The perfect pot roast doesn't have to come from a slow cooker! This one pot, oven braised New-England-style chuck roast with vegetables is a fork-tender, juicy, and absolutely delicious recipe that's perfect for a family dinner or even special occasions.
Looking for other chuck roast recipes? Try my long-time favorite French Dip Sandwiches, this Dutch Oven Beef Stew that is just pure coziness, or this saucy, slow braised Beef Ragu over Pappardelle Pasta.
Slow Braised Beef Chuck Roast in a Dutch Oven!
The best chuck roast is one that we've been making for most of our life, you know? I've been tinkering with this old fashioned pot roast recipe for ever, over a decade now, and I think I've got it down pat.
This savory and simple pot roast is a great recipe to keep on your dinner rotation -- especially in the colder months! It's a classic pot roast: put it in a dutch oven pot and let it cook low and slow for hours in the oven with a bed of root veggies and beef broth. The result is a classic cozy-weather dinner with minimal fuss.
All you have to do is a little sear and the braised beef roast does its own thing: roasting in the oven, becoming melt-in-your-mouth tender in the braising liquid. Super easy!
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Best Cuts for Pot Roast
You want to use a cut of beef roast that is large, tough, and full of connective tissue and fat. Fat equals flavor, y'all.
These are often the most inexpensive cuts of beef (per pound, anyway) and they'll make you some seriously delicious, tender pot roast.
My top 3 cut choices for fall apart pot roast:
These cuts are tough, full of connective tissue and fat, and are great for slow cooking until they are deliciously tender.
- 7 Blade Roast - This is also known as 'center cut pot roast' or 'blade roast' in some stores, but it comes from the shoulder, or 'chuck' area of the cow with a cross-section of the shoulder blade bone that's shaped like a 7, hence the name 7 blade roast.
- Brisket - Brisket is a cut from the lower chest area of the cow, above the shank, that is full of collagen and connective tissue which keeps it super juicy as it braises.
- My number one choice, boneless chuck roast. This is a more affordable cut of meat and the easiest to find. Boneless chuck roast can be found as 'chuck roll roast' 'chuck eye roast' and 'chuck pot roast' and is the most popular choice for pot roast because it's a well-worked muscle full of connective tissue and fat.
These are all perfect for slow braising since collagen in the connective tissue turns to gelatin, which absorbs five times its weight in water. Making the meat both tender and juicy. This is why braising works so well!
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Boneless Beef Chuck Roast - this is a tough cut of beef that is more affordable by the pound than most beef cuts. Because it's full of connective tissue, this cooking technique using lower heat gets us fall-apart tender meat. If you get a bone-in chuck roast, it'll have to cook for an hour longer than the written recipe.
- Vegetable Oil -You don't want to use a low smoke point fat like butter or olive oil for this, because we'll be searing the chuck roast over medium high heat and we don't want any burnt fat.
- Beef Stock - you'll want to use low-sodium stock, the ones in grocery stores are often high in salt.
- Yellow Onions - Yellow onions are perfect for slow cooking, their flavor turns sweet, mellow, and just can't be beat. You could use sweet onions if you have them, but yellow onions are the best in flavor for stews and braising.
- Celery - because it isn't a mirepoix without it!
- Fresh Garlic Cloves. We love, love, love garlic here. Use what your heart tells you if you're not a garlic lover.
- We're using baby potatoes and some really nice carrots we got from the farmers' market because this is the traditional New England version, but other pot roast recipes often have other different root vegetables added in like rutabaga, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, etc. But if you aren't a potato fan, you can omit them.
- Fresh herbs. I used some thyme (which I absolutely love in pot roast, it's fresh and bright), but in the fall and winter...that flavor of fresh rosemary added in? Pure comfort.
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper, of course!
Ingredient Variations
- Many pot roast recipes have flavor additions like worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, or tomato paste for added umami, if you like them add them! You can also use a red wine you like to drink for added complexity.
- I prefer baby gold potatoes but if you have red potatoes that works well. I don't suggest russet potatoes, they don't hold their shape very well!
- Herbs go so well in pot roast. Bay leaves are a great addition since they brighten up the flavors in stews, but I also love oregano, sage, and savory.
How to Make the Best Braised Chuck Roast in the Oven
Step 1 | First thing's first, season your chuck roast generously with salt and black pepper and sear the beef over medium-high heat or high heat in a large dutch oven pot or other oven safe pot. You want to get a good, hearty crust on that cut of meat, both sides.
Step 2 | After you get that good sear, sauté the sliced onions, carrots, and celery until the onions get a little golden brown color on them, then add in the herbs and garlic at the end to get them started.
And those brown bits from searing the roast will release with the liquid from the vegetables, getting all that flavor up.
Step 3 | Add the beef back into the pot and throw in the potatoes, if you're adding them in.
Step 4 | Pour in your beef broth, and put the lid on for it for 3-ish hours of low and slow cooking until the braised pot roast is fork tender.
Step 5 | Serve it up! If you didn't add potatoes, I suggest each serving of your slow braised chuck roast laid over a bed of mashed potatoes, some sautéed green beans, and with a slice of crusty bread. Or try over buttered egg noodles!
Storing and Reheating Tips
Store the pot roast and veggies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat in a microwave-safe bowl or in an oven-safe dish at 325 degrees F until warmed through.
Tools I Used in this Recipe
- Large Dutch Oven - this is my most used item in the kitchen! I use it for so many recipes, they are great investments.
- Tongs - for flipping the chuck roast while searing.
- Wooden Spoon - for sautéeing.
FAQs
Braise a 3 pound chuck roast at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 3 to 3.5 hours. You'll want to cook yours until it's fork tender, that's the best way to tell it's done.
You'll want to serve ½ a pound of pot roast per person. Great to know for dinner parties or holidays.
Braising a cut with loads of connective tissue is the best way to ensure you have a juicy, tender roast.
Leaner cuts like rump roast, london broil, or round roasts can become dry since they don't have a lot of connective tissue or fat to keep them juicy, so those cuts need to be cooked for a shorter amount of time.
Developed out of necessity to turn tougher meat cuts into a mouth-watering delicacy, pot roast is a shining example of doing what needs to be done and doing it well!
Pot roast is a delicious dish that has its roots in American cuisine, specifically New England. This dish is a delicious melting pot of techniques borrowed from French, German, and Jewish cuisines, showcasing just a small part of the tapestry of American culture.
More Beefy Dinner Recipes You Will Love
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Oven Braised Chuck Roast
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 boneless chuck roast, 3 to 4 pounds
- 3 stalks celery , sliced
- 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced ½ inch slices
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 pounds baby gold potatoes, cut in half (optional)
- 2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups beef broth or stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
- Season all sides of the chuck roast generously with salt and pepper. It's a large piece of meat, so it can handle 2 tablespoons of salt.1 boneless chuck roast, 2 tablespoon kosher salt, 2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- In a large dutch oven or oven-safe braiser pot on your range over medium-high heat, add your high heat oil and wait until the oil is shimmering hot (that means it looks like it's doing a little shimmy in the pot, it's moving a little) then add the seasoned chuck roast.1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 boneless chuck roast
- Sear the chuck roast on each side until it gets a deep brown crust, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chuck roast from the pan and set it aside onto a plate.
- Turn the temperature down to medium, then add the chopped carrots and sliced celery and onions to the pot. Sauté the vegetables for five minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables start to turn golden brown. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for about two minutes.3 stalks celery , 2 large carrots, 1 medium yellow onion, 6 cloves garlic, 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- Place the chuck roast back into the pot, add in the potatoes and beef broth, and put a lid on your pot (you can also use aluminum foil if you don't have a lid).2 pounds baby gold potatoes, 2 cups beef broth or stock
- Cook pot roast for three to four hours, checking at three hours for fork-tenderness. Once fork tender, take the roast out of the oven.
- Let the pot roast rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with vegetables and pan drippings or pan dripping gravy.
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