Classic Pot Roast Recipe

This Classic Pot Roast is the Ultimate Sunday Supper!  This pot roast recipe is slowly braised in the most incredible liquids and flavorful spices until so tender it literally falls apart!  Served with mushrooms, carrots and potatoes, this hearty meal is pure comfort food!

 

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Hello everyone! I’m Tynia for On Ty’s Plate. I’ve been invited by Jocelyn to share a comforting down home recipe with her lovely readers. As the fall season closes in quickly, many of us are probably getting the urge to pull out the big pots for some hearty soup and stew. Well, that’s why you’re girl is here! I’ve got you covered. 

I’m going to share with you my incredible Classic Pot Roast recipe. It’s a family favorite that I’ve tweaked to soul soothing perfection over the years. What makes this recipe special is the depth of flavor it has from a slow braise. The lower oven temperature helps the meat to tenderize and absorb all that delicious flavor. 

What is Braising? Braising Beef

Basically braising or to braise means to fry/sear the outside of something and then slowly cook it internally using a liquid bath. Traditional pot roasts are made this way. It’s an American spin on a French recipe called Bœuf [Beef] à la mode. I thought this an interesting information worth sharing because I NEVER saw Grandma or any of my aunties make a pot roast by frying the outside before stewing it. Was my grandma’s pot roast any less traditional? I don’t think so. 

Different Method for Cooking Roast: Pot Roast in Slow Cooker

There are a number of methods to make pot roast. Slow cookers, and now the repopularized pressure cookers, can be used to make a nice and tender flavorful pot roast. When I was single and moved into my own place, I thought I was doing something when I discovered oven bags. I made a roast that fell apart for the first time and, baby, there was no stopping me! Lol. I put everything in them bags. 

Anyway, the point I’m making is that each family has their “way”. I don’t think any particular “way” is right or wrong. It’s really a matter of preference or awareness. Growing up with my grandma we didn’t have a crockpot. Nobody used cookbooks. No recipes were written down. You just did what you thought would taste best. No one was searing and crusting meats to slowly braise in seasoned liquids. We did what we figured out and it tasted darn good! 

As my cooking skills broadened and my courage to seek out and test the unknown has strengthened, I’ve discovered new (to me) and exciting ways to make the old renewed. 

How to Make Pot Roast

There are several steps to this recipe but most of the work is done by your oven. Follow this step-by-step guide and you cannot fail. 

Step 1: 

Preparing the meat. Toss together the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, and black pepper. Pat the beef dry with paper towel and season the beef on all sides with the spice mixture. 

Step 2:

Sear the meat. Heat a little olive oil in a large Dutch oven and sear the roast on both side to form a mice crust. It should take about 5 minutes per side. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside on a rimmed dish to catch the juices. 

Step 3:

Make the braising liquid. This is where the flavor is built. The crusting of the meat leaves behind caramelized bits of fat and flavor. Add the butter to the dutch and sauté the onion and garlic until fragrant; 1-2 minutes. Then the carrot and celery and cook for 5-6 minutes. Next add the diced tomato, tomato paste, dijon mustard, salt, sugar, bay leaves and dried herbs. Stir well and cook another 5-6 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the wine. Scrape to loosen any bits left on the bottom of the pan. Add the beef stock and stir. 

Step 4:

Slow roast the meat. Return the roast and the collected juices from the dish to the pot. Place the lid to cover the Dutch and put it into the oven for 2 1/2 hours. 

Step 5:

Add the veggies. Remove the pot after 2 1/2 hours, add the potatoes, carrots, quartered onion, and mushrooms around the roast into the liquid. Return the pot to the oven for another 1 hour and 45 minutes. Take it out of the oven when the roast is falling apart and the vegetables will be very tender. Discard the bay leaves. Remove the meat from the pot into a dish large enough to shred it. Shred the meat with two forks. 

Step 6: (optional but recommended)

Make some gravy. If gravy is desired, make a slurry with 3 tbsp of cornstarch and 3 tbsp of braising liquid. Pour it back into the pot and stir it in. Heat the stovetop to medium and allow the sauce to thicken. About 3 minutes. Turn off the stove and add the meat back to pot. 

Tips

1. Right cut of meat: I use chuck roast because it’s affordable to me. You can pretty much use any thick cut of beef because this cooking method will tenderize it for you. Boneless cuts of meat makes for a relatively faster cook time. But if you have beef with the bone still in you can definitely still use it. You may have to extend the cooking time. 
2. Extra liquid: Have a little extra stock or wine on hand just in case. The worst thing you could do to this dish is add water. It will dilute the flavor. 
3. Use fresh vegetables: I’m a fan of using frozen veggies in most cases. This is not one of them. The frozen veggies will be less firm and will over cook quickly turning into mush. We don’t want mushy vegetables. 
4. Give it all the time it needs: the first couple of hours will cook the roast through. But the goal is to make it soft and tender. Follow the cooking times as a guide. Add a little time more if need be. A four pound roast will require more time than a tow pound roast. Adjust accordingly. 
5. Let it marinate: once the roast is done and you’ve shredded it, put it back into the sauce/gravy. It must continue to soak up the goodness. Otherwise you will be left with dry pale beef that no one will eat. 

How to Serve

Growing up we ate pot roast and beef stew with white bread and margarine. Nowadays I serve it with a nice crusty bread and salted butter. It’s pure Southern comfort!  Even served with Hot Water Cornbread or Corn Muffins makes for a wonderful option as well. 

A Huge Thank you to Tynia of On Ty’s Plate for sharing this Awesome recipe!!