This Pot Roast is so easy my kids can make it! But the best part is the amazing flavor. Easy Pot Roast that is also the most delicious pot roast!
I scoured the internet looking for the perfect pot roast. I must have read 30 recipes! After reading them all it seemed like they all had five basic ingredients in common. The meat, carrots, onions, and salt & pepper.
So I decided, why not just start there?
HOW TO MAKE POT ROAST
I rough chopped some unpeeled carrots. Quartered some onions and then threw them in my favorite Staub oval cocotte with a couple of tablespoons of oil. (not an affiliate link, I just seriously love Staub) It is basically the best Dutch oven of all time. I ordered the one with the chicken on top. I love it. Love love love it. We are chicken people after all!
Ok, back to dinner.
So while the carrots we just barely searing, I added salt and pepper to the meat. Both sides. The salt dissolves into a brine that breaks down the muscle fibers and then gets absorbed by the meat. This makes for an explosive meat flavor. If you can do this ahead of time (about 30-45 minute) I do recommend it. It gives the salt time to do its job.
Remove the carrots and drop in the meat. Sear for a couple of minutes on each side and then throw the veggies back in the pan. Just surround the meat on all sides. Add the lid and roast this baby for a few hours. You can add potatoes of course, but I prefer to make mine separate. I will quarter some baby reds and roast them in the oven with some oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary for 30 minutes.
This is one of my favorite ways to make a pot roast. It is simple and even my kids like to help. The flavor of the meat seeps right into all of the veggies making a for a delicious, hearty, home-cooked meal. I hope you love it as much as I do!
SLOW COOKER POT ROAST
Sure, here’s the scoop. No matter how you cook pot roast the one common ingredient is patience. To make this in a crockpot, you will still need to sear the meat. I know what you are thinking, but not all slow cooker meals are meant to be dumped in and left alone. Put oil in a skillet add the meat, season with salt and pepper and sear one side. Repeat on the opposite side. It doesn’t need to cook all the way through, just a good browning. Once you have seared both sides of the pot roast, transfer it to the slow cooker. Don’t put your searing pan away yet though. Add in one cup of water and one cup of beef broth. Scrape the pan an mix it all together. Once heated through, you can add the liquid to the slow cooker. Pack your chopped carrots and onions on the sides. This will cook on low for 5-6 hours. Once fully cooked, you will sear both sides one last time for extra flavor. Melt butter in a skillet and transfer the pot roast to the skillet. Sear each side one minute.
HOMEMADE GRAVY
The reserved liquids from the slow cooker can easily be turned into an amazing gravy. Simply mix together 2 tablespoons of cold water and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Pour the mixture in the juices and simmer, stirring occasionally. The liquid will thicken into gravy in a matter of minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 chuck roast 3-4 pounds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 onions quartered
- 6 carrots
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 1 teaspoon parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Take your meat out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking and generously salt and pepper it. I put 1 tablespoon of salt in the ingredients, but you should use as much or as little as you are comfortable with.
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add olive oil.
- Rough chop carrots into 2-3 inch pieces. (after cutting off the top this meant I was cutting the carrots in half on the diagonal.)
- Cut two onions in half and add them to the hot pot, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.
- Add carrots to the same pot and brown them slightly. (about 1 minute) Remove and set them on a plate with the onions.
- Add butter to the pot and allow to melt. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on both sides until it is nice and brown all over.
- Add onions and carrots back to pan with meat. Cover and roast at 275 for about 3 hours. I started checking mine at 2 hours. You want the meat to be cooked through and to tear easily with a fork.
