Classic Beef Pot Roast

I've been craving roast beef for ages now and finally came across a good cut at the store.
I used bacon fat to brown the meat, and didn't have beef stock so I used a combo of chicken and mushroom (odd I know, but that's all I had) and accidentally put in 2 more ounces than required, but that didn't affect anything really. I didn't measure the carrots or potatoes and I threw in some small whole onions as well. For seasonings, I added some fresh rosemary as well as the thyme and a few shots of Worcestershire and used a cabernet merlot for the wine.
The meat came out absolutely amazing! It could have gone a bit longer to be "fall apart at a touch" but it shredded into large chunks nicely and I used the copious liquid to make gravy. This recipe is for sure going into my list. Thanks!

I cooked this during thanksgiving using the Slow-cooker version, and it was delicious! I came back so I could make it again, but now I can't find the Slow-cooker version? Was it removed? I remember the ingredients were practically the same, but it had Slow-cooker times and instructions. Can someone guide me to that version?

This recipe is simple and worthy of the Five Star rating!  One thing though... the recipe as is states it yields "10 servings"...I doubled the recipe (6lbs of meat) and I served it to a group of 7 men and there was barely enough for each of them to have one hearty bowl - there were NO leftovers and I'm sure some would have gone back for seconds had there been a crumb left to eat.  Don't get me wrong, they didn't NEED seconds, but I'm just saying - "10 servings???" I don't think so. 

This is the best pot roast I have ever had ! It is the only one I have ever made! There is no reason to attempt another recipe!

I followed the recipe precisely except I used dried thyme. It was amazing!. I am not a wiz in the kitchen; in fact I rarely cook. This was so easy to make and tasted incredible. I tried a pot roast recipe last year that failed miserably. I'm so happy I tried to make another pot roast and that I found this recipe. I may need to frame it so I can easily find it again. ; )

I wasn't sure this recipe could meet the positive reviews I had read but sure nough it did! I cooked a much larger roast in a cast-iron, non-enameled, family dutch oven i have. I'd read the feedback and left the carrots and potatoes out until the last 1 1/2 hours. I added another onion at that time as well. I used venison broth I've recently made. Talk about knock out rich flavours. I don't usually think of pulled beef as being a roast but I will from now on. Oh, I still will do my prime ribs but this will be a much more common weekly winter meal, more of a stew than a roast. Comfort food for sure. I'm ketogenic, but for those who are not, try adding some spoon biscuits on top of this baby before serving!! Thanks for a great and simple recipe.

I recently bought a nice new dutch oven, and just to cook something different for my husband and myself on Thanksgiving, I made this classic pot roast instead of the whole traditional turkey spread. 

It was utterly delicious, as well as being a precise and easy to follow recipe. A total success.

Highly recommended!

I prepared per recipe with only minor changes (included celery, added a couple extra bay leaves, a couple extra cloves of garlic, and added more beef stock when I added the veggies to the pot since I used more of everything than called for in the recipe). Used a Staub cast iron dutch oven and cut veggies on the large side. The meal was absolutely delicious. I was worried that the wine would make the flavor too strong but it was just right. I made gravy with the liquid once i removed everything from the pot (just added some flour to cold water to blend then tossed into liquid and simmered for a few minutes). Yum, yum and more yum.


Funny thing - once everything in the pot was simmering away I ran to the post office (which is next door to a restaurant) to mail a package. When I was at the counter, one of the clerks said to the other - "I wonder what they're cooking next door, it smells so good!" (it was me and my pot roast aroma!! yikes - not sure if it was a compliment or if I should be embarrassed!)

All I can say is Wow! What an incredible dish - one of my family favorites!

Used a 3 lb., 7-bone roast & seasoned with appx. 1.5 tsp. salt & 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper.  Browned in a heavy frying pan in appx. 1 tsp. each, canola + olive oil, then (because my dutch oven was too small for the diameter of this roast), transferred to a sprayed Pyrex baking dish, while the oven was pre-heating.  Deglazed the frying pan with the wine (used a decent red blend), then added 14 oz. of my home-made bone broth (no sodium!!).  Added tip: I freeze the bone broth in whatever large ice cube and silicone cupcake pans I can get my hands on, then pop them out and keep them in ziplock bags in the freezer, so easy to grab what I need).  Poured the wine & broth mixture over the meat in the glass dish, sprinkled with 2 tsp. of dried Thyme, 2 tsp. minced garlic (from a jar) and 3 bay leaves.  Covered and baked on 325 degrees (convection), for 1.5 hrs.  Removed appx. 1 c. of broth to make gravy w/ a flour slurry, on top of the stove.  Spread 2 Tbsp. Worstershire, whisked together with 1 Tbsp. tomato paste on top of the roast, topped with the sliced onions and baked another 45 minutes (covered).  Added carrots for another 20 or so (covered), then increased temp. to 350, added potato wedges, a sprinkle of kosher salt and baked for another 15 minutes (covered). Uncovered, basted the veggies and the roast, then baked, uncovered for another 20 minutes.  All veggies were perfectly cooked, had flavor from the roast and still had some texture as we're not fans of mushy veggies.Giving this 4/5 because it takes longer to get tender than the recipe indicates.

I think this is my favourite pot roast recipe ever. So easy and flavourful. I made exactly as the recipe indicated but used a deep ovenproof skillet instead of a dutch oven. The wine really elevates a simple pot roast by making the sauce so rich and delicious.

This was so easy and turned out drop dead delicious.I did make a couple changes. I used 2 containers of chicken bone broth (each held 2 lbs of broth) from the local co-op instead of the beef broth and wine (he hates the taste of wine or beer in cooking). It seems like a lot of liquid but you'll want the extra sauce it makes. I used a large red onion, six cloves garlic and all the other herbs listed. Stirred in about a tablespoon of Tumeric and baked it for 2 1/2 hours. Then added the carrots and one large parsnip peeled & sliced. At this point, I also added 2 to 3 tablespoons Worcestershire and dried porcini mushrooms that I ground to a powder in a coffee grinder - 1/3 cup powder. These both gave it a wonderful depth and richness and the ground mushrooms also helped thicken the broth. Put it in the oven for another 1 1/4 hours with potatoes baking on the oven rack beside it. Pulled it apart with forks and served it covered with the sauce. New favorite.

This is an old wives' tale. Searing (browning) absolutely does not seal in the juices. It's been scientifically proven, repeatedly. Alton Brown (as have many others) did the experiment and showing the results.

This has become our new go-to recipe for roast.  I don't change a thing, make it exactly as written, and it is delicious. Don't skip pre-browning, it seals in the juices!  The wine tenderizes the chuck, which is a flavorful but sometimes tough cut of meat.  This recipe is a keeper.

I made this last night and it turned out awesome! I did add additional veggies, mushrooms, string beans. Dinner was for 6 people and everyone loved it. This is my "go to" recipe for pot roast. The roast just fell apart with a fork. One change I think I'll make next time is to not add potatoes but rather serve the pot roast on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes. 

Followed recipe exactly and it came out delicious.  A keeper!

Why bother to even use the recipe if you won't try it as it is written the first time.  You can make changes if you want when you make it the second time. You people who alter recipes without trying them first irritate me no end. 

My roast was chewy.  The taste was great as was the heavy.  What did I do wrong to make it chewy ?

What a great recipe. I followed the ingredients and instructions, except i didnt use any beef broth since i was afraid of the sodium. I just added 1/2 cup of water and tomatoes.

I also added zucchini and mushroom since im a vegatble fanatic and got rid of the potatoes!

I also added green onions to the sauté and cut up some habanero peppers. Long story short, it was FANTASTIC.

I have made this pot roast many times now.  It is AMAZING, I have made pot roast about every way you can think of, slow cooker, pressure cooker, stove top, oven, in a pit on coals etc.... This recipe takes the cake.  I have made it for family and friends. My mom and my mother in law have both now switched to this recipe over the old betty crocker pot roast and the family hand me down pot roast.  If you are a fan of comfort food and meat this is a recipe for you. I have followed the directions exactly and switched out with different cuts of meat and haven't been disappointed yet.  

We live in Wisconsin and we're avid hunters. Therefore, roast is a staple in our home. This is an AMAZING recipe to deviate from my typical preparation. Definitely don't skip the thyme; it adds such an incredible flavor to the juice. I like to add in a pork roast along with my beef/venison roast, and double the juice ingredients. Then when it's cooked and falling apart, I remove everything and get it boiling hard on the stove. I add a milk/flour mixture to make gravy...wowzas, it's good. I often serve this for Sunday family supper and it's always a huge hit.

The difference of Red Wine and Red Cooking Wine is that coking wine has salt in it so they can sell it in Grocery stores!!!

I didn't have any beef broth in the house, so I put a can of diced organic tomatoes, 2/3 cups water, 1/2 cup pinot noir vinegar, and the drippings from browning the roast (canola oil and butter used for this) into my Vitamix along with some Penzy's dried garlic...and then blended it all. Poured it over the pot roast and cooked it 2.5 hours at 350 in my Le Creuset dutch oven. It is so tender and tasty. The best I've had!

I purchased a dutch oven on Black Friday and i'd been itching to try it out. Googled pot roast recipes and this one won my heart. I did everything as the recipe reads except i didnt use any Tyme. Used a bag of baby carrots instead of cutting up my own. It is so good & even better the next day. It seems like the flavor was much better tasted on the second day. The red wine paired with the beef broth makes a great match for the juice. My potatoes were cut small and made the juice thick but i didnt mind at all. IT was so good. I am attaching a picture. Made cornbread to pair with it.

The best Pot Roast I have ever eaten. "Sorry Mom"

*hearty

This will be a new family favorite for sure.

We're having it again tonight!

This was definitely a family favorite.

This was my favorite

Added cornstarch to thicken the juices, otherwise followed the recipe as written. Delicious!!

I have been making Mom's pot roast for 40 years in a pressure cooker.  It's very good.  I just bought a dutch oven a few months ago, and decided to make a pot roast a different way...in the dutch oven. It was fabulous!  My husband and son loved it too.  It was much more moist and very different than Mom's recipe.  My husband asked for mashed potatoes.  I also usually don't add alcohol to my recipes, but I added some red cooking wine.  It was terrific.  This will replace my pot roast recipe from now on.  Thanks so much.

This is a regular in our menu but sometimes I use a leaner cut of meat and it comes with the same results.

Made per recipe except used Bisto to this ken juices to a gravy. Excellent.

After many years of trying pot roasts recipes this one has come out the sure winner! I didn't add the potatoes instead added cut up mushrooms and served it over mashed garlic potatoes. It had great flavour and since there are only 2 of us we had a few delicious leftover dinners. I then did what a previous reviewer said and made beef barley soup by adding some extra peas and pearl onions. THIS IS A KEEPER

Made to recipe except we didn't peel the yukons. Excellent, wouldn't change a thing. Served with CL's brussels sprouts with thyme.

1-5-08; This was excellent. I used a 2.2 lb trimmed blade roast. Cook veggies for only 25 minutes and check. For 2.2 lb. roast, I used 1 cup red wine and 1 can broth and it was a perfect upping of the liquid. Worth serving over some brown rice, mashed potatoes, or with some crusty bread.

Excellent. Made exactly as directed. So much better in the oven than the crock pot recipes.

This recipe is fantastic! Extremely flavorful and the best I've ever had. After the first 1 1/2 hours I did add a half cup more of both wine and water to make a little more sauce. Leftovers delicious too.

This was my first time cooking a pot roast OMG! It was the best pot roast I've ever eaten in my life. I followed the recipe exactly except I added a couple of tablespoons of flour after the onions were sauteed then deglazed with just a little of the wine, I also added mushrooms with the carrots and potatoes and it was superb! The gravy came out perfect, not thin and not too thick. I can't wait to eat the leftovers tonight. I will definitely be making this again and again and again and would not hesitate to serve to company.

This was a big hit! I accidentally bought a 2 lb roast instead of 3lb, so I added more carrots and used the same amount of liquid based on other reviews I read. I was worried I wouldn't like the wine so I used 1/2c wine and beef broth for the rest. Otherwise, everything was as directed and it came out perfect! I definitely think it is important to keep the potatoes in large chunks as they are pretty soft in the end and will break apart easily. So delicious and juicy!

Loved this recipe, I would not change it at all. It was so delicious!

New family favorite. I followed the recipe with a few modifications to make it easier for me. After I browned the roast, I placed it in my crockpot. Then I cooked the onions, added on top of my roast and deglazed my skillet with the red wine before adding it to the crockpot. I added a bag of the peeled small carrots and I halved or quartered unpeeled, small red potatoes. I added the bay leaf, garlic, etc. and cooked in the crockpot on high for about 45 minutes, then on low for 5 hours. It was yummy!

I haven't made pot roast in over 25 years. Just seemed to boring. I bought chuck & didn't want to go through the trouble of moussaka so I looked up pot roast. Soooooo glad I did. My husband is ill & finding food to peak his appetite is a challenge. Just smelling it cook got his appetite aroused. I could not believe how much he ate & enjoyed. I felt like weeping. Great recipe. My only change was adding green beans a while after the carrots. I also thickened the sauce with some corn starch but next time I will grate some potato to thicken the gravy. Bravo!!!!! This will be a staple recipe in my home & will proudly serve it to company. E mailed to my daughters who are excellent cooks.

Making this for dinner tonight! It looks Awesome!

This was really good BUT it took way longer to cook than the recipe called for, not sure if it is my oven. Taste was really good though.

Delicious! I've always made CL's Yankee Pot Roast but decided to give this recipe a try - glad I did. Per other readers I added 1 T. each Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste with the red wine and beef broth. Next time I might make mashed potatoes and use carrots, turnips and mushrooms. Highly recommended and a big hit with the family!

I make the same additions that purpleOnkey makes and the meal does not disappoint.

This is the perfect pot roast. I like to change up a few little things like adding extra garlic and I always love to add a bit of dijon mustard to my pot roasts. I will typically make mashed potatoes on the side so I will usually leave out the potatoes and instead put rainbow carrots (makes it extra pretty!) and mushrooms. Great recipe!

Great roast. The flavors went well together and it was not hard to make.

Excellent recipe. Added 1 tbl tomato paste with wine mixture and 1 tbl Worcestershire sauce when adding carrots and potatoes. Added 8oz mushroom last 1/2 hr.

My family loved this recipe. I'll be making this again.

Anyone have a copycat recipe for BJ Brewhouse's Pot Roast? It's delicious!

This recipe was very good and not too salty, as many pot roast recipes can be, especially when they call for onion soup mix. The only issue I had was with the cut of meat, just too fatty (I used chuck). Next time I will use a first cut briscuit which is the cut of meat that I traditionally use for pot roast. Very nice flavor though!

Delicious! I have hesitated to make pot roast because chuck can be so fatty. Before cooking, I untied the roast, trimmed off most of the fat, and retied. I followed the recipe exactly per instructions. Next time I may add a bit more liquid as we love the sauce. As others have said, the onions just melted into it. Will definitely make again.

Agree with everyone here that this is the tastiest pot roast recipes. My husband, who is the ultimate food critic/snob said this was excellent. Excellent! Followed the recipe exactly except I used dried thyme instead of fresh, the most wonderful indescribable flavor with the most tender meat. Can't wait to make this again!!

Disappointing. I tend to think of pot roast as a hardy meal with a gravy vs liquid broth. This would make good beef sandwiches but not a pot roast dinner.

Throw out all the other pot roast recipes. This one rules.

I added celery and more bay leaves - other that followed exactly and was delicious served with spaetzle. Thanks!

Excellent Recipe and a complete hit! The only thing I added was a dash of "Love" :)

Good classic recipe

This was a fool proof recipe. I substituted both a can of gravy and a cup of water for both the beef broth and the wine. I also simmered on top of the stove instead of putting in the oven. Adding the potatoes and the carrots during the last hour (after the meat cooked for 3 1/2 hours) allows these items to keep their flavor. I made the pot roast 3 times and it came out great tasting each time.

Great recipe. I just added red wine vinegar as well as pinot noir, and then, a tablespoon of tomato paste in the last 20 minutes. Had to repeat all over again the next day. It was that good.

Easy, delicious and the house smells divine!! This recipe is a big winner!

Absolutely delicious! I use only grass fed beef so I brought the meat to room temperature and reduced cooking times on each by 15mins. I also used a LeCreuset cast iron pot which may have made the difference in keeping the meat so tender. Added turnips to the veg mix. The second hour could probably be reduced further to 35-40 mins. I have a good crockpot recipe as well, but this beat it by far. Other than that, I followed the recipe to a T.

The best pot roast recipe I've made yet.

Simply just put everything in a slow cooker and cooked in on low for about 8 hours. Delicious and easy! The meat fell apart.

My husband and I had this for dinner tonight, it was so tender, and tasted so good, we will be making this again.

i love this recipe. the ONLY thing i would change on it is the temperature. maybe 250, or 300... it does cook too fast. but it makes the most wonderful gravy!!

Never again! I did everything exactly as stated in the recipe and have cooked roast before but the time on this recipe must be off. My roast was fully cooked in less than one hour and was very bland. Im sticking with my southern living recipe!

Simply wonderful! The best pot roast I have ever had. My children never eat pot roast, this one they ate. This one is a keeper

i usually do not like pot roast. this was amazing! i used a cabernet sauvugnon and YUM! perfect. don't change a thing.

Awesome and easy.

This was so good! The smell of the wine, onions, and garlic, were so good I wanted to eat the beef raw NO KIDDING!! (Thank God I'm not an idiot, lol). I did not have a dutch oven and did not know if the red wine in my cabinet was dry or not, but I used it any way. I used my trusty cast iron skillet and double foiled the top, it turned out perfect. However, I am now in the market for a dutch oven!!! My meat was tender, flavorful, and went perfect over a bed of mashed potatoes!! Awesome recipe!

Good.

First roast I made in my new dutch oven. The roast was amazing! Added some turnips that were delivered to me from my organic CSA. Delicious!

I don't enjoy meats cooked in wine. I think I'll try a different roast next time. It wasn't bad, just not my cup of tea.

This is one of the best pot roast recipes I've ever had. And it's pretty easy, too. We usually enjoy it with homemade biscuits - definitely the perfect companion for the gravy! One of our favorite "cool weather" meals as it does heat up the house over that time.

One of the best pot roasts I have ever made - definately a keeper!

No doubt about it...the best pot roast I've ever tried. I used a sirloin tip instead of chuck, and I used sparkling grape/apple juice instead of the wine, but it made delicious juice which I served over biscuits. It was a hit at the dinner table.

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I agree that the carrots took longer to cook than did the potatoes, and I used baby carrots at that. Nonetheless, it was delicious. I tried to save calories by NOT eating bread with it, but what a loss . . . the sauce does beg for being dipped into with a crusty baguette. I will make this again. I prefer it over other recipes I have made for years in the crock pot.

Very easy and very very good! I added sliced shrooms and a packet of onion soup mix to it when I tasted it and it was a bit bland. After that... pretty darn good. I only give 5 stars to recipes with cheese... however, a little shaved parm on top might be good on this!

I LOVE this recipe it tastes WoNdErFuL! I did change a few things, Such as i use regular organic chicken broth and have doubled the ingredients so i have more of the cooking liquid because it tastes so wonderful. But did not add more potatoes and carrots. But i do add more onions. The organic chicken broth makes it taste a lot better than a organic beef broth. Never the less this is a wonderful recipe its the best pot roast ever!

I am not quite sure how such a simple recipe could produce such complex and delicious flavors. I only had a cheap bottle of zin and this came out amazing! All five kids and husband slathered their meat and potatoes with the "gravy" It was fabulous! My husband is not a fan of chuck roast either and he was back for seconds.

I tried this recipe actually as written and found it to be wonderful! I used Chianti for the wine and I will try a Merlot next time. I recently tried it with a sweeter red wine but I didn't care for that as well. I've also added mushrooms to the recipe and it came out delicious! This is now my standard pot roast recipe

I'm an avid Cooking Light reader and this recipe has to be my favorite! You would never know it was "light;" two keys to making this recipe outstanding is the quality of the meat and the flavor of the wine. Look for a nicely marbled roast throughout and don't be afraid to really brown it in the pan on all sides before popping it in the oven; all those browned pieces really help make the stock complex. Also, we have tried various red wines in this recipe, but by far Beringer Founder's Estate Cab. Savingon is the best to go with the roast. Once you pop the cork you have the rest of the bottle to go with your wonderful meal! This is definitely a put it in the oven and forget it meal; great on football sundays!

This is the best pot roast I have ever made. It's easy to prepare and full of flavor. I made an additional small batch of the sauce in a saucepan while the pot roast cooked (wine, broth, thyme, seasoning). I found the pot roast's sauce to be sufficient but my husband was happy to have extra, particularly for the leftovers. I served the roast with some warm, crusty Italian bread - yum! I'll definitely make this recipe again.

This was really tasty. The only thing I did differently was add more beef stock - I used 3 cans and 2 cans of water because I wanted more gravy - I was using a 4 lb. roast. I also did this on the stovetop rather than in the oven. It was a hit with my husband!

I thought this pot roast was just so-so. Tasted like pot roast, nothing special. Actually, the wine did make it "special," but not necessarily in a good way. I used a Cabernet Sauvignon and it added a kick of sweetness that I could have done without. I found, too, that the potatoes cooked faster than the carrots. If I were to make this again, I would add the carrots at least 15 minutes before the potatoes. And, salt, salt, salt! I felt like I was loading on the salt before browning, but the dish lacked in saltiness.

Excellent pot roast. Easy to prepare, used bottom round roast as it was on sale. Cooked it at 350 for 3 hours then left it in the oven with heat off until ready to eat another 30 min. Rave reviews.

Served to friends last night. Everyone raved about the tenderness of the boneless chuck roast. Great flavor! I'm no gourmet cook but the compliments on my pot roast really made me feel like a pretty good cook! I definitely will serve this classic delight again soon! I love the results!

Flavor is indescribable.I never fallow the recipes with the exact amount as the recipe, but in the end is the same recipe with a personal touch. In spanish its call sazon. Today i'm making it again with a little twist. Instead of chicken broth, Im using soy sauce mixed with the wine, kinda like ppl prepare brisket in Texas. anyway, I let you guys know how it went.

Wow, this was good. I never made pot roast before, but I followed the instructions basically to the letter (though I used more carrots and mashed the potatoes, wow) and it was really easy and tasty. Now I'm swollen and bloated with delicious meat and potatoes!

This was great! I was skeptical that 2.5 hours in the oven would make it tender, but shredding it with the 2 forks worked well, and the meat was moist and tender. I might let it go alittle longer next time, in the first round in the oven. Also, I used Chicken Broth instead of beef, and a cheap Shiraz. The cut I used was a 2.5 lb bottom round. It was really delicious and I'll make it again, maybe for company next time. I used my Le Crueset dutch oven which works great for this, and cleanup was easy.

This is my go-to pot roast recipe and my family absolutely inhales it. Chuck roast performs the best for me, but I do frequently use bottom round roast because my grocery store has it on sale more often and it is delicious, too, though not quite as tender. I often use larger cuts of meat as well and just add more veggies and liquid. I always have leftovers which I make into beef stew by adding some additional beef broth. My husband loves the leftovers as much as the roast. Highly recommend.

The best pot roast I have ever made! I doubled up on carrots and left out the potatoes but I will try them next time. I also deglazed my pan w/ the red wine. In hindsight, I should have increased the amount b/c I didn't end up with much liquid in the end. Still yet...it was wonderful!

We love this roast, my husband enjoys the leftovers as much as the first time around. I sometimes leave out the potatoes and serve it with mash potatoes since the sauce is so tasty or you could sop it up with french bread, yummy. I think the thyme adds a lot. For those who thought it was tough, you must use a chuck roast, I prefer a shoulder roast, leaner roast will be tougher.

This was absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making this again. I did not have fresh thyme so I used about 3/4 tsp dried. So impressive I would definitely serve this for company. I do live at high altitude so I baked it for 2 hours then added the vegetables and baked for another 1-3/4 hours. Turned out perfect. The only complaint was that we should have doubled the wine and beef broth so we could have had more of the juices for our meat and veggies!