A pot roast should be juicy, tender, and falling apart in your mouth, and this pot roast recipe is all those things! It is the best pot roast I’ve ever had!
Sunday dinner to me is always one of two things- slow cooker roast or roasted chicken. Now, Mom always had more options than just that, but those are the two I remember the most. Mashed potatoes that Dad accidentally added sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk to, that time I loved the fluffy raspberry jell-o so much I licked the bowl clean and most of all, my mom in the kitchen with her apron and Sunday dress on prepping dinner before church. That was my childhood, and it was a pretty good one.
We have several pot roast recipes on the blog, like our slow cooker Mississippi pot roast and our oven braised beef roast, and they are all fantastic and all have their place, but this classic pot roast recipe is my new favorite.
Ingredients Needed for Pot Roast
For this recipe, you’ll need a few ingredients for browning the roast, several ingredients for the sauce, and then a couple of items for making the gravy. Your pot roast is never going to be the same! I like to see a quick list of the ingredients so I can see how many things I need to buy before I get into all the details, so here is your list:
Roast
- Boneless Chuck Roast
- Flour
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive Oil
Sauce
- Yellow Onions
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- Beef Stock
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Apple Cider
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Water
- Liquid Smoke
- Better than Bouillon (chicken flavor)
- Canned Peeled Tomatoes
- Fresh Thyme
- Fresh Rosemary
Gravy
The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to Make the Best Pot Roast
I hear people get intimidated by making pot roast. No need, my friends! No need at all! I’m going to break this up into 3 sections and walk you through each step. You will have flawless and flavorful pot roast every single time!
Roast
- Pat the roast dry using a paper towel and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place on a large plate and let it sit in the fridge uncovered for up to 24 hours.
- Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to let it come to room temperature. This will help it brown more evenly.
- Add some olive oil to a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Put some flour into a pie dish and roll the roast in it to coat all the sides. Sear each side of the roast in the dutch oven until brown.
- Preheat the oven. Proceed with the sauce…
Sauce
- Start the sauce by sauteing all the vegetables in a little more olive oil. Add some salt and pepper and sauté until the onions are translucent.
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients for the sauce. Nestle your roast down into the veggies and spoon some veggies and sauce on top.
- Cover your pot either with a lid or foil and bake for 2 hours, then reduce the heat and cook for another 1-2 hours.
Gravy
- Remove the pot from the oven and place it on a burner over low heat. Remove the roast and carrots to a serving platter and shred the meat with two forks. Cover with foil to keep it warm.
- Take the tomatoes and half the sauce and purée in a blender, add the puréed mixture back to the pot with the rest of the sauce and stir it all together.
- Combine the butter and flour in a small bowl and add it to the pot. Bring to a simmer until the sauce thickens to a gravy.
- Serve the meat over mashed potatoes and top with gravy.
All of these instructions in full detail can be found in recipe card down below.
Best Tip For Flavorful Pot Roast
- Unwrap the meat and pat dry with paper towels. Cover the roast, front, back and sides with a good Kosher Salt like Diamond or Redmond Real Kosher Salt. Place on a plate or dish in the fridge, uncovered for 12-24 hours. This will season your meat perfectly and will give better caramelization, again leading to more flavor when you brown it in the pan.
- Allow the roast to rest on the counter for 30 minutes before browning in the pan. Taking the chill off of the meat is important for a good browning.
Smashed Garlic vs Minced
Smashed garlic releases a mild flavor over a long period of time, which is perfect for a dish like a pot roast. Minced garlic has a more intense, immediate flavor.
Which Roast for Pot Roast?
Our go-to cut of beef is a chuck roast. It has beautiful marbling so it cooks down so tenderly and makes the most juicy beef. They are usually fairly inexpensive too! If you can’t find a beef chuck roast, then a brisket or a round roast will work great too.
Can I Use Regular Carrots?
Yes, you will want about 2 ½ cups which is generally 3 large carrots. Peel and slice the carrots into bite size pieces.
Can I Add Potatoes?
You can definitely add potatoes, but we have found that we love to serve the roast over mashed potatoes. If you want to add potatoes, peel and cube 3-4 potatoes and add them in step 1 of the sauce instructions.
Make Ahead
You can make the entire dish up to one day ahead of time and then instead of baking in the oven, cool and place in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. When you’re ready:
- Let it sit on the counter for 15-30 minutes
- Bring it back to a boil on the stove top and then proceed to the oven.
- Alternately you can make the dish, store the carrots separately and reheat the next day.
Can Pot Roast Be Made in the Slow Cooker?
Follow the recipe as written up through step 3 of the sauce section. Then place all the veggies and sauce into the slow cooker. Put the roast into the slow cooker and nestle it into the veggies. Cook on low in the slow cooker for 8 hours or high for 3 and then low for 2 more or until the meat is so fork tender it falls apart.
Storage Tips
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 3-4 days. I have found that the best way to reheat pot roast so that it stays tender is the place it in a baking dish, add a little extra beef broth to the pan and cover it tightly with aluminum foil. Place it in the oven preheated to 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
Sunday dinner has never been better! Make a batch of dinner rolls, invite some friends over and serve this pot roast. It will be the best pot roast recipe you’ve ever eaten!
More Comfort Food Recipes:
Description
A pot roast should be juicy, tender, and falling apart in your mouth, and this pot roast recipe is all those things! It is the best pot roast I’ve ever had!
For the Roast
-
Pat the roast dry and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and pepper on all sides. Place on a large plate in the fridge, uncovered for up to 24 hours.
4-5 Pounds Boneless Chuck Roast, Kosher Salt, Black Pepper
-
Remove from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
-
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
-
In a pie dish or similar, roll the roast in the flour and brown on each side in the pan, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove to a clean plate. Proceed with the sauce…
1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
For the Sauce
-
Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and add in all of onions, carrots, celery and smashed garlic.
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil, 2 Yellow Onions, 1 Pound Baby Carrots, 5 Ribs Celery, 6 Cloves Garlic
-
Add in the salt and pepper and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are turning translucent.
3 teaspoons Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
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Stir in all remaining ingredients for the sauce, leaving out the butter and flour for the gravy at the end.
1 Cup Beef Broth, 1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar, 1/2 Cup Apple Cider, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce, 1/2 Cup Water, 1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke, 1 ½ teaspoons Better than Bouillon, 28 Ounce Peeled Tomatoes in Puree, 3 Sprigs Thyme, 2 Branches Rosemary
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Stir everything together and nestle the roast back in the pot, pulling some veggies and liquid back up over the top of the meat.
-
Cover with an oven safe lid or tinfoil if you don’t have a lid. Bake for 2 hours then turn the heat down to 250 degrees F for another 1-2 hours. I generally do 2 because it doesn’t over cook the meat if it’s already tender and falling apart after that last hour. Proceed with the gravy …
For the Gravy
-
Pull the dutch oven from the oven and place over the burner on low heat to keep a simmer. Remove the meat and carrots to a large serving platter, shred the meat and cover with foil to keep warm.
-
Take the tomatoes and half the sauce and purée in a blender, add the puréed mixture back to the pot with the rest of the sauce and stir it all together.
-
In a bowl, mix together the softened butter and flour, add it to the pot and bring to a simmer until slightly thickened, about 2-5 minutes. Serve over the meat and veggies.
1 Tablespoon Butter, 2 Tablespoons Flour
S low Cooker Version : Proceed as normal but cook on low in the slow cooker for 8 hours or high for 3 and then low for 2 more or until the meat is so tender it falls apart.
Calories: 801kcal
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