This tender, fall-apart Dutch Oven Pot Roast with perfectly cooked vegetables, is a one-pot wonder that any home cook can master. It's surprisingly easy to make and requires just a few simple steps on the stove before the oven does the rest!
I'll be honest – I used to pass on pot roast. My memories were of dry, tough meat, soggy veggies, and no depth of flavor. I know I'm not alone in this experience, and perhaps you've had similar disappointing encounters with pot roast as well.
Let me assure you, this recipe is nothing like those pot roast dinners you might have experienced. This pot roast is the complete opposite – it's incredibly tender, and packed with flavor – it practically melts in your mouth! I'm telling you, with a few of my tips and tricks, this recipe will change your mind on pot roast forever!
Serve this dish with my Truffle Mashed Potatoes, or Cottage Cheese Mashed Potatoes, and enjoy my Gluten-Free Apple Cobbler for dessert.
If you are looking for more Dutch Oven recipes check out my Dutch Oven Barbacoa, Dutch Oven Chili, Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup, Linguine Bologense, Dutch Oven Meatloaf, or Creamy Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's Hearty and Comforting: This tender roast is so warm, hearty, and comforting. No one will leave the table hungry!
- Easy To Make: Slow cooking almost anything is pretty easy. It only requires that you chop a few simple ingredients, sear the meat, and let the oven do the rest.
- Great Leftovers: This recipe tastes even better the next day. It's the perfect dish to make on a Sunday, and you won't have to worry about making dinner on Monday either!
Ingredients
- Chuck Roast: If you can get yourself a cut of Grass Fed Beef, it is well worth the cost. We've been getting all of our meats from Moink Box for years now, Moink is owned and operated by farmers and they offer ethical meat boxes delivered to your doorstep.
- Olive Oil: You can also use Avocado Oil as it has a higher smoke point.
- Onion, Carrots & Celery: I love using sweet yellow onions for this dish, but if you have a white onion that will also work. Carrots and celery are part of the trifecta that goes into many delicious soups and stews. I recommend buying regular-sized carrots and avoiding baby carrots.
- Garlic: I recommend using fresh garlic cloves, but if you are in a pinch garlic powder can work.
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold or baby potatoes are the top choice for this recipe. Both options are nice and creamy, and less starchy than a russet potato.
- Balsamic Vinegar: Balsamic vinegar adds a nice hint of sweetness to this roast. Every balsamic is a bit different so start with ¼ cup and add more if you desire.
- Red Wine: I am a big fan of Dry Farm Wines, as they source pure Natural Wines that are free of toxic additives.
- Beef Broth: Use your favorite Grass-Fed beef broth. You can also use beef stock if you have that on hand. You can also use chicken broth if that's what you have on hand.
- Gluten-Free Flour: If you don't have issues with gluten, then you can use all-purpose flour. To keep it gluten-free, something like Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour works really well.
- Stone Ground Mustard: You can also use Dijon mustard if you like.
- Tomato Paste: Tomato paste helps deepen the sauce.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Use just a touch for a little kick of heat!
- Dried Oregano: You can certainly use fresh oregano here. I've used both, but tend to use dry since I have it on hand year-round.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper: You will want to use a nice flakey sea salt and coarse black pepper to season the chuck roast before you sear it. This will help the meat develop a wonderful crust that adds to the flavor of the roast. If you don't have flakey sea salt you can use kosher salt instead.
- Fresh Herbs: I really enjoy using fresh thyme and fresh rosemary. You can also add a bay leaf as it provides great flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions And Variations
- Leave Out The Potatoes: You can leave the potatoes out of the pot roast, and serve this dish over mashed potatoes, or polenta. If you want to keep this recipe low carb, you can completely omit the potatoes altogether. You can also replace the yellow potatoes with sweet potatoes for a fun twist.
- Vinegar: I love the tang and touch of sweetness that the balsamic vinegar provides. If you don't have balsamic vinegar on hand, you can substitute with a little red wine vinegar and brown sugar or coconut sugar, to help balance out the acidity.
- Non-Glutlen-Free: Traditional pot roast recipes tend to contain Worcestershire sauce, which is typically not gluten-free. If you are not gluten-sensitive you can add a little Worcestershire and you can also use all-purpose flour instead of gluten-free flour as the thickener.
- Herbs: Feel free to mix up the fresh and dried herbs, and adjust to whatever you have on hand. You can also add bay leaves for an additional depth of flavor.
- Alcohol Free: You can omit the red wine and use more beef broth instead.
How To Make Dutch Oven Pot Roast
Step 1.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees f. Pat the chuck roast dry using paper towels, and season generously with sea salt and black pepper.
Step 2. Place your large Dutch Oven on medium-high heat. Once warm add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Sear the meat on both sides. This will take about 3-4 minutes per side.
Step 3. Remove the meat and set aside. Lower heat to medium-low, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, along with the onion, and pinch of salt. Sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, while stirring.
Step 4. Add the wine and balsamic vinegar, stirring for 1-2 minutes to deglaze the pan. Be sure to scrape up all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as it provides so much flavor!
Step 5. Next add the broth, gluten-free flour, stone ground mustard, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, salt, and pepper, and bring to a low boil for 2 minutes.
Step 6. Off the heat, return the meat to the Dutch Oven, and add the chopped celery, carrots, potatoes, and fresh herbs.
Step 7. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and put it in the oven for 3 to 3 ½ hours. After about 1.5 - 2 hours braise the roast with some cooking liquid. Check it again after 3 hours. If a lot of the liquid has cooked off, add a ¼ cup to a ½ cup of additional broth as needed.
After about 3 ½ hours the veggies should be soft and the roast should be fork tender. Remove it from the oven and shred using two forks.
Expert Tips And Notes
- Sear The Meat: For best results don't skip the step of searing the meat until it is golden brown! This allows the chuck roast to caramelize on the outside, which provides a lot of flavor.
- Potato Size And Timing: I chop the potatoes a bit on the larger side, if you prefer smaller diced potatoes, I’d suggest adding them to the last hour or hour and a half of cooking so they don’t get super mushy.
- Deglaze The Pan: When you add the liquid, you will want to take your wooden spoon and scrape up all of the browned bits of the seared meat that get stuck to the bottom of the pot. This step will provide a lot of extra flavor to this classic pot roast.
Serving Suggestions For Dutch Oven Pot Roast
This can certainly be served as a meal in and of itself, or served alongside any of the following:
- Truffle Mashed Potatoes
- Smoked Asparagus
- Crusty Bread
- Green Salad
- Creamy Polenta
Storage And Reheating
- Storage: You can store any leftover pot roast in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: To reheat place the pot roast in a 250-degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through.
- Freezing: Store leftovers in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
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Recipe FAQs
We recommend slow-cooking pot roast at 325 degrees. Cooking at this temperature will result in a longer cooking time, usually around 3-4 hours for a 3-4 pound roast. The slower cooking process allows the meat to become tender and more flavorful as it breaks down over time.
If your pot roast is tough, you may not have cooked it long enough. The meat needs time to cook so the collagen breaks down and tenderizes. Your pot roast may also be tough because you didn't have enough liquid, the meat needs moisture, as a dry environment can lead to dry meat. Lastly, if your pot roast is tough, you might be using low-quality meat. Try to get a good cut of grass-fed beef.
Why use a Dutch oven instead of a slow cooker?
You can totally make Pot Roast in a crock pot, however, I have found that the meat ends up being a bit too dry and the dish overall lacks flavor. Dutch Ovens tend to distribute and retain heat better than a Crockpot, which leads to more flavorful and tender meat. Another perk is you can sear your meat in the Dutch oven, then move it straight to the oven, making it a one-pot meal.
More Dutch Oven Recipes
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Easy Dutch Oven Pot Roast Recipe
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- Tongs
- Spatula
- Knife
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs Chuck Roast grass fed
- 4 tablespoon Olive Oil extra virgin
- 1 medium Onion white
- 6 cloves Garlic minced
- 4 Carrots 1 inch dice (about 1.5-2 cups)
- 3 stalks Celery 1 inch dice (about 1-1.5 cups)
- 1 lb Potato 1 Inch dice
- ¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 cup Red Wine
- 2 cups Beef Broth
- 2 tablespoon Gluten Free Flour
- 2 tablespoon Stone Ground Mustard
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 sprigs Rosemary
- 2 sprigs Thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees f. Pat the chuck roast dry using paper towels, and season generously with sea salt and black pepper.
- Place your large Dutch Oven on medium-high heat. Once warm add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Sear the meat on both sides. This will take about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Remove the meat and set aside. Lower heat to medium-low, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, along with the onion, and pinch of salt. Sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, while stirring.
- Add the wine and balsamic vinegar, stirring for 1-2 minutes to deglaze the pan. Be sure to scrape up all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as it provides so much flavor!
- Next add the broth, gluten-free flour, stone ground mustard, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, salt, and pepper, and bring to a low boil for 2 minutes.
- Off the heat, return the meat to the Dutch Oven, and add the chopped celery, carrots, potatoes, and fresh herbs.
- Place the lid on the Dutch oven and put it in the oven for 3 to 3 ½ hours. After about 1.5 - 2 hours braise the roast with some cooking liquid. Check it again after 3 hours. If a lot of the liquid has cooked off, add a ¼ cup to a ½ cup of additional broth as needed.
- After about 3 ½ hours the veggies should be soft and the roast should be fork tender. Remove it from the oven and shred using two forks.
Notes
- Sear The Meat: For best results don't skip the step of searing the meat until it is golden brown! This allows the chuck roast to caramelize on the outside, which provides a lot of flavor.
- Potato Size And Timing: I chop the potatoes a bit on the larger side, if you prefer smaller diced potatoes, I’d suggest adding them to the last hour or hour and a half of cooking so they don’t get super mushy.
- Deglaze The Pan: When you add the liquid, you will want to take your wooden spoon and scrape up all of the browned bits of the seared meat that get stuck to the bottom of the pot. This step will provide a lot of extra flavor to this classic pot roast.
Nutrition
MaggieT says
We love this recipe!!! So good!!
Nadia says
Maggie! So glad you love this recipe! Thank you for the comment.