Is there anything more warming or comforting on cold Winter’s day than a hearty tender serving of pot roast? For the sake of this blog post, we’re going to go with no. If pot roast doesn’t take the top spot, it’s definitely top 5. This recipe is incredibly simple, but still packs tons of flavor. Since I work from home, I can do all the prep and get it in the oven in between meetings. Winner winner pot roast dinner!
The first version of this pot roast was inspired by The Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Pot Roast. Her recipe is amazing as it is, but over the years I’ve added two things that give this recipe a little something extra delicious! First, I add a whole head of garlic to the pot and allow it cook with the beefy broth. Then I use the soft beefy garlic cloves to make a thick luscious gravy from the jus. The gravy would make an old shoe taste delicious. I also LOVE that in the right Dutch oven, like this Le Creuset round Dutch oven, the cooking vessel and serving vessel are one in the same! I’m always a fan of less dishes!
Truth be told, I only take the extra steps to make the gravy on my husband’s request. He loves the thick luscious gravy. I prefer the beefy jus just as it comes out of the oven. The great news it’s incredibly delicious either way! Either of us will happily make a marital compromise to eat this dish any way it’s served.
Recipe Evolution – Dutch Oven Pot Roast Garlic Gravy
Garlic is right up there with butter and bacon as a favorite ingredient for me. If you were to take an inventory of my kitchen you’d find heads of garlic, prepared minced garlic, garlic powder, garlic salt, garlic oil….you get the point. I love garlic. Unlike butter and bacon, if you Google garlic, you’ll find that it’s not only DELICIOUS, but also has health benefits. Garlic didn’t make it into this recipe because of it’s health benefits, but since we’re heading towards a new year, I figured I’d mention it.
A whole head of garlic slow cooks in the jus picking up the rich beefiness of the broth and a touch of sweetness making it the perfect addition to the gravy. If you’re more of a jus person, like me, the flavor the head of garlic adds to the jus is unreal! I’ve also used the beefy garlic cloves in my mashed potatoes if the head yields too many cloves for the gravy. Talk about a fantastic way to amp up your mashed potato game!
Keys to Dutch Oven Pot Roast Success
- The meat! There are all kinds of roast. For the perfect dutch oven pot roast, chuck roast is the clear winner. Lots of marbling and the shape of a chuck roast make it ideal for pot roast.
- The browner the better! From caramelizing the veggies to searing the meat, don’t be afraid to get dark brown color. Brown food tastes good! Of course, you don’t want to burn anything, but if you follow the heat recommendations in the recipe that shouldn’t be an issue. Don’t be alarmed if the bottom of the pan gets really dark. Those dark bits will add deep rich flavor when you deglaze with the wine or stock.
- Let it be. I know it’s tempting to want to check on your roast, but wait until the very end of your cook time to check on your roast. The Dutch oven is doing it’s magic and you don’t want to release that magic by lifting the lid too early.
- Don’t rush it. Roasts by nature are tougher cuts of meat with lots of connective tissue. Low and slow cooking will relax that connective tissue and you’ll have tender, melt in your mouth pot roast. If you rush it, the connective tissue will not relax (connective tissue and I have this in common) and you’ll have grizzly tough roast.
- Revist the Roux – I did a whole blog post on making a great roux. Click here for a refresher.
- Don’t cut the veggies too small. The veggies are going to cook down to be fork tender so leaving them on the larger side while cooking will keep them from turning to total mush.
Dutch Oven Pot Roast
Equipment
- large Dutch oven or oven safe pot
- Measuring cups and spoons
- tongs
- kitchen knife
- vegetable peeler
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1 3-5 lbs chuck roast
- 2 large yellow onions peeled and quartered
- 6-8 carrots peeled and cut into 3 inch pieces
- 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
- 1 cup dry red wine red blend, cabernet sauvignon, malbec – substitute an additional cup of beef stock or broth if you prefer not to cook with wine
- 2-3 cups low sodium beef stock or broth
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme OR 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary OR 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 head garlic top sliced off
Gravy
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- smashed cloves from head of garlic cooked with the roast
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275°F
- Combine salt and pepper and generously rub both sides of the chuck roast, allow to sit and absorb the seasoning for 10 minutes
- Heat a large oven safe pot or 3 ½ -4 quart dutch oven over med-high heat with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- Once hot, caramelize the flat sides of the quartered onions. Once they are a deep brown, remove and set aside
- Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and add the carrots to caramelize. Once caramelized, remove and set aside with the onions
- If needed, add the last tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pot and sear the chuck roast on all sides. Once seared, remove and set aside with carrots and onions. The bottom of the pot should be dark brown
- Slowly add the red wine to deglaze the bottom of the pot while using a metal whisk whisking constantly to scrape all of the brown off the bottom of the pot.
- Turn off the heat and place the caramelized carrots, onions in the bottom of the pot followed by the seared roast over the top.
- Slowly add the beef stock or broth until about ⅓ of the roast is above the liquid, depending on the thickness of your roast you may not need all three cups of stock/broth.
- Add rosemary, thyme and head of garlic (cut side up) and cover with a lid.
- Cook in the preheated 275°F oven for approximately 3 hours for a 3 lbs roast. Add 30 minutes/lbs of roast for roasts over 3 lbs or until the meat easily pulls apart.
- The jus created with this roast is delicious as it is, however, if you prefer a thicker gravy with your pot roast follow the gravy steps. This will add about 15 minutes to the prep time.
- If not making gravy, use tongs to break up the meat in the jus and transfer to a trivet on your table to serve.
Garlic Beef Gravy
- Remove the roast, onions and carrots to your desired oven safe serving piece and cover with aluminum foil. To keep warm for up to one hour, reduce oven temperature to 200°F and return to oven.
- Place the dutch oven or large pot on the stove over medium-low heat to keep warm.
- Push the soft cloves of garlic out of the head into a small bowl and smash well with a fork to make a paste.
- In a fresh medium saucepan, over med heat, make a roux by melting butter until it starts to bubble, then slowly whisking in the flour, one tablespoon at a time
- Cook until the roux smells less like flour and butter and more like toasted buttered bread or until the color starts to turn light golden brown. Whisk in the smashed garlic paste and cook for 45 seconds-1 minute.
- Using a heat proof measuring cup, carefully draw one cup of the jus from the pot and slowly whisk into the roux until smooth.
- Repeat with a second cup of jus.
- Once the mixture is smooth, slowly add back to the jus while whisking constantly
- Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring often until the gravy has thickened to your desired consistency. If your gravy gets too thick, add stock ¼ cup at a time until the consistency is as desired.
- If you used fresh herbs, don’t forget to remove any stems before serving.
Nutrition
Where are the potatoes?!?
Potatoes go with pot roast, that’s a fact! I just don’t think mushy mealy potatoes add anything great, so I leave them out of the long cook and prepare mashed potatoes to serve under the roast and gravy. What’s better, creamy, dreamy, delicious mashed potatoes or mushy mealy over cooked potatoes? I guess ultimately that’s up to you, but for me, I’m going with former.
How do you prefer your potatoes with pot roast?
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