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a bowl of pot roast with tender meat, potatoes, and carrots

Pot Roast.

  • Author: Bet Denton
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 2 hours
  • Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2-3 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I use avocado oil)
  • 2.5-3+ lb chuck roast
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • 2 medium onions, cut into large chunks
  • 2-4 cloves of garlic, smashed and cut into a couple of pieces each
  • 5-6 cups beef broth (I use water + Better than Bouillon beef base)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • 1.5 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 4 stalks celery, cut into chunks
  • 3-5 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 6-8 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the chuck roast with a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. When the oil begins to smoke, add the meat to the pot (cut it into chunks first if it’s too big to fit in one piece, or if you want to trim off some of the fat) and brown the first side for 3-4 minutes. Carefully turn it over to sear the second side for 3-4 minutes, then use tongs to prop it up and brown the sides for a minute or two. While the roast is on its side, add the onions and garlic so they can brown, too.
  2. Add the beef broth, celery pieces, bay leaf, and dried herbs. Allow the liquid to come to a simmer, then cover and let simmer on low to medium-low for 1-2 hours (the longer the better for tender pot roast – with the time the veggies simmer in the next step, total time should be 1.5-2.5 hours).
  3. About 30-40 minutes before you want to serve the pot roast, add potatoes and carrots and allow the pot roast to continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender. This is a good time to turn the roast over, too, especially if it’s not fully submerged in the broth. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper as needed. You can also add more beef base to add more flavor.

Notes

I don’t actually measure the herbs, just sprinkle some in. You can substitute with rosemary, thyme, whatever you like/have on hand!

You can easily adjust the amount of liquid and potatoes/carrots based on how many people you’re serving/how much leftovers you want.

I often turn “round 3” leftovers into soup – when there’s not much meat left, cut it into small pieces and add frozen vegetables like peas, green beans, and corn!

I haven’t tried this in the crockpot, but I think after browning the meat and adding the liquid to the pot so you can scrape up the brown bits on the bottom, you could switch it over to the crockpot to cook on low. Not sure about adding the potatoes/carrots – sorry! Let me know if you try it!

This recipe is from my mom. :o)