Pot Roast

Pot roast is the ultimate comfort food as far as I'm concerned. This version is the whack-it-in-the-oven and wait kind, which is nice for a lazy day off work. It takes a few hours to cook, but it's delicious and worth it. I'm really pleased with the fact that this pot roast tastes surprisingly like my grandmother's. :D

The pot roasts in this instructable were made when I visited my family back home in Kentucky - I did two small roasts, each with different veggies to suit all the picky eaters!

Step 1: Ingredients:

• a roast - I'm using a 2 pound chuck roast
• 1 cup diced tomatoes + juice
• 1 cup water or stock
• root vegetables: carrots, potatoes, parsnips, etc - enough to fill the pan!
• an onion
• garlic (I used five cloves)
• lots of salt and pepper!

It's pretty simple, really. :D You can also use a whatever herbs and spices you like! This time I used Italian seasoning, and it was excellent. 

Step 2: Sear the Meat

Salt and pepper the meat well, and then cook in a very hot pan in some oil until nice and brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate to rest.

Leave the oil and drippings in the pan - we're going to use that later!

Step 3: Veggie Prep!

Chop your onion and root vegetables into large pieces. You want them to almost fill the pan. :D Maybe 3/4 of the way up the sides?

Keep them big because they'll be cooking forever.

Step 4: Tomatoes + Garlic

Mince the garlic finely and open a can of tomatoes. Use the same pan you cooked the meat in - turn the heat up to medium and saute the garlic until fragrant.

Then pour in the tomatoes and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get all the yummy bits up. Pull it off the heat. 

Pour the tomato and garlic mixture over the vegetables in the pan and mix well. You'll also want to add a cup of water now! You can add salt, pepper and seasoning to the veggies at this point, too.

Step 5: Roasting!

You'll be roasting at 325-250 F for a few hours. I never expect a roast to be done in 3 hours or less, so plan accordingly!

This part is really personal preference. :D If you like a bit of a bark - or a crust - on your meat go with 350. I like a crust. If not, 325 is better! You can also leave the foil on the whole time. 

Place your roast on top of your veggies and cover with foil. Put in a 325-350 F degree oven for a couple hours, covered. Try to leave it alone during this time - the more you open the oven, the lower the temp will get.

After two hours, you'll have a nice bit of liquid in the bottom of the pan, as seen in the third photo. So take the foil off, mix everything up and put it back in the oven for an hour (or until the meat is tender!) This will help the liquid in the pan evaporate, too. Make sure you're being gentle when mixing - you don't want to destroy the potatoes.

I just test the tenderness of the beef by poking with a fork - if it comes apart easily, it's good to go!

Step 6: Serving!

Once the time in the oven is up, make sure to let everything rest for 10 minutes or so. The potatoes will soak up any additional liquid and the beef will taste much better with a little rest!

The veggies might be my favorite part in this dish. SO GOOD.

Comments

[mastover]

This looks awesome....gonna try it this weekend. I'm already drooling.

[horphmyre]

A chuck roast may take time to cook, but it has got to be the tastiest cut of beef. I cooked a couple of steaks on my barbecue one Sunday morning. One was a chuck steak and the other a T-bone. The chuck was for the dog, but after tasting his steak, I was sorry I hadn't bought two chucks instead of the T-bone. Nice job. You've made me hungry.

[Hooknbullet]

I know what's for dinner!

[ahyng]

Saw this just before lunch, mmm yum.

[chabias]

YUM! This looks delicious!! I love the step-by-step photos that you don't normally find with 'regular' recipes. I've tried a number of pot roast recipes that I've found online, but this one looks promising.
Thanks for sharing, jessyratfink!

[HelmutHound]

Why do you sear the meat before cooking?

[viligeidiot]

It also seals in the juices for a moister roast..... I 'deglaze' the pan with a touch of red wine while searing the roast too... adds a nice touch.

[jessyratfink]

Adds flavor as well as color - makes it look nicer in the end. :D

More out of habit than anything!

[Arghus]

i don't see a Pot Roast.. its just a roast, looks tender tho'

[rollincaswell]

looks wonderful!.. great job!

[LovelyLeopardess]

Use lots of small onions, cut in half, instead of a few large. You won't get enough of the deliciousness!

[overlandpark4me]

Common mistake people make is with the salt. If you use beef stock, check how much is in there if it isn't low or reduced sodium

[billbillt]

great

[M.C. Langer]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW! Looks out of this World! Delicious!

[Xthinker]

Mmmmmmmmmmmm... Looks delicious! I'm going to have to try this sometime!