How to Make Tender Oven Braised Pot Roast

This oven-braised pot roast is melt-in-your-mouth tender, incredibly flavorful with veggies and fresh herbs, and super easy to put together!

I’d like to think of this as ‘Dinner 101’. As an adult, a good pot roast recipe should be in your back pocket. Whether stove-top, slow-cooker pot roast, or cooking pot roast in the oven, it takes very little prep and makes a delicious filling dinner. 

This version is in your oven, so this is the perfect recipe for a cozy fall or winter afternoon you are home without any errands to run. It makes a ton of leftovers and I personally prefer it over some delicious mashed potatoes, but if you don’t have any (or don’t want to make any) just chop up some potatoes, gold or red is best, and toss them in with the rest of the veggies in the pot.

Let’s add some sides and a dessert to our oven-braised pot roast, for a complete fall dinner!

Texas Roadhouse rolls, to help sop up the pan drippings. 

Speaking of, if you want a gravy, my pan drippings gravy post is just for you!

If you’re not adding potatoes into your dutch oven with your pot roast, add smooth and creamy mashed potatoes. Potatoes and pot roast just go hand in hand.

For dessert, serve this decadent apple coffee cake, topped with ice cream! It’s seriously the most amazing fall dessert ever. I’ve been making them every year for 5 years and it never fails to get widespread praise!

What cut of beef do you use for oven-braised pot roast?

Just like my Beef Stew recipe, I use chuck.

Why chuck? Chuck is full of connective tissue and is well marbled with fat, thanks to the fact that it is a well-used muscle in the cow. As the chuck is braised in the oven under low heat, the fat and connective tissue melts away while it’s covered, keeping the meat basted and juicy. In the end, your pot roast is fall-off-the-bone tender and melts in your mouth.

And, it’s pretty affordable, too. Definitely a win-win.

How long do I cook pot roast in the oven?

If you’d rather slice your pot roast, instead of having it pull apart tender, I suggest roasting for less time, about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, depending on how large your chuck roast is, Still long enough to thoroughly cook the roast through, but before the connective tissues fully melt away.

How do I keep my pot roast from drying out in the oven?

This recipe for oven braised pot roast has the roast covered (whether by lid or by aluminum foil) for the majority of the time.

Braising uses both wet and dry heat to break down tough proteins and leave tender, delicious meat and cooking liquid (which can be used as a sauce or gravy). True culinary-school-correct braising is pan searing first, to create that Maillard-Reaction (aka the browning, because brown food tastes good, a la Chef Anne from the Food Network), then kept in a pot with liquid, covered, until cooked through. 

But we’re not going to add extra, unnecessary steps by pan searing, instead we get that Maillard reaction by simply uncovering the pot roast while it cooks in the oven, getting that deep brown crust on the roast. Less prep for you do? Count me in!   

The wet heat part of braising helps those tough connective tissues, which take a while to melt away, break down due to the steamy environment in the dutch oven without running the chance of burning the roast. This technique is basically fool-proof.

Looking for more comfort food? Check out:

Panera Bread Mac and Cheese Copycat

Southern Buttermilk-Brined Fried Chicken

Short Rib Ragu with Tagliatelle

Creamy Mushroom Risotto

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Tender Oven Braised Pot Roast

Yield: 8-10 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours 10 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes

This tender oven-braised pot roast is melt-in-your-mouth goodness, incredibly flavorful with veggies and fresh herbs, and super easy to put together!

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Ingredients

• 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced 1/2 inch slices
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• Baby red and gold potatoes, cut in half (optional)
• 1 (5 lb) boneless chuck roast
• 2 tbsp Kosher salt and pepper
• 16 oz beef stock
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a 5 quart dutch oven or 9x13 pyrex dish, put celery, carrots, onions, garlic, potatoes and thyme and season with about 3 tsp salt and pepper. Toss to coat and spread vegetables over the bottom of your dish evenly. This sits as a little bed of flavor under your pot roast, being seasoned by the drippings as the chuck cooks.
3. Season both sides of the chuck roast with 1 tbsp salt and pepper. This should look like a generous amount and cover the entire roast well. Pour beef stock into dish and set chuck roast on top of vegetables.
4. Place in oven and let roast for 45 minutes uncovered. After 45 minutes, cover with lid or aluminum foil for 3 hours and turn temperature down to 325 degrees F.
5. After three hours, uncover and roast for another 30 minutes to develop a crust and deep brown color on the roast.
6. Bring out the oven to rest for 7-10 minutes before serving. Serve with vegetables and pan drippings or pan dripping gravy.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 562Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 188mgSodium: 1014mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 57g

Eden Westbrook

Eden Westbrook is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind Sweet Tea and Thyme. A classically trained chef, Eden has inspired home cooks into the kitchen with cultural comfort foods, easy family-friendly eats and sweets, and glorious spreads for date night and entertaining since 2015.

www.sweetteaandthyme.com