Juicy, fall apart beef roast does not have to be bland. This Oven Braised Beef Roast is probably the best braised beef I’ve ever had and it screams Sunday Dinner!
Our readers and are the very best! This recipe is a direct result of a question from a reader. Someone asked if she didn’t have ribs, if she could make our Oven Braised Short Ribs with a roast. We started testing and ta da!!! Oven Braised Beef Roast – a juicy, tender, fall apart braised beef roast in a luscious sauce.
If you’ve tried our oven braised short ribs, you will know that they are to die for! Like seriously…my current most favorite ever! The bad news is that short ribs are quite expensive and sometimes hard to find. This Oven Braised Beef Roast is just as tender and mouthwatering and a little easier on the wallet!
I have to pause and say thank you to our readers! We are seriously so blessed! It is you that keep us going and keep us inspired! We love to get questions and hear feedback from you! I wish we could meet everyone of you and do lunch! How can we make that happen?!
Let’s jump right into this recipe and how to perfectly execute it! It all starts with the cut of meat you use!
What Type of Beef?
We are all about the chuck roast for this dish. It has beautiful marbling to make it tender and juicy. Other roasts like a rump roast or a round roast will work, but it won’t be quite as tender or flavorful. Just go chuck! Trust me! You start as most braising recipes do with coating your meat in seasoned flour and browning it.
Why Do You Coat Meat in Flour?
There are all sorts of reasons for coating meat in flour before browning. I always like to know why we do the things we do when we cook. Let’s discuss a few of the reasons:
- Thickener – we all know that flour is a thickener, so the flour does act as a thickener for the sauce. It creates a roux (mixture of fat and flour) that adds to the color and complex flavor we are trying to achieve.
- Depth of flavor – Maillard reactions (science!! stay with me here!) are the chemical reactions between amino acids and reducing sugars that give browned meat their delicious flavor. The carbohydrates in flour are needed to combine with the protein from the meat to get this reaction.
- Crust – it creates a flavorful crust on the meat that keeps the meat tender and protects it from the heat of the pan. This also why we add salt and pepper to the flour.
What is Braising?
Braising is a cooking technique where you begin by frying meat in a pan and then placing it in a sealed container, like a dutch oven, with liquid and cooking it low and slow. Braising results in meat that falls right off of the bone and practically melts in your mouth. You’ve probably been braising your whole life and haven’t realized it. Now you can sound extra fancy and braise away!
No Side of Vegetables Needed
This oven braised beef roast dish is actually full of veggies! After the meat has been browned, saute the onions, carrots, celery and garlic until they are tender. Ok, so maybe you will still want a vegetable side because these veggies meld with the meat and practically disappear into pure deliciousness. If you still want a veggie side, I would go with our simple roasted garlic veggies or our easy green beans with bacon. If you want to lighten things up, a side salad would also be nice like our garden balsamic avocado salad!
Time to Get Saucy
Once your meat is browned and your veggies are tender, it is time to add all the ingredients for the braising liquid which becomes our luscious sauce:
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Liquid Smoke
- Beef Broth
Bring everything to a simmer and then place the herbs, bay leaves, and roast back into the pot. Then it’s time to put the lid on the dutch oven and stick the pot into the oven. This is the hardest part of the recipe…waiting! Remember how it has to braise low and slow? 3.5-4 hours later you are going to have the dinner of your dreams!
What is Liquid Smoke?
Liquid Smoke is a seasoning in liquid form that adds a smoky flavor to food. It is made by burning wood chips or sawdust to produce smoke. The smoke is captured in water and used to create this seasoning. It is pretty dang genius if you ask me! You get the smoky flavor with out the work of smoking the meat.
Fresh Herbs vs Dry Herbs
We definitely recommend fresh herbs over dry herbs for this dish, but sometimes you just don’t have fresh herbs on hand and the thought of loading up all your kids and taking them to the grocery store so you can make dinner just seems physically and mentally impossible. I totally get that! Been there, done that!
If you have to use dry herbs, the general recommendation is 1 teaspoon of dry herbs for every 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs. Dry herbs are much more concentrated in flavor which is why you use less. For this recipe, use 1 tsp of rosemary and 1 tablespoon thyme.
Dinner is Served
We love this oven braised beef roast served over our best mashed potatoes, but it is also perfect over pasta or rice. We like to top it with a little chopped fresh parsley and dinner is served! It’s perfect for a Sunday dinner! It’s comforting and full flavor! Any time I have comfort food, I feel like I need a roll to go to with. Might as well make a batch of our best potato rolls while we are it!! It’s a stretchy pants kind of meal!
More Decadent MAIN DISHES You Must Try:
- Best Prime Rib
- Oven Braised Short Ribs
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Smoked Prime Rib
- Carolina Pulled Pork
- Korean Oven Braised Short Ribs
- Creamy Herb Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
- The BEST Tri Tip Recipe (made on a Traeger!)
- Easy Garlic Butter Steak
- Authentic Italian Bolognese Sauce
- Beef Ribs with Charred Pepper Cream Gnocchi
- All our MAIN DISH recipes!
Oven Braised Beef Roast
Description
Ingredients
- 4 Lbs Beef Roast
- 1/2 Cup Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
- 2 Teaspoons Olive Oil
- 3 Tablespoons Butter, divided
- 1 Tablespoon Flour
- 1/2 Onion, minced
- 2 Carrots, peeled and minced
- 2 Stalks Celery, peeled and minced
- 6 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke
- 2 Cups Beef Broth
- 2 Sprigs Rosemary, fresh
- 4 Sprigs Thyme, fresh
- 2 Bay Leaves
- Potatoes for Serving, mashed
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325
- Place the flour, salt and pepper in a pie dish or pan.
- Coat beef on all sides with the flour and set aside.
- Heat a dutch oven or oven safe pot over medium high heat with a few drizzles of olive oil. Add the beef, browning on each side and remove to a plate.
- Wipe out any black flour if there is any, leaving any browned bits in the pan.
- Turn the heat to medium and add the olive oil and butter.
- Quickly add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic, stirring to combine.
- Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
- Add the remaining flour and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, and beef broth. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the herbs and bay leaves and place the beef back in the pot.
- Place the lid on the pot and cook for 3 1/2- 4 hours in the oven, or until the meat is falling apart and the liquid has reduced down.
- Remove the bay leaves and herbs, shred the meat, tossing it in the sauce and serve hot over mashed potatoes.
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
Beef RECIPES
Looking for more beef recipes? Try our Absolutely Best Prime Rib, French Dip Sandwich, Brazilian Smoked Tri Tip, Slow Cooker Korean BBQ Beef, Easy Garlic Butter Steak, Healthy Thai Peanut Steak Salad, Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Smothered Beef Burritos, or Easy Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff!
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Brittany
Hi! I’ve used this recipe twice now and it’s the best thing I’ve ever smelled! I have a neck bone and I was wondering if I could use this same recipe with that cut of meat. Thanks!
Sweet Basil
Hi Brittany! I have actually never cooked with a neck bone so I’m not sure! I don’t want to lead you astray since I don’t have experience with it.
Joe Kuder
This was absolutely phenomenal! I feel like you could add some brown sugar or something to the braising liquid to sweeten in slightly. Served over garlic mashed potatoes! I will say I used a 4.27lb boneless chuck roast and it only took about 2.5 hours at 325!
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much Joe! I love the idea of adding a little brown sugar to the braising liquid! So glad you enjoyed it!
Nancy L Hutchinson
Do you think this will work if I use the one-for-one gluten-free flour? Want to make this in a braiser for my friend who is gluten sensitive.
Sweet Basil
Yes, it should work exactly the same! Thanks Nancy!
Polarkin
This came out completely dry and desiccated, no sauce just a blackened crust that I cannot even scrape off the bottom of the pan. Cooked at 425 F for 3.5 hours just like it directed. I halved the ingredients because my roast was only 2 lbs so not sure if that messed it up. So sad because it smelled really good but was so disappointing and it’s going to take a chisel to clean this Dutch oven.
Polarkin
This came out completely dry and desiccated, no sauce just a blackened cyst that I cannot even scrape off the bottom of the pan. Cooked at 425 F for 3.5 hours just like it directed. I halved the ingredients because my roast was only 2 lbs so not sure if that messed it up. So sad because it smelled really good but was so disappointing and it going to take a chisel to clean this ditch oven.
Sweet Basil
Hello! I’m so sorry about this! The recipe card says to braise it at 325 degrees, so that increase in temperature will definitely make a huge difference. A smaller roast will also require less baking time.
CJane
Thanks for a really great recipe! I’ve made this about a half-dozen times now and the family can’t get enough. We don’t much care for the flavor of liquid smoke though, so I substituted 2-3 tbsps. of tomato paste. This ends up creating an almost, but not quite, BBQ flavor. Typically, I use a smaller roast, usually just 2 to 2 1/2lbs. of chuck shoulder or bottom round which gives me a good gravy/veg to meat ratio. And I don’t flour before browning, I just add a scant 1/4 cup to my liquids before everything goes in the dutch oven. I know myself well enough and there’s no way I’m not going to have burned black flour everywhere, but it all browns and thickens well enough anyway. I do think the key here is having a nice heavy lid on the dutch oven to keep all the moisture from escaping. Otherwise, I can see how people would end up with a burnt roast.
Sweet Basil
That is a great tip! Thank you so much! I’m so glad you and your family have enjoyed this recipe and thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment and share your tips!
Ahmed
DON’T LEAVE IT IN THE OVEN PAST THE 2 HOUR MARK. I’ve just burnt mine and ruined my cast iron skillet following this recipe. 2 hours at 325 is MORE than enough! Thank you very much for ruining my favorite kitchen equipment and for ruining my dinner
Sweet Basil
Hi Ahmed! I’m so sorry for your frustration. First, there’s no way it ruined the cast iron. They are pretty much indestructible. You just use a cast iron pad, clean it and re-season it. Second, how big was the meat and what was the fat content? All meat is not equal, that’s just how it goes, you have to watch it. The more lean it is, the faster it will cook.
Megan
I love this recipe! I’ve made it several times. I didn’t check the nutritional chart until today, it says the calories are per 1g, that can’t be correct. Is it per 100g?
Sweet Basil
Hi Megan! I’m so sorry for the confusion! All of our recipe cards have defaulted to a serving size of 1g for some reason and we have slowly been going back through them to correct them. This should be a serving size of about 1/2 cup.
Sydney
This was the first pot roast I’ve made and I have to say I was pretty nervous going into it. But your directions were simple and easy to follow and it turned out delicious! Rich but healthy still. I was only making for 6, so I cut the beef to 2.25 lbs and added 20 oz of portabella mushroom that I sauteed with the rest of the veggies. It was delicious and added an extra element.
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much for the feedback Sydney! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Kim Henley
This dish was very easy to make, and tasty. Do the carrots, celery, and onions really have to be minced? I think I’d prefer them to be more substantial when served with the meat, and that would make the dish even easier! Thanks for such a great recipe!
Ed gore
I’ve been known to burn water but when I saw the picture on your website I had to give it a try. My pot wasn’t quite big enough to do 2 two pound chuck roasts so I had to cut them into small pieces in order to fit. I didn’t leave them in the pot long enough to properly brown. I ended up leaving them in to pot for 6 hours. It turned out fine. This recipe is fool proof. Or Ed proof.
Sweet Basil
Hahaha…thank you so much for the feedback Ed! We sure love this recipe!
Elizabeth Chavez
Can I do this in the Instant Pot?
Sweet Basil
Yes, brown it before cooking it and plan on 20 minute per pound. Enjoy!
Jill
Bone in meat or boneless? Also, can you leave out the liquid smoke?
Sweet Basil
We prefer bone-in for the added flavor. The liquid smoke can be omitted if you don’t want the smoky flavor.
Shelley Blades
Can you usr a slow cooker instead?
Sweet Basil
Yes, absolutely! Follow all the instructions up through step 11 then place the roast and the liquid into the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or until it is falling apart.
Linda Clayton
one of the best pot roasts I ever made or ate, thank you for the recipe, it did get done earlier than I planned on but just put it on a heating tray while I fixed the rest of the meal thanks again
Sweet Basil
Thank you Linda! So glad you enjoyed it!