Pot Roast Tips and Recipe Review

One. Selecting your Meat
Always use a boneless cut. Probably the most “popular” cut of beef for your Pot Roast is the chuck roast. Know that many cuts, even chuck, have variations among their pieces. For example, there’s shoulder, arm, blade, and chuck roll. Other choices include brisket, rump roast, and top and bottom round. You do not need a well marbled or expensive cut of meat for a pot roast. Pot roast is a braised meat, and the braising process is a slow and low (heat) cooking method with some moisture. Each step in your cooking will enhance flavors and tenderize the meat so you get a fork tender dish with a rich, full bodied sauce.

Two. Choosing Your Pot
If you have a large pot that can fit your roast and 1-2 layers of cut up vegetables - great. It should be a heavy pan that has a tight fitting lid. If your pan (dutch oven preferred) cannot accommodate your roast and vegetables, then you can roast your veggies in the oven.

Some recipes call for braising your pot roast in the oven. This is a totally viable option, especially if you have a gas stove or are concerned about having your stove on for the extended cooking time. On the other hand, stove top cooking is more fun and gives you the added benefit of being able to readily peek, be happy with your liquid levels, and taste your roast as it’s cooking. We have recommended an oven-method (some might say it’s easier since you can walk away…..) recipe as well.

Three. Brown Your Roast
Browning your meat is the most important part of preparing your pot roast regardless of whether you’ll be cooking your roast on the stovetop or in the oven. Browning will make the meat taste great, and the browned bits on the bottom of your pan will become the key part of the flavor of your overall dish.

To brown your meat, follow a few of these tried and true techniques:

1. Start with a 3-5 pound chuck round roast.
2. Make sure your meat is room temperature and dry before browning.
3. Massage your meat a little (rub and knead it a bit) to help tenderize it.
4. Season your meat generously with salt, pepper, and any other seasonings that you love.
5. Use a dutch oven (deep, large pot) for browning your roast. Your pan must be large enough to hold your roast and give you room to maneuver AND hold your vegetables. If your pot is not large enough, that’s OK. You will prepare your vegetables separately.
6. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable, canola, or grapeseed oil (not olive oil) to your pot. Heat at a moderately high (hot, but not smoking) for about 4-5 minutes.
7. Your goal is to brown your roast so it has an even, brown crust with no burnt pieces. So, you will want to regulate the heat of your pan so your meat is sizzling but not so hot that you see or smell “smoke.” Be patient, your roast will take about 5 minutes per side to brown. Use a long handled fork and/or large tongs to turn your roast to brown all sides.
8. Remove roast from pot and set aside in order to cook your vegetables.
9. ChefsLine is the culinary hotline and one of the best ways to experience our service is to speak live with a chef while trying a new cooking technique. We are experts at talking you through the sights, sounds, and smells of cooking. Give us a call while cooking - 1-800-977-1224. This post is already so long….it’s always quicker and easier to talk with one of our chefs live.

Four. Prepare Your Vegetables
Traditional Pot Roast includes onions, carrots, potatoes, parsnips, and celery as part of the braised roast. Following is our suggested combination:

1 medium white onion in large dice
3 stalks of celery, large dice
5 cloves of garlic, chopped

After browning meat, pour excess (or add oil to) from your dutch oven so you have about 1 Tablespoon for cooking your vegetables. If removing oil, set aside. Heat and add vegetables. Cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes.

Five. After Browning Meat and Cooking Vegetables, Deglaze Pot and Making Your “Stock,” or Braising Liquid.

1/2 cup red wine
2 cups beef broth
1 large can tomatoes with liquid
more wine of broth as needed

Now, it’s time to scrape up this pretty brown bits and create your braising liquid. Begin by adding your red wine or if you prefer, beef broth to your pot. (Keep the vegetables in there - just push aside) Cook on medium high heat while scraping the bottom of the pan until your sauce is thickened but covers the bottom of your pan (you can always add more wine or broth). Add salt, pepper, and herbs such as thyme, parsley, and a bay leaf to your sauce while cooking. Bring to a boil. Return your meat to the pot and layer your vegetables along its sides. Add enough tomatoes and juice and beef broth to just cover up to around 1/4 of the way up the side of the roast. Heat while covered until you get a slow boil, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat and keep covered. The key to braising your meat is not only keeping a low and slow simmer (minimal bubbles) but to also keep the liquid to the minimum needed to cook the meat and create your sauce.

Check the roast after 1 1/2 hours with an instant-read thermometer. You should be at about 120-130 degrees by now. Add more liquid if needed.

Six. Prepare More Vegetables
8 new potatoes cut into wedges or large dice of 2 Russet potatoes. Set aside and add to pot later.
2 parsnips peeled and sliced. Set aside and add to pot later.
3 carrots in 2 inch dices/chunks

Add your vegetables about 1/2 way through cooking process or after 1 1/2 hours.

Tips: Be sure to check occasionally and make sure you have enough liquid. Your roast is finished when a large tong fork goes into the center of the roast easily. Your total cooking time will be between 2 1/2-3 /12 hours. It will really depend on your meat and your cooking temperature.

Seven. Meal Time!
Remove your roast and the vegetables. Separate and set aside. Pour the liquid remaining in the pan through a strainer, into a bowl, pressing down on the strainer to extract as much of the juices from the chopped vegetables as possible. Skim the fat from the surface of the juices and return about 4 Tablespoons of fat, or, add a 1/4 stick of butter to the pot. Using a wooden spoon, add a Tablespoon of flour or cornstarch to the butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour/fat mixture has turned a nice brown color (about the color of peanut butter.) Slowly whisk the reserved cooking juices back into the flour/fat mixture, adding additional liquid as needed to make a smooth, not too thick gravy. Season the gravy to taste with salt and black pepper.

Slice your roast or serve it on a platter with the vegetables.

Recipes we have reviewed and can recommend:

Home-Style Pot Roast With Vegetables and Gravy - stovetop
Pot Roast with Roasted Vegetables - stovetop
Zinfandel Pot Roast with Glazed Carrots and Fresh Sage - oven method