The Perfect Pot Roast
A simple and delicious recipe for The Perfect Pot Roast! This roast gently bakes in beef broth with vegetables, leaving you with a delicious au jus, tender beef and flavourful vegetables.
Cooked slowly all afternoon, this recipe will have your house smelling so good. And with very little hands-on time for prep and cooking, it is actually a relaxing way to serve an almost formal feeling meal. AND, you can use the leftovers for soup!
A Classic Recipe
This recipe and roasting method is a classic in our family. My Mom always made a pot roast with beef broth, and I won’t make it any other way. Having the beef slowly roast in beef broth with herbs, chopped carrots, celery, garlic and onions, results in THE most flavourful and tender pot roast ever…like fork-tender beef. And as an added bonus to the roast, you also end up with a flavourful au jus to serve or turn into gravy.
Easy to make!
Don’t be afraid to make a pot roast, they’re really simple! In just minutes you can chop the vegetables, then add all of the ingredients to a roasting pan, place it in the oven and wait for 3 to 4 hours! It’s a perfect recipe to make on a weekend afternoon.
Make it meal.
Serve this simple and delicious pot roast with popovers, easy mashed potatoes, a fresh green salad, and a tasty apple crisp for dessert. Classic comfort food that really satisfies with easy to follow recipes that you can pull off on a Sunday afternoon!
Pot Roast Recipe Tips:
- Cut of Beef to Use: I buy inside round roasts or chuck roasts, they are inexpensive and tasty after long roasting. You can pretty much use any kind of roast you find in your grocery store. Remember the meat doesn’t have to be expensive to be delicious!
- Size of roast: I like to use a large roast (at least 4 to 5 pounds), because I want the leftovers for soup. See below for a simple soup recipe for dinner the next night!
- Beef Stock. This recipe calls for 1 L of beef broth. Basically, you want enough beef stock to cover at least 80% of the meat when it is sitting in the pan (use a pan that is just big enough to hold the beef and the vegetables, you don’t want it too big).
- Roasting Tip: About halfway through the roasting time, I like to flip the roast over. I also check it occasionally, just to make sure the top isn’t drying out. If it looks dry, flip it over.
- What to do with the Au Jus: Once the roast is done cooking, you will also have a delicious au jus. You have a couple of options on what to do with it.
- Serve as is. You can serve the au jus on the side, and use it to dip your beef into. You can even make beef sandwiches and dip those in the au jus.
- Make a gravy. You can make a simple gravy and serve it with the beef and mashed potatoes. I use this recipe here as a guideline, and just substitute the consomme with the au jus.
- Blend it. Sometimes I like to blend the au jus, with the cooked vegetables, into a nice smooth gravy-like sauce and serve this with mashed potatoes as well. So it’s like gravy, but not.
- What to do with the Leftovers: I like to use the leftovers and make a beef soup (recipe below), or a Beef Pot Pie is delicious too!
Quick Hearty Beef Soup Recipe:
- The next day, put all of the leftover beef, vegetables and gravy into a large soup pot. Then add another 1 L of beef broth, some extra veggies (chopped carrots, celery and onion – for extra flavour you can saute these in a bit of butter or olive oil first), add some pearl barley (about 2 tablespoons dried), season to taste, and simmer for about 45 minutes. Voila, we have soup for dinner! Serve with crusty bread! Yummy and easy!
The Perfect Pot Roast
A simple and delicious recipe for The Perfect Pot Roast! This roast gently bakes in beef broth with vegetables, leaving you with a delicious au jus, tender beef and flavourful vegetables.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 – 8 servings 1x
- Category: Beef
- Method: Roasting
Ingredients
- 1 – 4 to 5 pound beef pot roast (I like to use inside rounds or chuck roasts, both are inexpensive and tasty after long roasting)
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 celery sticks, cut into chunks
- 1 large onion, cut into chunks
- 4 cloves garlic, cut into chunks
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 L beef broth (about 4 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
- Lay your roast in the centre of a roasting pan (you don’t need to sear it).
- Rub on the oregano, salt and pepper.
- Spread the chopped vegetables around the roast.
- Pour the beef broth over the vegetables. You want enough beef stock to cover at least 80% of the meat.
- Cover with a lid and bake for 3 to 4 hours, or until the meat is tender, and falling apart easily with a fork.
- Note: About halfway through, I like to flip the roast over. I also check it occasionally, just to make sure the top isn’t drying out. If it looks dry, flip it over.
- When the roast is done, you will be left with au jus, and like to make a gravy out of it. Just remove the vegetables, and set aside the meat (cover it in foil while it rests), then make the gravy with the pan juices (see notes above). So good!
Keywords: oven roast, pot roast
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Have a delicious day!
Please note that this post was originally published in January 2012, but I have since updated it with new images and more recipe tips! Same great recipe, just more info!
Okay makes me want to go out and buy a big roast now!! I always make soup for Monday nights on Sunday as Monday’s we just have a crazy schedule, but I like this idea with leftovers for soup!
Tracey
This DOES look pretty perfect. We also just got all the Christmas decorations down and everything cleaned. It feels so refreshing to do that!
Good food. Real food. I am with you! And this looks like a great way to start! And, however do you manage to make a pot roast photograph so stinking well….skills!
Wow does this look delicious. Time to make one! Come visit us. We have a low fat crockpot chicken recipe this week that is fantastic and easy.
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earlier technologies, it’s amazing article.
Do you have to cover this roast?
Yes I cover mine! I should add that to the recipe instructions – thanks Sarah!
Can I make this in a crockpot? And if I don’t have beef broth, can I use water?
Yes, I think so. I’ve never cooked it in a crockpot but I definitely would try. I would just cook it on low for 8 – 10 hours. And, I always like to use broths for this recipe because they add so much flavour – water won’t give it as much rich flavour. I would use vegetable broth if you have it.
You and I love many of the same things, so maybe we`re kindred spirits! While I love everything about October, November, and December, I truly love the winters months and making all the wonderful processors, soups, stews, breads, and recipes that remind me of when I was a child. LOVE my memories!
Processors? Should have said pot roasts!
No worries haha! I do love the winter months…so many delicious smelling memories! 🙂
I’m southern born & bred & we always make our roasts like this except as a general rule we don’t turn our meat. And about the last 30 mins before it’s done we’ll add a can or 2 of each (depending on how many we’re feeding) of sweet corn and sweet peas around the edges & gently stir those down into the juice adding a lil broth or water if needed. When I remove everything to a serving platter, I’ll make some gravy then strain what’s left to use as beef broth next time. It’ll keep in the fridge a few days or once it’s cool pour into a good plastic bag remove air, lay flat & freeze. I’ll usually lay it on something like a cookie sheet till frozen just incase I didn’t seal it. So far I’ve never had this problem but just as sure as I don’t use it I’ll have a mess in that freezer!! Thanks for the great recipes
Mmmmm I really like your idea of adding sweet corn and peas to this recipe! Sounds delicious!
Thanks, it really adds a lot of flavor to the roast. Down here if it’s just potatoes, carrots and onions we call it a “Yankee Pot Roast”. Don’t get me wrong I’ve done both, just prefer it with the corn & peas. And of course you’ve got to have a skillet of honey cornbread…!!!