Pot Roast – fall apart beef, tender flavour infused vegetables and potatoes smothered in a rich gravy. It’s mouthwateringly good, yet simple to make, especially if you use a slow cooker. However, this beef pot roast recipe can be made in an instant pot, oven OR crockpot – pick which method works best for you!
Pot Roast
Confession: I wasn’t a fan of pot roast for most of my life. I just didn’t get it – the beef and vegetables were fine, but typically they are braised in just liquids that aren’t thickened in any way so the end result is like a watery broth.
Plenty of flavour in it, but when you pour it over the beef and vegetables, it doesn’t cling to it at all because it’s watery.
So I decided to change it and thicken the sauce using a touch of flour. So it’s more like a gravy. Now THAT’s a pot roast worthy of company, in my humble opinion!!!
If you love meltingly tender, slow cooked roast beef and deeply flavoured gravy, this pot roast recipe is for you!
How to make Pot Roast
Season beef well with salt and pepper
Sear beef aggressively – this is KEY for flavour in the broth and the beef!
Sauté onion and garlic, then deglaze* the skillet or pot with red wine (or water or broth);
Tip everything into a slow cooker, instant pot / pressure cooker or casserole pot for oven along with beef broth, carrots and celery;
Sprinkle with dried rosemary and thyme then slow cook 8 hrs low, 55 min pressure cook on high, or oven 4 hours at 300°F/150°C;
Add the potatoes partway through cooking and by the time the potatoes are cooked, the beef will be meltingly tender!
* Means simmering liquid and scraping bottom of pan to release the flavour stuck on the bottom of the pan from searing. It adds a ton of flavour into the cooking broth!
Best cut of beef for pot roast is chuck roast
The best beef for pot roast is Beef Chuck Roast. It’s an economical cut of beef that’s marbled with fat that needs to be slow cooked to breakdown the tough connective tissues so it becomes ultra tender to eat.
Chuck roast can be purchased in large pieces that are or aren’t rolled. You want to use rolled chuck roast for this recipe, otherwise the beef ends up all warped. Supermarkets and butchers should carry chuck roast that’s already rolled, otherwise, you can roll it yourself and tie with kitchen string or ask the butcher to do it for you.
It’s essentially a slow cooked Roast Beef!
The key point of difference with this pot roast recipe is that the braising liquid is thickened so it comes out like a deeply flavoured gravy rather than a watery broth which is how most pot roasts are made.
So it’s essentially a slow cooked Roast Beef that’s fall apart tender that comes with a gravy and tender flavour infused vegetables. Complete meal in one pot!
Because the beef needs to be mostly submerged in liquid while it slow cooks, you end up with lots and lots of liquid in the finished dish.
Which means, in my Pot Roast, you end up with lots and lots of very tasty gravy.
This is a sensational “problem” to have. Keep leftovers, drown your potatoes with them, toss through pasta (oh yes!!), serve it as a sauce for tomorrow night’s dinner. – Nagi x
PS Bread to mop your bowl clean wouldn’t go astray. Try these No Knead Dinner Rolls, a quick No Yeast Irish Bread or these moreish Cheese Muffins.
Watch how to make it
Note: My slow cooker looks like a pressure cooker because it’s a multi function slow cooker (but no, it’s not an Instant Pot!).
This pot roast recipe was originally published January 2018. Updated for housekeeping matters. No change to recipe – I wouldn’t dare! 🙂
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Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 2 kg / 4 lb beef chuck roast , rolled (Note 1)
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion (large), cut into large dice
- 5 garlic cloves , peeled and smashed (Note 2a)
- 5 carrots , peeled and cut into 2.5cm/1″ pieces
- 3 celery stalks , cut into 4 cm / 1.5″ pieces
- 1 cup (250ml) dry red wine (sub with beef broth)
- 3 cups (750ml) beef broth , salt reduced
- 1/3 cup (50g) flour (plain / all purpose) (GF – Note 2b)
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 750g / 1.5 lb potatoes , peeled and cut into 2.5 cm / 1″ pieces
Instructions
- Pat beef dry with paper towels. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper all over.
- Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Brown aggressively all over – a deep dark brown crust is essential for flavour base! Should take about 7 minutes.
- Transfer beef to slow cooker.
- In the same skillet, add onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes until onion is browned.
- Add wine, reduce by half. Transfer to slow cooker.
- Mix together flour and about 1 cup of the broth. Lumps is fine. Pour into slow cooker.
- Add remaining broth, carrots, celery, rosemary and thyme into slow cooker.
- Cover and slow cook on LOW for 5 hours. (45 min pressure cook on HIGH, Note 3a for Oven and Stove)
- Add potato, slow cook on LOW for 3 hours. (10 min pressure cooker on HIGH, Note 3b)
- Remove beef. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice thickly.
- Adjust salt and pepper of Sauce to taste.
- Serve beef with vegetables and plenty of sauce! Bread also terrific for mopping up sauce – try these No Knead Dinner Rolls, No Yeast Irish Soda Bread or these fabulous Cheese Muffins.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More slow cooked beef recipes
Because nothing beats the flavour of beef cooked long and slow until it’s meltingly tender….
Life of Dozer
When the homeless man at the dog park isn’t at his car (usually off tending to the park grounds – best groundskeeper EVER!), I tie food to the boot of his van. Pot Roast, in this case!
And this is Dozer, trying to figure out if he can reach the bag. #SHAMELESS
Thanks Nagi! It’s not always easy turning a hunk of chuck roast into something tasty but this was a winner with the whole family.. my 1 yo gobbled it down until he saw the rolls and then passed his plate for rolls. 🤣
Question: how can I avoid the thickening from jelling to the bottom? Wondered if it was from using a gf flour blend (all I had on hand!).
This recipe is lovely, can’t wait to taste- it is in the pressure cooker now.
I put 1/4 of the carrots in, cut the rest up in chunks, wrapped them in foil and cooked on top of my roast for ~20 min. This way they will have better texture and carrot taste when added to the plate with the roast.
This works great for beef stews, etc.
That’s a great tip! Thanks!
I love so much about this recipe; the ease, the aroma that fills the house, the tender beef you can cut with a spoon, but most of all the satisfied eaters that who love the job I’ve done.
This is very close to my own recipe for a pot roast. I usually cook mine, start-to-finish, in one heavy pot on the stove. I let it simmer for 3-4 hours, depending on the weight. Pure heaven!
I just wanted to say that if you substitute the red wine with apera/cream sherry, it’s absolutely incredible. To me, at least, it matches the flavours better than plain red. Cheers!
Which apera/cream sherry do you recommend? I notice there are a couple of varieties.
thanks!
I usually use McWilliams cream sherry. It’s occasionally labelled apera, depending on where you are. It’s pretty nice to sip, as-is, too.
https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_73328/mcwilliam-s-cream-apera-2l
(though 2L is a bit much- lol).
I meant to add that I sear the roast in olive oil 1st, remove to rest, then partially caramelize brown onions, deglaze the pan w/the sherry & broth, then dump the rest in. I honestly don’t think this is something you can ruin. Wait until you smell the thyme & cream sherry!
Hi Nagi – I normally use my mom’s pot roast recipe but I decided to change it up with the grass fed beef rolled chuck roast which I had never used before. Your recipe was a total hit with my family (who is used to my mom’s) and it will be the new pot roast favorite in our household. It was moist and tender, what I had been shooting for and missing for all those years! I loved having the gravy already made.
I watched the video AFTER I made the recipe in a roaster oven (which took approx. 6 hours at 200 degrees F). I noticed in the video that you did something with the carrots and celery before you added them to the roast (I didn’t notice any instructions in the written recipe, so I just added the raw veggies.) Would you send me the instructions for the carrots and celery (and maybe add those instructions to your recipe on your blog?)
Thank you so much! I look forward to trying more of your recipes. I am gluten and dairy free which makes what I can have a bit more challenging so any recipes with options without gluten and dairy would be much appreciated.
PS – I am Japanese American (Sansei-third generation) AND Golden Retrievers are my most favorite dogs. You rock!
Kindred spirits! 😉
Is it possible to cook this for a shorter time so that the beef doesn’t quite fall apart but is a bit more solid/steaky when cut?
If so what kind of time would you recommend? (Approx 1kg yearling roast)
Thanks
It was fabulous!
Happy New Year and thanks for sharing this.
You explain everything that I need explained, and the result is magnificent! As usual
The roast was nothing short of the very best I have had – and I am 71. Apart from the potatoes I omitted I used the ingredients you listed, put it in a crockpot on high for 4 hours –
It was perfect with a baked potato and some lightly steamed green beans.
Thank you!
Made this last weekend, so so fantastic…..did a soffritto based mire poix with a sacrifical cheap steak about 3 hours prior for the gravy. Roasted the potatoes and carrots and added to roast about 30 minutes before finishing. Best I’ve ever had….😋😁
My goodness, what an easy recipe for a super delicious pot roast! I have a multicooker so I was able to use just one appliance. Sear and sauté and slow cook in one pot.
Superb!! Best ever!!
Thank you so much.
I am really averse to overcooked veg, but I want that flavourful gravy. Do you think I could dice the veg and then before adding potatoes, I could remove the roast, immersion blend the mushy veg into the gravy, and return the meat, potatoes, and some fresh veg into the slow cooker for the last three hours? Is there any reason why that would be problematic? Thanks!
Delicious. Much appreciated Nagi.
regards, Kevin
Claoundra Queensland, Australia.
I never leave comments… but this was insanely good. Made it with a brisket and leftovers went into a pot with pearl barley which was also amazing. Thank you Nagi!
Sounds perfect Shira, I’m so glad you loved it!! N x
I’m using a slow cooker. Would it be a problem if I used it for much longer than you indicated? Let’s say 17 hrs……
Hi Benjamin, if you cook for that long, the meat and veg will become too tender and fall apart – I wouldn’t recommend it. N x
Fist, I must start off my saying – everything you do here is AMAZING!!!
This is no exception. I’ve spent an entire weekend of quarantine making your dishes exclusively and my fiancé and I could not be bigger fans
How fitting we decided to leave this recipe for a Sunday. Nothing like a Sunday pot roast right?
I mistakenly forgot to salt the roast in advance (usually like to give 24hr). If we would have done this, this dish would have been restaurant quality (or better). The meat ended up just a touch tough and the meal ever so slightly under seasoned but nothing a little after-plated salt and pepper couldn’t help!! Oh and we also used about 0.5lb baby carrot instead of cut carrot and worked beautifully!
Thanks for your thorough and practical instructions. Again, every dish is worthy of being put “in the rotation”. You’re a cooking goddess!!!
Love this recipe! After freezing the left over roast and enough gravy to cover, I still had gravy left over. No problem – I froze a few small portions and used it as a shortcut in my homemade Meat pie. Delicious!
I have a large group of friends coming for lunch, would this work as beef and gravy rolls? Could I make without the veg and shred the beef once cooked?
Hi Kate, you could, although I find the veg give the gravy a depth of flavour. You could just cook a per the recipe and then remove them (omit the potatoes) N x
Great recipe…love the oven method. I add more carrots when I add potatoes for final hour of cooking. Gravy sooo good and is a meal my family loves!
I am cooking Nagi’s pot roast recipe as I write this. It smells so good! I will give it a star rating after we eat it.
This will be the 3rd Nagi recipe that I have made. In fact, she says her dinner rolls would go great with this pot roast and I just happen to have made her dinner rolls two days ago. So we are good to go!
I followed the recipe exactly, except I did not have a couple things I needed, but hey that’s life, right? So, I improvised.
I did not have any rosemary (grr!). So I substituted with a mix of sage and marjoram.
I also didn’t have any yellow onions (grr again!). But I did have several rather large shallots, which I used instead. I love shallots, so I expect this substitution to be just fine, taste-wise.
I really gave the pork a good sear. I’ve read elsewhere that folks often make the mistake of not browning their meat as much as they should. For me, I want to see color on that meat, because in my experience, that color means flavor!
I used a nice dry red wine, per Nagi’s instructions. We’ll be drinking more of that tonight with our meal!
Sounds perfect Jeff, I hope you enjoyed it in the end! N x
Yes, Nagi, we both really loved the pot roast! I gave it 5 stars!
We enjoyed it again tonight!