Growing up, I remember there were a handful of recipes my mom knew by heart because she made them so often. Something she could prepare quickly, throw in the oven and then coordinate multiple dinner-times amidst the chaotic schedules of three overly-involved daughters. Pot roast was one of those dishes. Plenty of vegetables and protein and enough to serve my dad seconds.
Fast forward to my adult-self, I thought about giving this recipe a makeover, but still keeping the integrity of dish. Since I had Indigenous People’s Day off this week, I thought, why not spend some time experimenting!
A few things I learned and elevated about this dish to make it better than the rest.
Truss the meat. What the hell does that mean? I asked myself the same question. Basically, it means tying up the meat with some butcher’s twine. This is useful because often these large pieces of meat are cut unevenly, so when you truss it, it helps the cut retain its shape, cook evenly and retain its yummy juices until serving. Plus, it’s aesthetically pleasing. If you want to see how this is done, here’s my demonstration video!
Braise the chuck roast. This essentially means that first, you sear the big hunk of meat in hot oil so it gets a nice crispy brown exterior; then cook it in liquid (in this case red wine and beef broth) for several hours until it becomes so tender it instantly falls apart when you cut into it. I trick I learned to ensure a crisp sear is to lightly pat the meat with a little bit of flour after trussing it.
Tie the herbs. You can likely use whatever herbs you have on hand, but thyme and rosemary contribute to the earthiness of the dish and stand up well to the big greasy piece of meat! Instead of having piney herbs whirlpooling around the broth, tie them together with some twine (on their stems), and drop it right in.
Use red wine. As it turns out, it pairs extremely well with braising beef and gives the roast an extra depth of earthy, rich and juicy flavors. Dry wine is best to use and a very friendly salesman at Harris Teeter successfully sold me a bottle of 14 Hands Red Blend which was heavy on the Syrah. After taste testing it at the store (yay for samples being back!), I was convinced this would work.
Puree the broth. After the roast cooks in the oven for a few hours, reserve half of the broth/vegetables then puree the other half (yes, broth and veggies). If you have an immersion blender, you can do this right in the Dutch oven – praise. This gives the sauce a lot more texture as it thickens it up almost becoming stew-like, which I love.
This perfectly cozy fall meal will surely delight your crowd for Sunday night dinner. And while some of these steps may seem extra, I promise you, it’s worth it. A little bit of extra lovin’ will give this dish the IT factor it deserves as you witness your friends get up for seconds or even thirds.
A few extra tips and suggestions:
I need a killer side dish. Recs? Creamed spinach. While I know mashed potatoes are the status quo, there are already potatoes in the roast, so it would be carb overload for me dawg. Creamed spinach adds light and vibrant greens to the dish sauteed in onion, garlic and cheese which pairs well with the heavy roast.
Have extra broth and/or sauce? Put it in an airtight container and stick it in the freezer. This should last for a few months. When you’re ready to eat it, let it thaw at room temperate for a few hours, then put it in a pot with a little extra broth or water and bring to simmer before serving.
Have extra meat?This braised beef would taste great in some tacos, on top of a loaded baked potato or even a hearty sandwich!
If you have homemade chicken or beef stock, you can use that to elevate the dish even more!
I don’t drink alcohol, help. No problem – just omit the red wine and use beef broth instead.
Equipment you’ll need:
Dutch oven
Butchers twine
Kitchen scissors
Immersion blender or blender
Sunday Night Pot Roast
With a sophisticated & elevated flare to this southern comfort classic, this dish comes together with warm rustic colors and earthy flavors that would put Cracker Barrel to shame. After hours of braising in red wine, this roast is undeniably juicy.
Preheat a dutch oven on the stovetop to medium-high heat.
Pat dry the beef chuck-eye. Then truss the meat using butcher’s twine. Click here for my demonstration video on how to do this and refer to my notes in the blog post above for more details. Do not skip this step!
Heavily salt and pepper the roast, then lightly flour the exterior of the meat.
Once the dutch oven is hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sear the roast on each side for about 4 minutes (including the sides) until crispy and brown.
Remove the roast from the dutch oven and place on a plate to rest.
Prepare the Vegetables and Cook Roast
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the beef greased dutch oven and turn to medium heat. Add celery and onions and sauté for a few minutes. Then add the carrots, parsnips and garlic. Sauté for about 10 minutes, until tender. Add salt and pepper between each added ingredient.
Pour red wine, beef stock, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce over the vegetable mixture and bring to a boil. Add generous amount of salt and pepper.
Tie the herbs, rosemary and thyme, together with butcher’s twine and add to the pot.
Add the chuck-eye back into the pot and place on top of herbs. Spoon juices over the top of the meat.
Add potatoes to the sides of the pot. Cover with the lid.
Place in the oven for two hours then without opening the oven door, turn down the oven temperature to 265 for another hour or so until the meat is tender.
Finishing Touches
Remove the pot from the oven. If you have a thermometer, check that the internal temperature of the meat is 160 degrees.
Remove the roast from the pot and set aside. Discard bouquet of herbs. Remove half of the vegetables and broth from the pot and set aside.
Using an immersion blender, puree the remaining half of the vegetables and broth until thick. Then, add back the reserved vegetables/broth. The texture should be almost stew-like.
Cut the twine from the roast and slice to desired thickness (or it may just fall apart on its own)!
Serve warm and spoon the sauce/broth over the meat and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
Side dish recommendation: creamed spinach instead of mashed potatoes!
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