies go in for a quick sauté. I like a thicker pot roast sauce, one that resembles something closer to a gravy, rather than cooking liquid. So to achieve this balance, I simply sprinkle a couple tablespoons of flour over the softened vegetables.
Then, in goes the liquid for the braise. The braise is quite likely the most important part of the whole recipe, and the longer you allow your pot roast to braise, the more tender it will be. A three-hour braise is absolutely perfect for a 4-5 pound is 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 my go-to for this cooking process, as they are typically made of cast iron and are an even conductor of heat.
The braising liquid for this pot roast is exceptionally flavorful, thanks to the savory combination of beef broth, red wine, and fresh herbs.
ENJOY
Braised low and slow until fork tender, smothered in a rich and savory gravy, and variegated with soft, sweet carrots, this pot roast is the epitome of comfort food. This recipe requires only simple preparation, time, and a hearty appetite. Please, enjoy.
TRY SERVING FORK TENDER POT ROAST WITH:
Dry Red Wine (Such as Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon), TAK’s Dinner Rolls, Decadent Mashed Potatoes, Fail-Proof Polenta
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 or 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.
Really good recipe! Thanks Kelly! 🙂
Suzanne! Thank you so very much!!! 🙂