Basic Pot Roast

Recipe Courtesy Sara Moulton

Show: Cooking LiveEpisode: Basics of Pot Roast

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (69)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(69)

Cook Time:
3 hr 30 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
8 servings

Times:

Prep: 20 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 3 hr 30 min
Total:: 3 hr 50 min

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Ingredients

1 (4-pound) boneless Chuck pot roast, neatly tied
Salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons thyme
4 cups beef stock
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoon butter, softened

Directions

Pat roast dry and season with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the roast and brown on all sides, about 15 minutes total. Transfer the roast to a plate and pour out all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pan and cook over moderate heat, stirring until golden. Place the roast back in the pan along with the bay leaves, thyme, and enough of the beef stock to come up 2/3 of the way up the beef. Bring the pot roast to a simmer on top of the stove, skim, cover tightly, and set in the lower third of a 350 degree preheated oven. Regulate heat so that the liquid remains at a gentle simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the beef is tender. Turn the roast over several times during its braising.

Transfer roast to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes, covered with aluminum foil to keep warm. Skim off any fat from the surface of the liquid. Strain the liquid. To thicken the sauce slightly, bring the liquid to a boil. For each cup of liquid, stir together 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon flour. Whisk the butter mixture into the liquid. Simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Slice the pot roast and serve with the sauce and boiled new potatoes.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Basic Pot Roast
Amy Woonsocket, RI 10-24-2009
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Great meal!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I make this all the time for my family, and it's a huge hit. It's easy to make, and yummy!
recipe Basic Pot Roast
Erika Oklahoma City, OK 03-08-2009
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So easy
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Now I know how easy it is to make gravy.
recipe Basic Pot Roast
Ron Corpus Christi, TX 11-23-2008
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Simple and tasty!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I also kept my veggies 'chunkier' to use as a side dish and substituted a cup of red wine for broth. I did strain the veggies... but saved them and thickend the sauce some with flour and butter. Tasted great!Read more
recipe Basic Pot Roast
William Cordova, TN 08-16-2008
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Simply hearty and delicious
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This pot roast recipe really is simple and definitely falls into the "simple foods prepared well" category. I do like to... substitute one cup of red wine (Shiraz or Zinfandel preferred) for one of the cups of beef stock.Read more
recipe Basic Pot Roast
Anonymous 04-07-2008
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easy and delicious pot roast
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

It was so easy and delicious. The meat was tender and tasty.
recipe Basic Pot Roast
RoseMary Haiku, HI 12-27-2007
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Easy & Delicious!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this roast for Christmas dinner 2007, in my Le Cruset Dutch Oven and it was a really big hit! I did use 1 1/2 cups... cabernat sauvignon and 2 1/2 cups Wolfgang Puck's beef broth(better flavor and less salty than other brands). I did not dice my veggies(cut large), and used 1 onion, 3 stalks celery, 1 carrot. With 1 hour left to go I added Yukon Golds they held up well and cooked perfectly taking in all the goodness of the spices and broth. Skimed off almost all of the fat and left all the veggies(did leave only two pieces of the carrot,cause it would have been to sweet),fished out the bay leaves, then took my trusty immersion blender to the rest, no need for any thickener. In fact I had to thin it down with a little beef broth. My husband does not want me to wait til next Christmas...Read more