Nothing whispers, “Something delicious is inside,” like the sound of a Dutch oven lid being taken off the pot, releasing the intoxicating aroma of a pot roast…
If some of you younger home chefs wonder, “Just what the heck is a Dutch oven? Is it something you cook food in, perhaps?” Well, a Dutch Oven is a cooking pot with a lid used to cook pot roasts (and keep them moist) because big roasts can come too close to the oven’s heating elements and burn. A Dutch oven has the protection and even heat distribution that the meat needs. We don’t want this meat toughening; we want it to do the opposite. So, really, we’re using steam to coax this roast into tender, fall-apart, relaxed submission. Later, when you unveil your beautiful roast, it will flood your kitchen with the heady aroma of pot roast.
If you lack a Dutch oven, any old pot or cast iron skillet large enough to hold the roast, veg, and broth will do. You can use foil as your lid, tucking it firmly around the sides to seal in that delicious steam that brings flavor and swoon-worthy aroma to this feast.
The Magic of Dutch Oven Pot Roast
This pot roast recipe uses red wine and Worcestershire sauce to give this roast a fork-tender, fall-apart succulent quality.
My grandmother’s Dutch oven was a huge, dark blue, some kind of cast iron thingy with white speckles all over it. When she pulled that out of the oven—that meant something ultra-yummy this way comes.
Just like grandma’s, the flavor in this roast comes from using all the right flavorings and grandma’s old-fashioned way of making a pot roast, like searing the roast first to seal in the juices. Then, you remove the roast to put together a magic sauce created by those brown bits you created while searing your roast. You then stir in onions, garlic, and tomato paste and then deglaze your pan with red wine and beef broth, adding that pot roast back to it, where it can simmer in that heady, delicious brew for a while.
When my grandmother took the lid off that pot at the table, I knew soon I’d be tasting a roast so tender that I could literally twirl it around my fork with some potatoes so soft and saturated in delicious juices that I could literally mash them with my fork, pierce a bit of carrot with them, swirl them all around with those juices and bring that bite right up to my eagerly anticipating mouth…
And, there, like magic, would be that feeling that is the reason we sit down to a table with our family… that first bite of that comforting feast that makes you look all around the table, at all you are blessed with, family, food, love… that joy that comes from sharing a truly good feast with family.
How to Make Ahead and Store
Leftover pot roast can be kept for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, or you can freeze this entire feast in a covered freezer-safe casserole dish where it will keep well for 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
Use your leftover pot roast to create stunning dishes like Sheet Pan Nachos, substituting pot roast for the ground beef—a-maz-ing. Or, this comfort-on-a-plate recipe for Shepherd’s Pie with Leftover Pot Roast. My favorite, though, is to substitute pot roast for the chicken in this delicious recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas—with all that red sauce and cheese, that fork-tender pot roast in those enchiladas is simply sublime.
Dutch Oven Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine or additional beef broth
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pound carrots peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 pound baby potatoes halved
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300°F.
- Pat the chuck roast dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the roast and sear until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per side.
- Remove the roast and set aside. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions and garlic to the pot, cooking until onions are translucent.
- Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pot with red wine or beef broth, scraping up any browned bits.
- Add beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, bringing to a simmer. Return the roast to the pot.
- Add carrots and potatoes around the roast. Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven.
- Cook for about 4 hours, or until the roast is tender and falls apart easily with a fork.
- Remove from oven, let rest for a few minutes, then serve directly from the Dutch oven.
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