Pot Roast Recipe

A good pot roast recipe begins with a good cut of beef.

What's great about it is the fact that the inexpensive, less tender cuts of beef are best. A cut from the chuck or round is what's needed here.

The roast is first browned and then braised very slowly in a covered pot with a little liquid.

The result is a flavorful, tender piece of meat that your family and friends will enjoy and make your mother-in-law turn green with envy.

How To Cook A Pot Roast

Cooking a pot roast is not difficult. However I'm sure that a novice cook could be intimidated by such a huge piece of meat. Let's break it down step by step.

The Cooking Vessel

Any cooking utensil you have large enough to hold all the ingredients will work. However the ideal is a heavy metal pot with a heavy tight fitting lid.

The objective in cooking the pot roast recipe is to apply low, moist heat evenly over a long period of time.

For oven roasting a cast iron pot is perfect.

A crock pot or slow cooker with a tight fitting heavy lid is the ideal pot roast recipe cooking vessel.

Selecting The Pot Roast

In the past I have always chosen a boneless beef chuck for my pot roasts. I guess that's because that's what my Mom always used. And Mom is always right. Right?

However the meat case is full of roasts that do great in a pot roast recipe. Other than the many chuck cuts there's brisket, top round, bottom round and rump.

Keep in mind that the more tender cuts of the beef critter will be furthest from the horns and the hooves.

That means any cut from the chuck should be closest to the rib primal and any cut from the round should be closest to the sirloin primal.

My personal choice at this time is the 7-bone chuck. It's called that because the bone in it is shaped like the number seven.

You can usually count on two servings per pound from a bone-in roast and about 3 servings per pound from a boneless cut.

Buy extra! Leftover pot roast is even better than when it's first cooked.

Browning The Pot Roast

Regardless of the pot roast recipe I'm using I always season and brown the roast before I begin the braising process.

It's not true that browning sears in the juices of the meat but it certainly adds extra flavor that I miss in the finished roast if it's not browned.

I just add salt and pepper, flour it a bit and then sear it for 3 or 4 minutes on each side. Of course I deglaze the pan to get the goodies off the bottom and add that to the braising liquid.

The Pot Roast Braise

Braising is a process of slow cooking in liquid in order to add flavor and to moisten and tenderize the meat. This is THE ONLY method for a pot roast recipe.

In a beef cut such as a chuck roast, there is a pattern of connective tissues and thick marbling that makes the meat tough if it is not cooked with a method that melts these tissues.

Braising does a better job of breaking down the tough fibers than any dry heat cooking method. The internal temperature of the meat reaches a level that is high enough to melt the connective tissues and fat.

The moisture in the pan prevents the outer portions of the meat from drying out.

The cooking liquid is an opportunity to add even more flavor. I usually use broth but you can use anything. I've even seen a recipe that used coca-cola. Tomato juice is nice.

Don't forget aromatics. I mean veggies like onion, garlic, celery, etc. These are just for the flavoring they add.

Any veggies added for eating along with the roast will be added the last hour of the cooking time. Except for a crock pot version, which you can add from the start.

Add the braising liquid about half way up the roast. You want to braise and not boil.

Cover tightly and simmer gently over low heat on top of the range, or in a preheated 325 degree oven, roughly 45 minutes per pound or until the beef is fork-tender.

The cooking liquid may be thickened or reduced for gravy or sauce as desired.

Like most main dishes a pot roast recipe is very adaptable, so don't be afraid to substitute with the ingredients you have on hand.

Seasoning and flavoring possibilities are endless.

Enjoy these pot roast recipes!

Crock Pot Roast Beef Recipes

The Crock Pot Roast Beef Recipes in my recipe file really get a workout. I use them a lot! My family and friends love it when I make this very easy beef roast slow cooker style.

Barbecued Pot Roast

Barbecued Pot Roast without leaving the kitchen! Absolutely! These two pot roast recipes get their barbecue flavor from the seasonings and not from a barbecue pit. You won't miss the pit.

Basic Pot Roast

Even though this is a Basic Pot Roast Recipe it can still be cooked in a variety of ways. By "cooked" I mean braised. It can be cooked in the oven, on top of the stove or in a crock-pot.

Crock-Pot Pot Roast

Even though this is a Crock-pot Pot Roast I still like to sear the roast in a cast iron skillet before I put it in the crock-pot.

Crock-Pot Sauerbraten

Sauerbraten is a traditional marinated German pot roast. Crock-pot Sauerbraten is an adapted version of the traditional. One of these sauerbraten recipes is marinated as per tradition the other is not.

German Sauerbraten

German Sauerbraten is a specialty pot roast. Marinating a beef pot roast in a sour-sweet marinade for 2 to 3 days makes it. It's then browned and braised in the marinade for several hours.

Italian Style Pot Roast

Italian Style Pot Roast is a basic pot roast with Italian seasons. By varying the seasonings you can make a pot roast of any ethnicity. The 3 recipes here demonstrate how versatile pot roast can be.

Lipton Onion Soup Pot Roast

A Lipton Onion Soup Pot Roast really needs no other flavoring to be delicious. The onion soup mix does it all. That's the case with the first recipe here. And the gravy is to die for!

Oven Pot Roast With Vegetables

An Oven Pot Roast is one of the easiest ways to prepare pot roast. It doesn't require as much attention as braising on top of the stove. However, it's not quite as "hands off" as a slow cooker.

Pressure Cooker Beef Pot Roast

The general rule for cooking beef pot roast is to cook it low and slow. But with a Pressure Cooker Beef Pot Roast Recipe you can have a delicious beef pot roast in about an hour.

Herbed Slow Cooker Pot Roast

A Slow Cooker Pot Roast is by far the easiest way to prepare pot roast. Once you prep the aromatics and veggies and brown the roast you place it in the slow cooker and forget it until dinner.

Yankee Pot Roast

What makes a pot roast a Yankee Pot Roast? I don't have a clue. I read somewhere that when you add vegetables to a pot roast that makes it Yankee. But I've always added vegetables.