Our Perfect Winter Pot Roast
Welp. That’s it.
We might not officially be in “winter”, but the weather doesn’t seem to know that.
Warm up that cold belly with this AMAZING pot roast recipe. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it doesn’t require a lot of clean-up. Now that’s my kind of recipe!
Ingredients:
Chuck Roast, thawed - 4 lb
Salt - 1.5 tbsp (add more if needed)
Black Pepper - 1.5 tbsp (add more if needed)
Cooking Oil (Olive Oil, Veggie Oil, Canola Oil, etc.) - 2 tbsp to start; add more as needed
Garlic, minced - 6 cloves
Onions, halved - 2 large
Carrots, sliced into 4” chunks - 6
Parsnips, sliced into 4” chunks - 2
Rutabaga, diced into 2” cubes - ½ large
Turnips, diced into 2” cubes - 2
Beef Broth - 4 cups
Thyme, fresh - 4 sprigs
Rosemary, fresh - 4 sprigs
Oregano, fresh - 4 sprigs
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 275°F.
Mix your salt and black pepper together and then use the mixture to coat all sides of the roast. Be generous! This will form a delicious crust when it’s seared. Put off to the side to sit.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat on your stovetop, then add the 2 tbsp cooking oil until oil is hot.
Add the garlic to the Dutch oven and JUST start to brown them - DO NOT BURN! Remove from heat and place off to the side.
Add the onions to the Dutch oven and brown on each side. Remove from heat and place off to the side.
Add carrots and parsnips to the Dutch oven and brown, similarly to onions. Remove from heat and place off to the side.
Lastly, add the rutabaga and turnips to the Dutch oven and brown; this may take a few minutes longer than the other veggies. Remove from heat and place off to the side.
At this point, you may need to add more cooking oil to the pan. If so, allow it to heat up again.
Place your roast into the Dutch oven and sear it for one minute on each side. Remove from heat and place off to the side.
Next, we deglaze the pan! Keep your burner on high and add one cup of your beef broth to the Dutch oven. Use a whisk to scrape the bottom of the Dutch oven, getting all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan and incorporated into the broth.
Place the roast back into the Dutch oven. Add the remaining broth and the veggies.
Add your fresh herbs to the top of the roast.
Put the lid on your Dutch oven and place into the oven.
Cook for approximately 1 hour per pound of roast.
Once roast is finished cooking, remove from Dutch oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Serve with your choice of rice, quinoa, or mashed potatoes.
Notes:
Type of Cut - Although you can use any type of roast, you’ll get the best results if you use a cut like chuck roast, round roast, or brisket. These have more connective tissue, (collagen), which makes the end result a more tender roast.
Veggie Size - Make sure to keep your veggie size BIG - bigger than you think you should. If you cut them into tiny pieces, they’ll turn to mush during that extended cooking time.
Veggie Type - Don’t be afraid to add other veggies to this! Any type of root veggie (like the ones included in the recipe) can be added right away. If you want to add in something softer like bell peppers, tomatoes, or cabbage, just wait until the last hour of the roast and throw them in then.
Braising Liquid - You’ve got some options here. We use beef broth because that’s what we have on hand. We’ve also used veggie broth before and it’s turned out beautifully. If you really wanted to get wild, you could also use some red wine (just for the deglazing process) in combination with a broth for a more complex flavor.
Cooking Oil - This is truly your choice. We generally use olive oil and it’s turned out great every time.
Cooking Pot - If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can still do this recipe! I’d recommend doing steps 1-10 in a stovetop skillet and then transferring everything into a roaster for when you stick it into the oven.