Easy Pot Roast

This perfect Pot Roast is fall-apart tender, with simple ingredients like beef roast, potatoes, carrots, and fresh herbs. It’s the ultimate comfort food in just one pot!

If you grew up in the Midwest, like I did, chances are you had a version of this traditional pot roast for almost every Sunday dinner.

It’s easy to see why: it’s a scrumptious complete meal for the whole family, practically fail-proof, and made with inexpensive ingredients.

This is a Dutch oven pot roast but it’s also adaptable to the crock pot using the same step-by-step instructions in our popular slow cooker Guinness Irish Pot Roast recipe

Ingredients Needed

Don’t be put off by the long list because it’s mostly simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand or can get at any grocery store. See the recipe card below for exact quantities.

• Beef Roast – for the best results we use a marbled boneless beef chuck roast. However, top-round roast, or rump roast will also work for this dish
• Flour – dredging the meat in flour helps develop a great crust
• Olive Oil and Butter – for searing the meat and obtaining a golden crust that seals in the juices before the low and slow cooking time
• Onions – we recommend yellow or white onions. Pearl onions are a great choice too.
• Carrots – use baby carrots or cut larger ones into 2″ pieces
• Potatoes – baby yellow or red potatoes are ideal because they don’t need to be peeled. Cut in half if they are on the bigger side. Yukon golds work well too. Be sure to use a waxy potato. (Russets are not recommended for this dish because they will fall apart during the extended cooking)
• Mushrooms – optional, but they add lots of flavor. We use baby Bellas
• Garlic – we love the subtle flavor whole garlic cloves bring during cooking. In a pinch, use garlic powder.
• Tomato Paste – helps intensify the flavors and develop the rich sauce
• Worcestershire Sauce – always an umami bomb and adds to the rich flavor
• Red Wine – Dry red wine is best, such as Merlot, Chianti, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Pinot Noir. Or use additional beef broth if you want a non-alcoholic substitute.
• Beef Broth or Beef Stock – this is the braising liquid so choose a good quality brand
• Herbs – fresh rosemary or fresh thyme work best. You could also add bay leaves. Dried herbs can be used instead of fresh.
• Salt and Black Pepper – for seasoning the meat before cooking

How to make the perfect Pot Roast (oven method)

• Preheat the oven to 275˚F and make sure the oven rack is in the lower third of the oven.
• Chop the onions
• Dry the beef roast with a paper towel. Combine flour, salt, and pepper on a shallow plate and dredge the roast on all sides.
• Heat the olive oil and butter in a large Dutch Oven (or other heavy-duty high-sided pan) over high heat. You want a very hot pan but not smoking.
• Add the dredged roast and sear for about 3 minutes on each side, until the meat is golden brown. These extra steps help seal in the juices during the slow cooking method as well as develop an extra depth of flavor in the bits at the bottom of the pan.
• Remove the seared meat and place it on a plate
• Reduce to medium high heat and add the onions. Saute for about 2 minutes.

• Add the wine, cooking, and scraping the bottom of the pan with a flat wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom (SO much flavor in those bits!). Reduce the liquid by about half.
• Add the beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, garlic cloves, and rosemary sprigs. Stir to combine
• Add the seared meat and any accumulated juices, back to the Dutch oven
• Cover and place in the oven for 90 minutes

Finishing the pot roast

• While the pot roast cooks cut the carrots, potatoes, and optional mushrooms
• Check the meat after 90 minutes. It should be starting to become fork-tender
• Add the carrots and potatoes to the pot, stirring lightly to submerge and combine
• Cover the pan and return to the oven
• At the 3-hour mark mix in the mushrooms and continue cooking until the roast reaches an internal temperature of 200˚F
• The meat should shred very easily and be falling apart. The potatoes should be easily pieced with a fork. If not, return to the oven and continue cooking
• Remove from the oven and discard the rosemary branches

How to serve a traditional pot roast

• Serve directly from the pan into shallow serving bowls, lading some of everything, plus a small amount of pan juices
• Remove everything to a large platter for a family-style ultimate comfort food dinner
• Pair with a light green salad and lemon vinaigrette and easy no yeast homemade Irish Soda Bread

How to make Pot Roast Gravy

If you want to serve this flavorful sauce as a rich gravy (yum!) it’s really simple!

• Remove everything from the pan, and put on a platter, except the braising liquids. Bring liquid to a simmer on the stovetop.
• In a small bowl make a cornstarch slurry, which is just 3 Tablespoons of cold water and 3 Tablespoons of cornstarch mixed together until smooth.
• If you don’t have cornstarch you can use all-purpose flour.
• Whisk the slurry into the hot braising juices and simmer about 3-5 minutes or until thickened. Simmer longer for a thicker gravy.
• Add everything back to the pan or just serve spoonfuls of the gravy over the meat and vegetables.

How long to cook a Pot Roast

• For this recipe, we used a 4-pound well-marbled chuck roast. Cooking times will vary based on the cut and the size of the roast and each individual oven.

• The most important part is to cook the roast low and slow. The long cook time allows the heat to break down the tough connective tissues.
• Pot Roast becomes fork tender at an internal temperature of about 195˚F. However, we think it becomes even better if you let it cook to 205˚F when it really is falling-apart tender.
• Here is a general guide:

3 lb roast cooks for about 3-3.5 hours

4 lb roast cooks for about 3.5-4 hours

5 lb roast cooks for about 4-4.5 hours

Storage for Leftovers

• REFRIGERATOR: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated either in the oven or on the stovetop (or microwave)
• FREEZER: let cool and store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Other family meal ideas

• Slow Cooker Irish Pot Roast
• Slow Cooker Ribs
• Instant Pot Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
• Sheet Pan Asian Salmon and Asparagus
• Garlic Shrimp with Roasted Tomatoes

Want to Save This Recipe?

Enter your email & We’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from us every week!

Save Post

Name

Email

SAVE THIS!

By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from The Art of Food and Wine.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Classic Pot Roast

Easy melt in your mouth Pot Roast is comfort food at its finest. A one-pan meal packed with beef, potatoes, carrots, and lots of savory flavors.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time4 hours hrs

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8

Calories: 572kcal

Author: Cyndy Ufkes ~ The Art of Food and Wine

Equipment

• 1 Dutch oven pan with lid

Ingredients

• 4 lbs chuck roast boneless, trimmed of excess fat
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 large onion cuts into chunks
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary or 6 fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried herbs
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled or 1 TBSP garlic powder
• 4 medium carrots, peeled, and chopped into 2-inch pieces, or 8 ounces baby carrots
• 1 pound baby gold potatoes, whole or halved or large Yukon golds cut into cubes
• ½ pound mushrooms, optional, cut in half or quarters

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 275℉
• Dry the chuck roast with a paper towel. On a shallow plate combine the flour, salt, and black pepper. Dredge the chuck roast on all sides into the flour mixture.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter on high heat (not smoking). Sear all sides of the chuck roast until browned, approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer the beef to a plate.
• Reduce to medium-high heat. Add onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add wine, and deglaze the pan by scraping the brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a flat wooden spoon. Cook to reduce the wine by half.
• Add broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, and garlic cloves. Stir to combine. Add the seared meat, and its accumulated juices, back to the pan.
• Cover and put in the oven for 90 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the oven. The beef should be beginning to become fork tender.

  Add the carrots and potatoes, stirring lightly, to combine and coat in liquid. Cover pot and return to the oven
• At the 3-hour mark add the mushrooms, if using, and return to the oven.
• Cook until the pot roast is easily shredded and the potatoes are fork-tender.

  3 lb roast cooks for about 3-3.5 hours

  4 lb roast cooks for about 3.5-4 hours

  5 lb roast cooks for about 4-4.5 hours

  Cooking times can vary based on the type of roast and each oven.

  Chuck roast should be cooked to an internal temperature of 195℉ – 205℉ to be fall-apart tender. If the meat is not falling apart, it needs to be cooked longer.
• See Notes below for how to make optional Pot Roast Gravy

Notes

To Make Pot Roast Gravy:

• • • Remove everything from the pan, and put on a platter, except the braising liquids. Bring liquid to a simmer on the stovetop.
  • • In a small bowl make a cornstarch slurry of 3 Tablespoons of cold water and 3 Tablespoons of cornstarch mixed until smooth.
  • • If you don’t have cornstarch you can use all-purpose flour.
  • • Whisk the slurry into the hot braising juices and simmer until thickened.

Nutrition

Calories: 572kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 768mg | Potassium: 1292mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5205IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 6mg