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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Can you make this recipe in a Crockpot?
Hi Ginette, we haven’t tested this one in a crock pot but so can’t tell you timing, etc. but it would likely work.
Always seriously hated pot roast growing up (sorry mom). Watched your video a couple of weeks ago and immediately ran out to Target at 9pm to purchase a larger Dutch oven than what I have in order to make the following day. So delicious 😋!!
Fast forward to today and at 28 degrees here on Long Island as well, gonna be an epic day for another pot roast. Thank you for the amazing content. Happy New Year!
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Kathryn!
I had never made pot roast before and used this recipe for my first try. The pictures going along with the step-by-step instructions were so helpful. It tasted AMAZING!! Will definitely be making this again.
Hi Sue, we’re so happy you enjoyed the pot roast and that you found the pictures and instructions to be helpful!
Looks amazing but I think my oven was too hot or something or not the right Dutch oven it burned the top. This has never happened when I cooked it on the stove top.
Hi Kimie, are you saying the pot roast was burned or the dutch oven was burned? If the rack was set to the middle level and the Dutch oven was covered, the roast shouldn’t have burned, especially if there was adequate liquid in the pot.
100% the most decadent pot roast I’ve ever had, let alone made with my own 2 hands.
We are so happy you enjoyed, Maddy!
hi there, should the bay leaves be fresh or dry?
Hi Jasmin, dried bay leaves.
thank you!! 🙂
JUST made this. The best tasting pot roast ever!!! I have now made 1/2 dozen of your recipes, and they never fail to inspire or taste amazing. Thank you to you and Tara. I agree with her, this is a 10!!
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Carl!
I made this last night and it was the best pot roast I have ever made. The week before I made your Short Rib Ragu with Pappardelle and it was fabulous too! Rice pudding… that was amazing, too. I’ve now made it five times. Your recipes are always so clear and precise. Thanks guys!
We’re so happy to hear that, Laurie!
Can I cook this in a crockpot?
Hi Michelle, you likely can although we haven’t tested the recipe in a crockpot so can’t advise on timing, etc.
This was one of the best pot roast I have ever made!! ( that’s saying something!)
I did add 1 tablespoon of pot roast seasoning by McCormick and a A little more wine, Worcestershire and broth as it was cooking.
It made it beautiful brown gravy and was so tender!
We’re so happy to hear that, Lisa!
This has been the best one I have made so far.. Printing and adding to my personal cook book!!! Must try!
So happy you enjoyed, Bridget!
I’m planning to make this tomorrow and am a bit stymied by what size pot to use. My Dutch oven is 5 qt. Is that too small for this recipe? The only other thing I have is a deep 8 qt stock pot. What do you think?
Hi Leeann. It should fit. If needed, cut the roast into 2 or 3 pieces. Enjoy!
I just pulled this out of the oven and all I can saw is WOW!! I’ve made a lot of roast but this recipe is by far the tastiest!!!
This is a delicious recipe! I didn’t have red wine so I used all beef broth and it turned out perfect!
Came out perfectly, lovely and tender with a delicious sauce
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Brett!
Another amazing recipe from James and Tara! This was so delicious and everybody wanted seconds. For those who are intimidated by tying the roast, I didn’t tie mine and it still came out amazing…super tender and so flavorful. The vegetables were great and the sauce/gravy was the perfect consistency to sop up with some crusty bread. Thank you for another tasty, easy to follow recipe. We will definitely be making this again.
We’re so happy you liked this one, Ryan! Thanks for the comment!
This pot roast recipe is amazing! My family and I really enjoyed it! It is my new go-to pot roast recipe! It is really easy to make as well! I cut off the fat before searing the meat; I just can’t stand any fatty pieces on the meat. The meat just falls apart and is so tender I don’t miss the fat at all!
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Marcia!
Wow! I’ve made pot roast for 40+ years and this is without a doubt the best I’ve tasted. The gravy makes itself and is soooo good. And I’m not really a gravy person! The timing for adding the carrots and potatoes was spot on. My 3+ pound roast was tender in 3:45. Thank you for this yummy recipe. I will make it again!
We’re so happy you enjoyed this, Deana!
Made this yesterday it was so delicious!! Great Sunday dinner! Thank you!!
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Mary Ann!
I have made this! It is amazing!!!
Jim & Tara, I want to buy the knife you said in one of your videos was the best for carving meats, etc. Can you tell me which one it is. You have several on you site under “shop”.
Thanks so much!
Diane
Hi Diane, we’re so happy you enjoyed! It’s a Victoronix Slicing Knife and in Jim’s Kitchen Tools category in the shop.