Oven Pot Roast
An oven pot roast provides a fall-apart tender and beefy one-pot meal with celery, carrots, and potatoes smothered in a delectable gravy. Always ideal for Sunday dinner with the whole family or easy weeknight meal prep.
Nothing beats a good beefy recipe for comfort food and beautiful memories shared with loved ones. And a classic pot roast is one of those recipes that everyone can agree on.
African roasts are almost always heavy on the tomatoes and have some kind of groundnut sauce. So when I moved to the States and we started experimenting with American food, I was surprised (in a good way). Variety is the spice of life, right?
Which Roasts Work Best
Braising a roast in a pot turns cheaper tough cuts of meat into a melt-in-your-mouth tender meal. Tough cuts that are heavily marbled with plenty of connective tissue provide the best for slow cooking because the low heat and moisture melt them into juicy, tender beef.
Those cuts include chuck (the best), brisket (slices better for sandwiches), and bottom round and rump roast (leaner, but can become dry). Honestly, a leg of lamb also works great.
How to Make a Pot Roast in the Oven
- Season and sear the roast.
- Sauté the vegetables, deglaze the pan, add the liquids, place the roast on top, and braise for 3-5 hours (depending on the size of the roast).
Recipe Notes
- You can leave the flour out or use cornstarch and replace the Worcestershire sauce with a gluten-free tamari sauce if you need a gluten-free version.
- Count on around an hour per pound of meat. A 4-pound roast will take a good 4 hours to braise at 275℉ (135℃).
- Making bone broth has become the latest rage. Not a bad thing, though. I like to make bone broth concentrate, then use a tablespoon of the concentrate instead of something with MSG in it.
- Let the roast rest at least 10 minutes before slicing it so it can firm up and hold in its juices.
Make-Ahead & Storage Instructions
Making this the day before lets the flavors develop even more. You can reheat it in the oven for a fast dinner.
It will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days or the freezer for 3-4 months. The potatoes get a weird texture when frozen, so if that bothers you, freeze the meat and gravy separately. We love leftovers in sandwiches and stews.
Pot Roast Sides
While this is a one-pot meal, you can absolutely add dinner rolls to sop up the amazing gravy. A Greek salad and spicy green beans lighten things up. Finish up with an apple cobbler and vanilla ice cream for dessert.
More Tasty Beef Recipes
- Mississippi Pot Roast
- Slow Cooker Beef Brisket
- Braised Short Ribs
- Oven Tri-Tip Roast
- Guinness Beef Stew
- Steak Tips
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was first published in March 2020 and has been updated with additional tips, delicious photos, and a video.
Oven Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 3-5 pounds (1.5-2.5kg) chuck roast
- salt and pepper to taste (¾-1 teaspoon each per pound of meat)
- 1 tablespoon (10g) Creole seasoning
- ¼ cup (30g) all-purpose flour plus more if needed for dredging the roast
- 2 tablespoons (30g) oil
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon (15g) minced garlic
- 1 stalk celery, sliced into medium chunks
- 1-2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 tablespoons (30g) tomato paste
- 1 cup (240ml) red wine
- 2 cups (480ml) beef broth
- 6 carrots, peeled and cut into medium chunks
- 1 pound (450g) potatoes, cut into medium chunks
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons (5-10g) beef bouillon or 1 cube (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275℉ (135℃).
- Trim the chuck roast of any visible fat, rinse, and then pat dry with a paper towel.
- If desired, use twine or string to tie the chuck around; this helps it keep its shape, but it's not necessary.
- Season chuck roast on all sides with salt and pepper. Make sure you rub the salt deep into as many cracks and crevices as possible.
- Rub it with the Creole seasoning (or other seasoning blend), then coat it with the flour and shake off the excess.
- Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven or oven-proof cast iron pot over medium-high heat, place the beef in a single layer, and sear the meat on both sides until brown. Searing time may vary, but it usually takes me 2-3 minutes per side. Remove roast from pot and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium, then add the remaining tablespoon of oil, followed by onions, garlic, celery, rosemary, and thyme. Stir until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add tomato paste.
- Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping the bottom to remove those delicious browned bits. Pour in beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and beef bouillon. Bring to a boil. Stir until everything is combined, and adjust seasonings with salt if needed.
- Return the roast to the pot along with any juices. Then toss in carrots and potatoes.
- Cover and transfer to the oven until the meat is fall-apart tender (about an hour per pound).
Tips & Notes:
- If you prefer not to heat up the oven, I have a super easy slow cooker pot roast recipe.
- Make sure to get the salt and seasonings into as many crevices as possible.
- You can replace the red wine with the same amount of beef broth plus a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used in the recipe.
Can you substitute the red wine for something else?
Hi Amy. You can replace the wine with more beef broth and a tablespoon or two of vinegar, whether it’s red wine or apple cider vinegar doesn’t really matter. I just wouldn’t use the white distilled vinegar because it’s too harsh. Hope that helps. 🙂
I cant find creole seasoning. Do you have a creole seasoning recipe? Thank you
Hi Elena,
I sure do!!! The link is in the recipe, but you can click this one, too. Creole seasoning recipe
I used this recipe it was delicious. Thank you so much.
Oh great to hear that. Thank you so much!
Made this for my Midwestern meat & potatoes eating son & husband. Rave reviews! Asked to keep this recipe.
TY TY TY for the inclusion of the Creole Seasoning recipe. I now keep a bottle of homemade seasoning in my spice rack, labeled “Secret Flavor Rub” so my Midwestern white bread “ketchup is too spicy” hubs doesn’t catch on.
The only change I made was to add my mixed mushroom powder to this for added umami! Two is labeled secret flavor powder to hide it from same white bread man who “doesn’t like mushrooms”.
Amazing!!!!! That looks absolutely delicious!! Glad you loved it. Looking forward to you trying more of my recipes.
I don’t eat meat, but I made this for a friend who just had a baby. Her family said it was the best roast they’ve ever had. Now I make this for every meal train.
You are more than welcome. And if there’s a recipe you’d love to see, please let me know. Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
This is the go to recipe for pot roast, followed instructions and never fails. The most tender, flavorful roast. Thank you from myself and my family.
Aww, thank you so much, Ms. Bennett. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family ick any of my recipes and double your joy:)
I’m sorry that happened. Are you at a high altitude? Or maybe your roast was a little tougher to start with than mine. The recipe says an hour per pound, and that has always worked for me at sea level. Of course, leaving it a little longer won’t hurt.
i am making this again tonight. just put my pot =roast into the oven. the only changes i have made are as followed: after adding tomato sauce to the sautéed veggies, i added some balsamic vinegar & started to scrap the bits, also added about 1/3 red wine. them added beef & chicken broth, ( that’s all i had & have added chicken broth to roast all the time, no difference). instead of adding the vegging now, i will wait for about 2 hrs. or so. my roast was just under 3lbs. the veggies i add are carrots potatos celery parsnips..luv parsnips. my mom always used them in soups & such since i was a child. i have found that some produce people do not know what a parsnip is..they are delicious, but not raw..check them out! anyway, can’t wait for my potroast..probably won’t be ready ’til midnite. i tied some thyme & rosemary sprigs w/string & attached to the pot handles.
what about using chuck shoulder?
That will work great!
Oh my goodness! I have made many a roast, but this one was by far the best. I could taste all of the different flavors and the meat was so incredibly tender. Thank you so much for sharing!
Yay! I’m so happy to know this, Amanda! 🙂
Outstanding! Don’t forget the horseradish sauce and mustard.
Thanks, Ed!
I don’t normally leave reviews, but this recipe is just too good to ignore. I’ve made this recipe (without Creole seasoning) 4, maybe 5, times now and every time it seems to get better. I’ve substituted ketchup for tomato paste when I ran out of it, I’ve added other root veggies besides potatoes and carrots, I’ve used bottom round instead of chuck (not doing that again because I like chuck better). My family is only 4 people, two of whom are small, so we happily make a second (third?) meal out of the leftovers. In fact my husband said during leftovers night last night, “I didn’t realize a roast was supposed to be so… decadent.” That is the word to perfectly describe this amazing recipe: decadent. Thank you so much for sharing it with us!
My pleasure Hana, it makes my day to hear that.
I had written a review earlier based off how the dish tasted the day of, but I want to retract that comment. Because the next day the dish was AMAZING!! The flavors had really come together and my kids and I loved it. Thanks!
Great ! Thanks for the update
made this for dinner tonight & it was amazing ! Thanks for sharing.
Great! Glad to hear it worked out well. Thanks for the feedback.
Great recipe. The meat was so tender.
Thank you, Leslie. Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for this great, easy to follow recipe. The roast was delicious and so were the veggies. I used home made bone broth with white wine and it tasted amazing. Thanks again.
Johanna
Hi Johanna! I am so glad this recipe turned out great for you! Thanks for stopping by!
Amazing!!! Not only was this recipe full of flavor, it was a beautiful dish to serve my family! Absolutely delicious in flavor. Thank you!!
P.S. I love all your recipes.
Awww… thanks Tasha 🙂 !!! I am so glad this was a hit with your family too!
Today I will be making this as part of my Easter meal. It sounds yummy and I can’t wait to try it.
Let me tell you, I made this for my grandmother and I thinking we could stretch it out a few days and boy was I wrong! The recipe (and all the others I’ve followed) was so delicious we couldn’t stop eating!! Another winner that’ll be added to our family dinner list
Nice! You cannot go wrong with this pot roast. So happy to hear it was a hit.
Awesome recipe! Just went out this morning to grab all of those ingredients, how lucky that this is your recipe of the day!
I hope you enjoyed, it! And thank you for stopping by. =)