My Classic Pot Roast with tender braised beef and chunky carrots and potatoes is loaded with comforting flavor and is easy to make. I like to use chuck roast for pot roast. It’s a relatively inexpensive cut of beef which makes it a real homerun!
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Pot Roast – Easy, Classic Comfort
I love that this recipe is simpler than beef bourguignon, stracatto, or sauerbraten, but just as hearty and delicious.
My classic pot roast (otherwise known as Yankee Pot Roast) is not only easy to make, but the methods I highlight below help yield maximum flavor, super tender beef, and the best pot roast sauce you’ve ever had!
Table of Contents
Recipe Ingredients
Most ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Chuck roast. I use chuck roast because its fat profile makes it uniquely suited for pot roast but it also works well for Italian beef stew, steak pizzaiola, beef barley soup, and so many other recipes! You can also use leaner roasts such as rump roast, top round, and bottom round.
- Beef stock. I used my homemade beef stock for this recipe, but you can also use low-sodium store-bought beef stock, or make a quick stock using beef base, such as Better than Bullion brand.
- Red wine. Opt for a dry red wine such as cabernet, merlot, or chianti. If you can’t have alcohol, you can replace the wine with additional stock.
- Tomato paste. Canned or tubed paste adds great body to the pot roast.
- Worcestershire sauce. This adds great flavor to many beef recipes!
See the recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make a Pot Roast
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and set the rack to the middle of the oven allowing enough room to accommodate a Dutch oven and its lid. Using kitchen twine, tie up a 4-pound chuck roast, or ask your butcher to tie it up for you. Heat a large pan to medium heat, then pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
- Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan along with the chuck roast and sear until browned on all sides (about 15 minutes total). Remove from the pan and allow the roast to rest on a plate.
- Add 1/2 cup of homemade beef stock (or low sodium storebought beef stock) to the pan and use a flat wooden spoon to dislodge the brown bits from the pan. Add the pan sauce to a bowl with the remaining beef stock and set aside.
- Heat a large Dutch oven to medium heat and add 1/4 cup of olive oil along with the onions and a pinch of salt and cook for about 10 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes, then add 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour and mix for about 1 minute or until the white flour specks are gone.
- Add the beef stock, dry red wine, thyme (tied), bay leaves, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot and bring to a boil while stirring to break up any clumps of flour.
- After 2 minutes of boiling, add the seared chuck roast to the pot. Cover the pot and place into the oven to braise for 1 1/2 hours.
- After 1 1/2 hours, remove the pot and uncover it. Quickly add the potatoes and carrots to the pot and cover again. Return it to the oven for another 2- 2 1/2 hours. After 2 1/2 hours or once the meat is fork tender, remove the pot from the oven.
- Transfer the pot roast, carrots, and potatoes to a serving plate and tent with foil. If desired, de-grease the sauce by using a ladle to remove the fat. By this point, the sauce will be quite thick thanks to the flour, but to make it even thicker, use an immersion blender or ladle the sauce into a countertop blender to blend the softened onions and a few potatoes. The roast can be shredded or cut into chunks and mixed with sauce before serving. Discard any large pieces of fat before serving, and season the carrots and potatoes with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the parsley, serve, and enjoy!
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Top tips
- Tie the beef. Use kitchen twine to tie up the roast or ask your butcher to tie it for you. Doing so will create a more even shape of the roast which will allow for even searing and braising.
- Seperate pan for searing. For this large of a pot roast I like to use a searing pan since it will take about 15 minutes to effectively sear all of the sides. During this time the bottom of the pan might get overly black or burnt. When deglazing with part of the beef stock be sure to taste test it before adding the liquid back to the remaining stock. If it tastes burnt, don’t pour it back with the unused beef stock. After this step you can move on to cooking the recipe in a large Dutch oven.
- Use homemade stock. To achieve restaurant quality taste, I suggest using homemade beef stock. You’ll get superior results every time!
- Serving. I like to cut the pot roast into chunks and serve it on a plate with a few carrots and potatoes topped with the thickened pot roast sauce. If preferred, you can shred all the pot roast before serving and toss with the sauce.
More comforting beef recipes
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Classic Pot Roast
Classic pot roast is the ultimate comfort food dish. Tender braised beef, potatoes, and carrots marry together in the most flavorful sauce!
Ingredients
- 4 pound (1.8kg) chuck roast tied
- 2 1/2 teaspoons (16g) fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) neutral oil such as avocado, vegetable, etc.
- 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions cut into large pieces
- 8 cloves garlic chopped
- 3 tablespoons (45g) tomato paste
- 1/4 cup (32g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups (360ml) dry red wine
- 2 cups (480ml) low-sodium beef stock divided
- 2 large bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 10 sprigs thyme tied
- 1 1/2 pounds (680g) red or small yellow potatoes cut into large chunks
- 2 pounds (908g) carrots cut into 3-inch chunks
- 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf Italian parsley for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F and set the rack in the middle of the oven to accommodate a Dutch oven with its lid.
- Heat a large pan to medium heat. Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels then season with salt and pepper. Add the neutral oil to the pan along with the chuck roast. Sear until browned on all sides (about 15 minutes total) then remove the roast to a plate.
- Add a 1/2 cup of beef stock to the pan and scrape off all of the browned bits. Taste the sauce to make sure it's not burnt. If it is, discard, otherwise pour the pan sauce into the same vessel as the remaining beef stock and set aside.
- Heat a large Dutch oven to medium heat, add the olive oil and onions along with a pinch of salt, and cook until translucent (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes then add the flour and mix until all of the white specks have vanished (about 1 minute).
- Add the red wine, beef stock, thyme, bay leaves, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot and bring to a boil while stirring to break up any flour clumps. Boil for 2 minutes then turn off the heat and add the roast back to the pot and cover. Place into the oven to roast.
- After 1 1/2 hours, remove the pot and uncover it. Quickly add the potatoes and carrots to the pot and cover again. Return to the oven for another 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 200-210°F.
- Place the pot roast and veggies on a plate and tent with foil. Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme bundle from the Dutch oven.
- To de-grease the sauce, lay paper towels on top of the sauce to absorb the fat then discard or use a ladle to skim some of the fat.
- The sauce will usually be quite thick from the added flour, but for an even thicker sauce, simply use an immersion blender to blend the softened onions and a few potatoes. Alternatively, heat just the pot with the sauce over medium-high heat to reduce until the sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon. Or make a slurry of 2 tablespoons flour and 1/4 cup of water. Pour into the simmering sauce and stir for a few minutes until adequately thickened.
- The roast can be shredded or cut into chunks and mixed with the sauce. Any large pieces of fat can be discarded right before serving. Season the carrots and potatoes with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cut of beef. Chuck roast makes the best pot roast due to its unique fat profile, but other leaner roasts such as rump roast, top round, and bottom round can also be used.
- Sauce consistency. Many people will enjoy the pot roast sauce as is and will not need to make a thicker gravy. If you do enjoy a thicker sauce, by all means, follow the instructions to boil and/or add a slurry of flour and water.
- Seperate pan for searing. For this large of a pot roast I like to use a searing pan since it will take about 15 minutes to effectively sear all of the sides. During this time the bottom of the pan might get overly black or burnt. When deglazing with part of the beef stock be sure to taste test it before adding the liquid back to the remaining stock. If it tastes burnt, don’t pour it back with the unused beef stock. After this step you can move on to cooking the recipe in a large Dutch oven.
- Make-ahead. Pot roast is even better the next day. Simply let the roast cool then refrigerate the Dutch oven covered.
- Leftovers. Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days in the fridge and can be reheated in the oven.
Nutrition
Calories: 944kcal | Carbohydrates: 46.6g | Protein: 105.9g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 9.8g | Cholesterol: 305mg | Sodium: 1260mg | Potassium: 2115mg | Fiber: 8.6g | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 13mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Looks delicious
This was hands down the best pot roast our family has ever had. Five plus stars from teenager, dad and mom. Thanks for sharing a great recipe for us to make!
We’re so happy to hear that!
I have made this once before and it was so amazing so I am making it again for a larger group. Can’t wait to impress them with Jim’s recipe!
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Jill! Hope you’re doing well!
Absolutely one of the best pot roast recipes. Will be making this for years to come
Thanks for the comment, and so happy you enjoyed!
Made it tonight. It was fantastic. Will be a staple for our Sundays going forward
So happy you enjoyed it, Steve!
Can this be done in an Instant Pot? How would the cooking settings be adjusted?
Hi Phil, it likely could however we haven’t tested it so can’t tell you how the settings would need to be adjusted.
This was an excellent pot roast. I also added parsnips to the one I made.
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Vin!
Delightful. Did not need to do anything to the gravy. Will be my go-to pot roast recipe!
So happy you enjoyed, Julie!
This was the BEST pot roast ever !!!! The gravy was amazing. I can’t wait to make it again, unfortunately there were no left overs.
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Sammy!
Absolutely outstanding!
I substituted regular flour with gluten-free flour due to celiac.
Also used baby carrots, and small red potatoes. Used Josh Cabernet Sauvignon for the wine.
So happy you enjoyed, Eric!
Can I put this in the crockpot?
Hi Linda, while we haven’t tested it in a crockpot, it would likely turn out just fine.
Made this pot roast yesterday. I have never made a pot roast before this. I’ve made many briskets, whcih is in a way similar. Your recipe techniques were perfectr and my pot roast turned out delicious! The sauce — I could have drank it by itself! I made it my own with only a few tweeks — didn’t have beef broth but used my homemade chicken broth that I keep in the freezer. Added some paprika (3 types) which gave it a depth of flavors. Didn’t add a lot. Otherwise everything same as your recipe. Your instructions are great and so easy to follow in a regular kitchen. thank you
So happy you enjoyed, Vicki!
Do I really need to tie the roast? I have never done that?
Hi Scottie, you don’t need to. It just provides more even cooking and keeps the roast intact, so tying prevents it from falling apart.
I had to do this slightly differently, because right now I don’t have a dutch oven or slow cooker. I used a 14” Kirkland high sided skillet with lid. It says made in Italy, and it’s been a work horse for 20 years. I wish I could find a 12 inch to match. My roast was 2.5 lbs so I browned without tying at medium high, then went to medium low for the garlic/onions. After liquds, flour, and deglazing I put the lid on and popped it in the oven. I also had some sautéed shitake mushrooms in the fridge that needed using, so put them in. 30 minutes less time for the smaller cut of roast. When it came out, I degreased a little then used a potato masher to get a bit of thickening. Because of the large surface, my gravy reduced quickly without adding flour. The flavor was spot on. Thanks James and Tara.
Thanks for sharing your process with us, Stacy, and so happy you enjoyed!
Omg!! Wow. So fun to make and absolutely delicious. Had friends for dinner. It was a clean plate club. Love your recipes.
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Lee!
Wow! This recipe was amazing! We’ve been craving a down-home meal all week and this hit
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Julie!
Hi Jim,
I just made this recipe of yours but used a bottom round roast instead of chuck because that is what I had and want you to know it still came out great. Other difference is I omitted adding potatoes because we wanted to make mashed to hold the delicious gravy from it. Love all your videos and recipes, thanks!
We’re so happy you enjoyed!
Great and easy recipe. I added sliced button mushrooms and parsnips – just because I like as many veggies as possible. This pot roast was very tender and perfectly seasoned. A winner. And lots left over for a future meal. Thank you.
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Vin!
Perfect! I made half the recipe with a smaller roast. Low effort, long cook time. I often suffer from underdone meat and thin sauce, but this was just right on both counts. Gravy was quite thick (I think the onions totally dissolved), meat was flavorful and tender.
So happy you enjoyed!
I made this over the weekend for my son and grandson (age 2 1/2) who were visiting from out of town. Huge hit with the both of them! Sadly, no leftovers 🙂 Thank you for the great recipe!
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Diane!