Pot Roast, done right, is one of the most satisfying meals you can make and in honor of the first day of fall, I’m sharing the way I love to prepare it! I like to use grass-fed beef whenever I can and a good grass-fed chuck roast will run you around $7 to 8.99 a pound which isn’t bad for clean, non-gmo, grass-fed beef. Easy Pot Roast and Gravy is incredibly versatile and you can add any number of veggies, depending on what your family enjoys. My recipe is gluten free and if you skip the potatoes, it’s paleo as well.
To learn more about Grass Fed beef, click the link for a great article to help you understand why grass fed is a healthier and more sustainable option.
All you need is a good well-marbled chuck or shoulder roast, a few veggies, fresh herbs, a cup of dry red wine, beef broth and about 3 hours. One bite of that tender, herb scented beef slathered with warm gravy and you’ll remember why it’s called ‘comfort food’!
I’m a big believer in browning the meat first as it seals in the juices and gives your Easy Pot Roast great flavor and color. For the most flavorful Pot Roast, don’t skip this step. After I brown the meat, I like to brown the veggies a bit too to add depth to the dish, it won’t take you long and you’ll be so glad you did.
After browning, I deglaze the pot with red wine and then add everything back in plus some beef broth and cook low and slow for about 3 hours. When it’s tender and falling off the bone, dinner is ready.
Easy Pot Roast and Gravy
- Chuck or shoulder roast, about 3 pounds
- 1 teaspoon each, salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter, ghee, refined coconut oil (no coconut flavor) or olive oil
- 2 onions, sliced
- 4 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 4-6 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
- 4 stalks celery, trimmed and cut into 2 inch chunks
- 1 cup dry red wine (I use a Pinot Noir)
- 1-2 cups organic beef broth
- 3 stalks each, fresh rosemary and thyme, tied together with kitchen twine
- 1 large bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons organic cornstarch
- Preheat oven to 275.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over chuck roast.
- In a dutch oven, melt fat over medium high heat. When hot, add chuck roast and brown on each side about 5 minutes.
- Remove roast to a platter and add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery to the dutch oven to brown for about 3 or 4 minutes. Add more butter if needed. Remove vegetables to platter.
- Add the red wine and deglaze the pan with a whisk, scraping up all the brown bits.
- Place roast back in dutch oven, add the veggies and the herbs and the bay leaf. Add the beef broth. The liquid should come about half way up the roast.
- Roast about 2 ½ hours for 2 pounds, 3 hours for 3 pounds, 4 hours for 4 pounds. If the roast is ready before you are, lower heat to 225 to keep warm.
- When dinner is ready, remove meat and veggies to a platter.
- Mix cornstarch with ¼ cup of water and add to the broth in the pot. Turn heat to high and cook until it thickens to gravy consistency. Taste and add seasonings. Slice Pot Roast against the grain and serve with gravy and vegetables.
Kate’s Tips
- You have lots of options when it comes to veggies. Try adding chopped leeks, fennel, mushrooms, parsnips, sweet potatoes or white potatoes.
- Sometimes I like to add a cup of tomato puree to sass it up a bit 🙂
- I pour my Pot Roast gravy over mashed potatoes but you can use rice, pasta, cous-cous or crusty Italian bread in place of potatoes.
- If you’re making dinner for company, instead of mashed potatoes try my Best Ever Scalloped Potatoes. They’re super creamy, cheesy and they go amazingly well with Pot Roast 🙂 In a pinch you could just roast some red-skinned potatoes to keep things simple.
- Another side dish that goes great with Pot Roast is Brussels Sprouts with Bacon 🙂
Products I use to make this recipe:
- Ghee: Purity Farm Organic Ghee, Clarified Butter
- Organic Beef Broth: Pacific Natural Foods Organic Low Sodium Beef Broth
- Organic Corn Starch: Rapunzel Pure Organic Corn Starch (This is also non-gmo)
- Refined Coconut Oil: Spectrum Naturals Organic Refined Coconut Oil (Refined coconut oil has no coconut taste)
- Le Creuset Dutch Oven: Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast-Iron 7-1/4-Quart Round French Dutch Oven (This is one of those items to put on your Christmas list if you don’t own one. Trust me, you will use it FOREVER! But, it’s an investment that’s for sure!
BLT Salad
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