The Perfect Pot Roast

Close up of plated pot roast chunks, with carrots and potatoes behind it. In the background is red Dutch oven with serving spoon.

Learning how to make the perfect pot roast is not as hard as you may think. This is a family favorite that generations are sure to remember and fall in love with.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 777kcal

Author Rachel Gurk

Ingredients

4 pound chuck roast
1 tablespoon salt, plus a little more for seasoning the vegetables
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon paprika
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for cooking the onion
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
6-8 carrots, cut into 1 -inch chunks
2 parsnips, cut into 1 -inch chunks
4 medium sized potatoes, cut into quarters
3 cups beef broth (use low sodium or unsalted)
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh rosemary

Instructions

Remove silver skin on the roast: start at one end of the roast, poke a fork into the silver skin and then pick it up in your fingers in a pinching motion and cut underneath it to remove it, while pushing the blade of your knife away from you towards the other end of the meat.
In a small bowl, mix the salt, garlic salt, and paprika. Using your hands, pat the salt mixture on the roast. If your entire roast isn’t covered, add a little more salt. Next spoon the olive oil over the salted roast and pat it on so that the whole roast is covered in olive oil.
Place oiled/salted roast into a Dutch oven and sear it over high heat until it is brown on all sides (about 5 minutes). To brown the meat, simply let it sit for a few minutes on each side, don’t constantly flip it. Only use tongs or a spatula to flip your meat, don’t poke it with a fork.
Remove browned roast from the Dutch oven and let it rest on a plate. In the now empty Dutch oven, add a dash of oil, and add the onion. Cook until the onions start to become translucent, stirring occasionally (about 5 minutes) then add the garlic and stir, and then add the carrots, parsnips, and potatoes and a few dashes of salt. Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables start to brown a little (about 5 minutes).
Gently push the vegetables to the sides of the Dutch oven and nestle the roast in the middle. Pour beef broth over the meat and vegetables and place rosemary and thyme on top. Cover with a lid and cook on medium-low for 4 hours, or until the meat falls apart when touched with a fork.
To serve, remove a few vegetables from the pot and desired amount of meat. I just leave the herb stalks in the pot until I’m done serving, then I remove them. Enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition information is based on a 4 lb. roast with vegetables.

Nutrition