PREP TIME: 30 MIN COOK TIME: 3 HOURS
It’s finally Fall here in Virginia, and as soon as I feel a slight chill in the air, I’m ready for comfort food. One of my all time favorites is Pot Roast! Pot Roast recipes can be found in cookbooks dating as far back as the 19th century, but I’d bet this dish has been around a lot longer than that.
There are tons of ways to make this, and this is one of my favorites. Give this recipe a try!
For this recipe, I used Thyme and Rosemary for my fresh herbs in the roast, and fresh parsley to garnish. Feel free to add or substitute based on your preference, but I find that Rosemary and Thyme work beautifully.
For the veggies, I went with Celery, Onions, and Carrots. Usually I would add some Potatoes in this dish as well, but at the time, I was watching my carbs lol. (I actually served this with mashed cauliflower. I will share that recipe at a later date.. It’s Delicious!)
My favorite cut of beef for this dish is Chuck Roast. It’s well marbled, and has a great beef flavor. It holds up very well to a nice low and slow cook and becomes fork tender. Some people like to slice their roasts, however, I prefer to shred mine – but do whatever makes you happy.
Season this bad boy liberally. (Seriously, it’s a big hunk of beef… don’t be shy with the seasoning) I used salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder.
Ok… Here is a step that I see a lot of people skip. PLEASE do yourself a favor and sear your meat first. There’s nothing worse than an ugly grey piece of meat that looks boiled.. (yeah, I’ve seen your old IG photos, lol.. jk)
Searing is important for 2 main reasons. 1 – appearance. You eat with your eyes first. There’s nothing more appetizing than a beautifully seared piece of meat. Secondly, flavor! Now get too searing! (To sear, get your dutch oven or frying pan smoking hot, and add a bit of oil. Next, sear the meat on all sides until you get a nice crust).
Next, set your beautifully seared roast aside (as seen above), and add your veggies. Sauté them for 2-3 minutes so that they begin to release their flavors. After that, move them to a plate for later.
Next, deglaze the pan with some red wine and/or beef stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. At this point, add your roast and top it with your fresh herbs. Save the veggies until an hour or 2 later, so that they don’t become too mushy during the braising process.
At this point, the veggies have been added and we are in the home stretch. This is when I like to remove the lid to my dutch oven (for the final 30-45 mins). This technique I learned from watching my guy Gordon Ramsay. Removing the lid allows some of the liquid to cook off and helps to thicken your gravy a bit. It also allows the meat to regain some of the beautiful dark color and richness. Give this a try if you’re doing this in the oven rather than the crock pot. The crock pot is fine, but really do yourself a favor one Sunday and make this in your oven.
RECIPE
INGREDIENT
1 3lb chuck roast
2 tbs olive oil
1 whole onion (chopped)
4 carrots
4 celery stalks
1 cup red wine
2 tbs beef "better than bouillon"
2 Bay leaves
4 cloves garlic
1 packet mccormicks slow cooker pot roast seasoning
salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 300. Generously season your chuck roast with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Heat Olive Oil on a large pot or dutch oven. Add your vegetables and sauté until browned. Remove veggies to a separate plate.
Get the pot very hot to sear your beef. Sear on both sides for about 2 minutes per side or until nice crust is formed. Remove the roast and add your wine.
Reduce the wine by half and add your beef bouillon. Now add back in your veggies and place the chuck roast on top.
Add in your packet of pot roast seasoning, followed by the beef stock. Top with fresh herbs and cover.
Place in oven for 3 hours or until meat is fork tender. Should shred easily with a fork. Serve with rice, potatoes, or cauliflower mash. Garnish with chopped parsley.