Classic Pot Roast Recipe

This classic pot roast recipe of roasted chuck roast braised in broth and finished with vegetables makes for an amazing home-cooked meal.

Prep time: PT30M

Cook time: PT270M

Rating

4.99 stars (248 reviews)

Keywords

Pot Roast

Ingredients

3 ½ to 4 pound beef chuck roast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 peeled julienne yellow onion
2 thinly sliced and rinsed leeks (white and yellow parts only)
6 thinly sliced garlic cloves
1 cup red wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
6 cups beef stock
2 bay leaves
8 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme
8-10 fresh parsley stems with leaves
2 pounds baby Yukon potatoes
6 peeled regular or 10 baby tri-colored carrots cut into 2” inch pieces
4 ribs of celery cut into 2” inch pieces
2 peeled parsnips (cut into 2” inch pieces)
1 peeled rutabaga cut into 1” cubes
1/2 beurre manié recipe
Worcestershire sauce to taste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
optional finely minced parsley for garnish

Cuisine

American

Steps

Generously season the beef on all sides with salt.
Place on a rack over a sheet tray and place uncovered in the refrigerator for 12 to 48 hours.
Remove the beef from the fridge and season with pepper on all sides.
Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven pot over high heat until it smokes lightly.
Place in the beef, turn the heat down to medium, and sear on all sides until it is golden brown all around. This will take 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Set the beef aside on a plate and add the onions and leeks, season with salt, and sauté for 4 to 6 minutes. Then, turn the heat down to low medium and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until the onions are well browned.
Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, which takes 30 to 45 seconds.
Deglaze with ¼ cup of wine and cook until it is completely absorbed.
Next, stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until it is incorporated into the vegetables.⅘
Pour in the ¾ cup wine, beef stock, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
Add back in the seared beef and bring the mixture to a boil. Add on a lid, place it on a rack in the lower third of the oven, and cook at 325° for 3 ½ to 4 hours or until fork tender and has an internal temperature of 200° to 210°.
With about 70 minutes left in the cooking process, add the potatoes, prepared carrots, celery, and any other vegetables to the pot along with the beef and finish cooking alongside the pot roast.
Remove the pot from the oven and carefully set aside only the beef roast. Mix softened butter and flour to make a beurre manie.
Add the beurre manie to the pot with the liquid and vegetables and cook over low to medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens like a gravy.
Finish the mixture by stirring in optional vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.
Add the beef back to the pot and serve.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 821 kcal
Carbohydrates: 59 g
Protein: 62 g
Fat: 36 g
Saturated Fat: 14 g
Trans Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 183 mg
Sodium: 828 mg
Sugar: 13 g
Unsaturated Fat: 22 g

Reviews

Katie Anderson on 2025-12-25 (5 stars):
By far the best pot roast recipe I’ve tried. The buerre manie makes all the difference. Everyone raved.
Jacq on 2025-12-19 (5 stars):
This is insane. It's so good I would eat the whole pot like a golum. The meat is fall apart and flavorful. The gravy and veg are hearty and delicious. Thank you for this. Best recipe ever.
Crystal Huffman on 2025-12-16 (5 stars):
Best pot roast I've ever made. My new "go to". I've made it so often, I can do it without the recipe now. 😄
Bob on 2025-12-15 (5 stars):
I made this recipe yesterday and, whoa, it was delicious. My wife was trying to find an old recipe from her grandmother’s pot roast and she’s glad she didn’t find it. She loved this recipe. You gotta put the time into it but well worth it! Thanks Billy as all your recipes make my family and friends happy.
Leah on 2025-12-13 (5 stars):
Best pot roast ever!!!!
CJ on 2025-12-12 (5 stars):
Fantastic recipe. Cooking it for the first time made everyone falling in love with this pot roast. I didn’t have any tomato paste and omitted it. Second time cooking this meal - I added it and somehow it was not the same. Wondering if sour taste of the paste had something to with it. Definitely will try again. Thanks a million for sharing this. Chef quality cooking at it best!!!
Marilyn on 2025-12-10 (5 stars):
Who knew that pot roast could be tender, juicy and tasty with wonderful gravy. I've been cooking pot roast all wrong for too many years and getting dry, stringy meat. Small secrets like not submerging the meat all the way but only partially covered and prepping the meat in the fridge for a day or two to dry age it and getting a great crust when browning are revelations. I made the pot roast exactly as written but halved the recipe since the chuck roast was only 1 1/2 lbs - perfect for a dinner for two with leftovers. This is the pot roast that comes closest to the one of my childhood, made in a cast iron pot that was handed down from mother to daughter and seasoned from years of cooking pot roast only. Great pot roast, served with buttered noodles and red cabbage and popovers to sop up the gravy. With beef prices so crazy this meal is a really economical way to get your beef jones satisfied and again, the gravy is so good that just it alone on a piece of good Italian bread (a soaker) is a meal in itself.
KABI on 2025-12-09 (5 stars):
I've made this recipe as written and it is amazing. This last time I left out the celery, parsnip and rutabaga. However, I added one carrot and 2 celery stalks, minced, to the leek and onions cooking in the beginning. I actually had 2 people ask if they could lick the bowl! Thank you for this recipe.