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Juicy, fall apart beef roast does not have to be bland. This Oven Braised Beef Pot 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!!! Dutch oven beef roast – a juicy, tender, fall apart braised beef roast in a luscious sauce.
Table of Contents
- What Type of Beef?
- Ingredients for Braised Chuck Roast
- Why Do You Coat Meat in Flour?
- What is Braising?
- How to Make Braised Beef Roast
- What is Liquid Smoke?
- Fresh Herbs vs Dry Herbs
- What to Serve with Braised Beef Pot Roast
- Storing and Reheating Beef Pot Roast
- More Decadent MAIN DISHES You Must Try:
- Oven Braised Beef Roast Recipe
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 Pot 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?!
Ok, let’s jump right into this braised pot roast 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 fall-apart 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.
Ingredients for Braised Chuck Roast
I always like to see a quick overview of what I will need for a recipe so I can gauge how many things I need to grab at the grocery store. Here is everything you will need:
- Searing: Flour, Salt and Black Pepper
- Beef Roast: Look for a 4 lb chuck roast with good marbling.
- Fat: Olive Oil and Butter
- Vegetables: Onion, Carrots, Celery and Garlic
- Sauce: Flour, Balsamic Vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, Liquid Smoke and Beef Broth
- Fresh Herbs and Seasonings: Rosemary, Thyme and Bay Leaves
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!
How to Make Braised Beef Roast
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Brown the Roast: Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish and coat the beef on all sides. Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat with some olive oil and brown each side of the beef. Set aside on a plate.
- Sauté: Remove any black flour leaving the browned bits and turn the heat down to medium. Add the olive oil and butter then add all the vegetables stirring to combine and letting them cook for 5-6 minutes until tender.
- Make the Sauce: Add the flour and cook for about 30 seconds then add all the sauce ingredients. Bring to a simmer then add all the herbs.
- Braise: Add the beef to the pot. Then place the lid on the pot and cook in the oven for 3 ½ to 4 hours.
- Serve: Remove the herbs, shred the meat and toss it in the sauce then serve over mashed potatoes.
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 without 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.
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.
What to Serve with Braised Beef Pot Roast
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!
If you 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!
Storing and Reheating Beef Pot Roast
Leftovers store well in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. This is also a great freezer meal. Let it cool completely and then place it in a ziploc bag (or better yet, use the Food Saver!). It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Let it thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat in the oven. Place the tender meat into a baking dish, add a little beef stock and cover with foil. Reheat for 20-30 minutes in the oven preheated to 350 degrees F.
I love that a braised beef roast is both rustic and incredibly special at the same time. Whether you’re making it for Sunday dinner, sharing it with friends, or freezing leftovers for busy nights, this oven braised chuck roast is pure comfort in every bite. I hope it becomes one of those staple recipes your family asks for again and again.
More Decadent MAIN DISHES You Must Try:
- Best Prime Rib
- Oven Braised Short Ribs
- Smoked Prime Rib
- Carolina Pulled Pork
- The BEST Tri Tip Recipe (made on a Traeger!)
- Easy Garlic Butter Steak
- Authentic Italian Bolognese Sauce
- All our MAIN DISH recipes!
slow braised beef
tender braised roast recipe
braised pot roast in oven
beef roast with vegetables
oven roast with gravy
Oven Braised Beef Roast
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Flour
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 4 lbs Beef Roast
- 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
- 3 Tablespoons Butter, divided
- ½ Onion, minced
- 2 Carrots, peeled and minced
- 2 Stalks Celery, peeled and minced
- 6 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon Flour
- ⅓ 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
- Mashed Potatoes, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Place the flour, salt and pepper in a pie dish or pan.½ Cup Flour, 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, ½ teaspoon Pepper
- Coat beef on all sides with the flour and set aside.4 lbs Beef Roast
- 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.2 teaspoons Olive Oil, 3 Tablespoons Butter
- Quickly add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic, stirring to combine.½ Onion, 2 Carrots, 2 Stalks Celery, 6 Cloves Garlic
- Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
- Add the remaining flour and stir for 30 seconds.1 Tablespoon Flour
- Add the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, and beef broth. Bring to a simmer.⅓ Cup Balsamic Vinegar, 1 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce, 1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke, 2 Cups Beef Broth
- Add the herbs and bay leaves and place the beef back in the pot.2 Sprigs Rosemary, 4 Sprigs Thyme, 2 Bay Leaves
- 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.Mashed Potatoes
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.
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!
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
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.
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?
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.
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.
Thank you so much for the feedback Sydney! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
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!
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.
Hahaha…thank you so much for the feedback Ed! We sure love this recipe!
Can I do this in the Instant Pot?
Yes, brown it before cooking it and plan on 20 minute per pound. Enjoy!
I’m desperately wanting to try this recipe – can you confirm what cut the ‘beef roast ‘ is please? I’m in Aus
Hello! A chuck roast is our preferred cut of beef. Enjoy!
Bone in meat or boneless? Also, can you leave out the liquid smoke?
We prefer bone-in for the added flavor. The liquid smoke can be omitted if you don’t want the smoky flavor.
Can you usr a slow cooker instead?
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.
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
Thank you Linda! So glad you enjoyed it!