Dutch Oven Pot Roast Recipe + Gravy
Our classic Dutch oven pot roast with fall-apart tender beef and a rich gravy that is perfect for your next Sunday supper (and don't sleep on those leftovers!).
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds boneless beef chuck roast
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil sub butter (divided)
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- ½ sweet yellow onion diced
- 2 celery stalks thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3-4 cups beef broth
- 1 cup pomegranate juice sub dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 head of garlic cut off top and remove loose outer covering
- 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
- beef soup bones if available
- 15-17 baby yukon gold potatoes
- 3-4 carrots peeled, halved, and cut into two-inch chunks
- 1 ½ cups pearl onions optional
Gravy:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups cooking liquid with excess fat removed use beef broth if not enough cooking liquid
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat Oven to 325℉.
- Season + Sear Meat: Place 2 ½ pounds boneless beef chuck roast on a large plate and season generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil (or butter) to a large dutch oven and bring to medium-high heat. Place beef roast inside, searing 1-3 minutes per side. Remove and place on a clean plate, set aside.
- Cook Aromatics: Add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil (or butter) to dutch oven, allowing it to coat the bottom of the pan and scraping up any bits that are stuck to the bottom (add a splash of beef broth if you need to). Add 2 tablespoons garlic and allow to cook for a moment or two until it becomes fragrant. Next, add onion and celery, allow to cook down, approximately 2-3 minutes; sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and stir to coat everything.
- Add Liquid: Add 3-4 cups beef broth, 1 cup pomegranate juice (or red wine), 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar; stir to combine.
- Braise: Return seared beef roast to dutch oven along with 1 head of garlic (with top cut off), 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme and beef soup bones. Cover and allow to come to a boil, then turn off stove and transfer Dutch oven to the oven. Let cook approx. 3-4 hours or until the internal temperature of the roast, at it's thickest point, reaches between 195-210℉ (this is the temp at which it will fall apart nicely).
- Add Vegetables + Potatoes: Approximately 30-60 minutes before the roast is done, add the potatoes, carrots and pearl onions. You can add earlier, if you want really soft veggies - up to you!
- Rest + Cooking Liquid: Once your beef has reached an internal temp of between 195-210℉ and your veggies are soft, but firm - transfer the roast and veggies to a platter and cover with foil to let the beef rest. Strain the remaining liquid into a glass measuring cup and let fat naturally rise to the top - skim off the fat and discard.
- Make Gravy: using either the same Dutch oven or a 12-inch cast iron skillet (which is what we used), bring to medium-high heat. Add 4 tablespoons butter and let melt. Add 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour and whisk to combine with the butter to make a roux. Slowly add the cooking liquid approx. ⅓ cup at a time and then whisk to combine with the roux. Continue until all the cooking liquid is used up. Note: if you don't have enough cooking liquid, sub in beef broth to reach a total of 3 cups.
- Adjust Gravy: To make the gravy thinner, simply add additional splashes of beef broth. Taste and add some salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve: Once gravy is done, serve everything while it's warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Best Cut of Beef for Pot Roast: recommended cuts of meat include chuck roast (recommended), shoulder steak, boneless chuck roast, rump roast, or bottom round roast.
- Pomegranate Juice: use to make this recipe Paleo/Whole30 compliant. If you aren't concerned with Whole30/Paleo, we would recommend using a dry, fruity red wine instead.
- Beef Soup Bones: these can generally be found at your local deli. They help to add another layer of flavor and make the broth/sauce that much better! That being said, the recipe will turn out just fine without them.
- Stove Top Option: you can simply cover and let this simmer gently on the stove top instead of transferring to the oven (see Step 5). Cook time was a little longer when we tested this method - closer to 4-5 hours - but it will depend on several variables, such as thickness of roast and temp of your simmer so let your internal meat thermometer be your guide!
- Gluten-Free: gluten-free 1-to-1 flour can be used in the gravy!
- Dairy-Free: use dairy-free butter.
- Storage: leftover pot roast can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 680kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 568mg | Potassium: 2142mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 4112IU | Vitamin C: 70mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 6mg
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