Dutch Oven Pot Roast

4.74 from 82 votes

Tender and juicy, this Dutch oven pot roast recipe transforms an affordable cut of meat into a delicious comfort food dinner!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword chuck roast recipe, Dutch oven Pot Roast, Juicy Pot Roast, Oven Baked Chuck Roast Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 3 25

Total Time 3 40

Servings people

Calories 385kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Equipment

7.25-Quart Dutch Oven

Ingredients

⅓ cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 (3 lb.) boneless chuck roast
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
5 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
4 large ribs celery, cut into ½-inch crescents
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups beef broth, divided
½ cup red wine (or additional beef broth)
2 sprigs fresh thyme (or ¼ teaspoon dried)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or ¼ teaspoon dried)
2 bay leaves
3 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into eighths

Instructions

Preheat oven to 275°F.
Mix the flour with a generous amount of salt and pepper on a sheet of waxed paper. Pat the roast dry; dredge it in the flour mixture on all sides.
Heat butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Brown the meat to give it nice color (about 5 minutes per side). Transfer the meat to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 cup of the beef broth, scraping with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan (loosening all of the browned bits from the bottom).
Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic to the pot. Cook, stirring, until the onions are translucent (about 10 minutes). Place the roast on top of the vegetables.
Add the remaining two cups of beef broth, red wine, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and bake in the 275° F oven for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, add the potatoes to the pot, mixing them into the liquid.
Cover and return to the oven for another 45 minutes – 1 hour, or until the potatoes are soft and the meat is fall-apart tender.

Video

Notes

Use a heavy cast iron Dutch oven (I like this great investment piece by Le Creuset) or another heavy oven-safe pot with a tight-fitting lid. Simply covering a dish with aluminum foil is not ideal.
Sear the meat and get some really nice color on it before you begin the slow braising process. The caramelized surface of the meat will give the dish rich flavor and the browning process will help to lock in the juices. Dredging the meat in the flour before browning adds body to the finished sauce.
Why is my pot roast tough? Undercooked pot roast will be tough and chewy. If you're using tougher or bigger cuts of beef (other than a chuck roast), you may need to increase the cooking time to give the meat fibers plenty of time to break down and become tender and juicy.
Why is my pot roast dry? Cooking the meat for too long can result in a dry pot roast. This often happens when you use appliances like the Crock Pot or Instant Pot. Another reason the Dutch oven method is so great!
Omit the potatoes in your pot, and instead serve the finished dish over a plate of mashed potatoes instead.
Most grocery stores sell boneless chuck roasts that weigh about 3 pounds. Those are perfect for this recipe! I have also used a 4-lb. bone-in chuck roast from a local farm, which requires about the same cooking time as a 3-lb. boneless roast. The bone adds a lot of rich flavor to the juices in the pot, but the bone-in chuck roasts are harder to find in stores. If you use larger boneless roasts (such as 4-5 lbs.), you'll need to increase the cooking time by about 1 hour.
I love the added depth of flavor that you get from the red wine; however, you can substitute with additional beef broth in lieu of the red wine.
Make a gravy using the drippings from the pot. To do so, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. While continually whisking, gradually add 1 - 1 ½ cups of strained juices/drippings from the pot until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Continue whisking while the gravy bubbles and cooks for 1-2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.

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