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Pot Roast

Classic Pot Roast Recipe with Potatoes and Carrots

Pot roast with a seared chuck roast, red wine gravy, baby potatoes, and carrots, all braised together in one Dutch oven.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours 35 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 large yellow onion cut into wedges
  • 5 cloves garlic smashed
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 1/2 lbs baby potatoes halved if large
  • 1 lb carrots cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 3 ribs celery cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp cold water
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped, for garnish

Instructions

  • Season and sear the roast: Pat the chuck roast dry and season it all over with the salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sear the roast for 5-6 minutes per side, until a deep brown crust forms and the meat releases from the pot on its own. Move it to a plate.
  • Cook the onion and tomato paste: Turn the heat down to medium. Add the onion wedges and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the edges brown. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute more, until the paste darkens from bright red to brick.
  • Deglaze with the wine: Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon until every browned bit lifts. Simmer for 3 minutes to cook off the sharp alcohol edge.
  • Build the braise: Heat the oven to 300°F. Stir in the beef broth, Worcestershire, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Return the roast and any juices from the plate to the pot, cover with the lid, and slide it into the oven. Braise for 2 hours.
  • Add the vegetables: Tuck the potatoes, carrots, and celery around the roast, cover again, and braise 2 hours more. The roast is ready when a fork twists in it with almost no resistance, around 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. That is well past the USDA's 145°F plus a 3-minute rest for whole cuts of beef, which this roast clears in the first hour, but chuck stays tough until the connective tissue breaks down up near 200°F. If it still fights you, give it another 30 minutes and check again.
  • Rest and make the gravy: Move the roast and vegetables to a platter and let them rest 15 minutes. Skim the fat off the liquid left in the pot, set it over medium heat, and whisk in the cornstarch stirred together with the cold water. Simmer 2-3 minutes, until it thickens into a glossy gravy. Fish out the bay leaves.
  • Shred and serve: Pull the roast apart into big chunks with two forks, spoon the gravy over the meat and vegetables, and scatter the parsley on top.

Notes

Sear the roast hard on every side before it braises; that crust is where the gravy gets its flavor. A chuck roast is safe at the USDA's 145°F for whole cuts of beef plus a 3-minute rest, but it is not tender until the connective tissue breaks down around 200°F, so cook this one to fork-tender rather than to a target doneness. If a fork still meets resistance at the 4 hour mark, cover and braise another 30 minutes. Add the potatoes, carrots, and celery halfway through so they do not turn to mush.