• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • Work With Me
  • Contact

CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Classic Pot Roast

beef entrees· entrees
November 18, 2021

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Classic Pot Roast – Chuck roast is slowly roasted in a jus made of beef broth, carrots, celery, and onions. Balsamic vinegar, thyme, and mustard are added to give that jus a kick of flavor.

close up of pot roast on a white plate with thyme sprigs

Cold weather is in full-effect in most parts of the country now. Even Florida is getting chilly weather next week, with lows in the 40s! So comfort food needs to be on the menu, if it’s not already.

I’ve been making lots of soups over here but recently my husband wanted to try a good pot roast. I’ve made beef stews but not a full pot roast so I gave it a shot. I used a culmination of recipes to come up with the perfect one. It is made with traditional aromatics: carrots, celery, and onions and some other fun flavors like balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard to set this roast apart.

I didn’t add potatoes to the roast because they get overcooked in the liquid and start to fall apart. Instead, I made a separate batch of herb potatoes to accompany this roast. I know mashed potatoes are probably the favorite but I was in the mood for some tender, chunky potatoes with herby flavor so I made those.

Before we go any further into the recipe, let’s take a look at the finished Classic Pot Roast:

angled shot of sliced pot roast in a dutch oven with the au jus and veggies
shot of pot roast on a plate with peas and potatoes
overhead shot of plate of pot roast with potatoes and peas and a biteful on a fork

Making this pot roast

This pot roast is slow cooked to get it nice and tender. But we can’t just throw all the things in the pot and let it do it’s thing; first we have to build the flavor and jump-start the cooking process.

First, the pot roast is seared to get the cooking process start and give it beautiful color on the outside. If it doesn’t get seared, the meat will look almost gray when cooked in the broth for a few hours.

Then the veggies are cooked to soften them up and bring out their aroma. Finally, the broth, vinegar, thyme, brown sugar, and mustard are added and mixed together. The roast is added back, along with a little more both to make sure half of the roast is sitting in liquid. This ensures the beef cooks without burning.

The liquid is brought to a slow boil in the Dutch oven, covered, and then placed in a preheated oven to finish cooking for about 3.5 hours, depending on the size of the roast. Mine was 3 pounds so it only took 3.5 hours, but those larger roasts will take about 4.5 hours to get perfectly tender.

Tips and Tricks

  1. A Dutch oven is necessarily for this recipe if you want to put in the oven because it retains heat very well. You can also use a slow cooker for this recipe – it will just take longer. Prepare everything the same way and then place the seared roast, broth, and veggies into a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or high for about 6 hours. I haven’t tried this myself so cook times are just an estimate based on other beef recipes I’ve done in the slow cooker.
  2. Make sure to cut the onions and carrots in larger chunks so that they stay intact during the cooking process and you can still find them when the roast is done.
close up of tender pieces of pot roast on a plate
close up of a fork with a potato and a piece of pot roast
Print Recipe

Classic Pot Roast

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3-4 pounds chuck roast trimmed of extra fat
  • 2 medium yellow onions cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 5 whole carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 3 stalks celery sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 cups beef broth divided
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place Dutch oven over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add chuck and sear until dark brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Once seared on all sides, remove and set aside until later.
  • Add in onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 3 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Add 1 cup of beef broth and stir veggies to release pieces from the bottom of the pan. Add in balsamic vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar. Stir together to combine.
  • Place roast back into Dutch oven, moving some veggies around to make room for the roast. Add more broth to ensure half of the roast is covered with liquid. Add in the sprigs. Bring mixture to a light boil. Turn heat off and cover with a lid. Place in preheated oven and cook for 3.5-4.5 hours or until beef is tender enough to pull with a fork. Slice and serve or pull apart with forks. Add salt and pepper, if needed.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Cafe Delites

Pin for later:

collage of pot roast pictures with descriptive text

More recipes you’ll love:

Irish Beef Stew
plate of Irish beef stew on top of mashed potatoes, shot from a side angle
Slow Cooker Short Ribs
a plate of Slow Cooker Short Ribs with a fork in it and sprigs of thyme on top on a striped cloth napkin, shot from a side angle
My Favorite Meatloaf

Share this:

  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

10 Comments

« Pumpkin Fettuccine with Sundried Tomatoes
Chocolate Hazelnut Toffee »

Comments

  1. Dannii says

    November 20, 2021 at 4:13 am

    Now this is my kind of comfort food! So hearty and delicious.

    Reply
  2. Tavo says

    November 20, 2021 at 2:44 am

    This was so yummy! We had it with mashed potatoes yesterday and we loved it!

    Reply
  3. Sara Welch says

    November 19, 2021 at 11:29 pm

    My kind of comfort food! Enjoyed this for dinner tonight and it does not disappoint! Hearty and delicious; my whole family loved it!

    Reply
  4. Dana Sandonato says

    November 19, 2021 at 8:42 pm

    There’s just something about balsamic vinegar and mustard whipped into the jus of a pot roast. It brings on a tanginess that cannot be matched! This is a fantastic recipe <3

    Reply
  5. Amanda Dixon says

    November 19, 2021 at 8:20 pm

    This pot roast is total comfort food! It came out so incredibly tender and had the best flavor. Such a hit for us!

    Reply
  6. Karen says

    November 19, 2021 at 6:12 pm

    My family loves pot roast! Definitely going to try your recipe. Thanks!

    Reply
  7. Tisha says

    November 19, 2021 at 4:35 pm

    Pot roast is always a good idea. Classic comfort

    Reply
  8. Bella says

    November 19, 2021 at 11:30 am

    Oh i love pot roast!! i need to make this recipe! looks amzazing

    Reply
  9. Jen @ JENRON DESIGNS says

    November 19, 2021 at 11:09 am

    A perfect hearty winter dish for the those colder nights. Plus you could get several meals out of it.

    Reply
  10. Stephanie Rose de Jesus says

    November 19, 2021 at 8:44 am

    Delicious!!! This is a must try especially this holiday season!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi, my name is Sharon. I’m an accountant by day, risk-taking baker and food enthusiast by night. Come join me as I share my favorite recipes and test out new ones along the way!

fall flavors

close up of sliced loaf of chocolate cinnamon babka with the center exposed to see the beautiful swirl of chocolate

Chocolate Cinnamon Babka

apple cinnamon monkey bread with a chunk out of it and sliced apples in front, shot from a side angle

Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread

a stack of three Apple Cider Crumb Doughnuts on a cloth napkin with more doughnuts around them, shot from the front

Apple Cider Crumb Doughnuts

chicken and biscuits in a dutch oven overhead shot

Chicken and Dumplings

warm banana bread with a couple bites removed sitting on a plate with two scoops on butter pecan ice cream stacked on top and caramelized bananas over the top and a spoon on the side

Banana Bread Sundae

front shot of sweet potato cornbread in a cast iron skillet

Sweet Potato Cornbread

ORDER MY NEW COOKBOOK NOW!

photo of entertaining made easy cookbook available for preorder now

Breakfast
Appetizers
Entrees
Salads
Sides
Drinks
Desserts
Roundups
Holidays

Browse by Date

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Privacy Policy

holiday favorite

zoomed in shot of Mint Brownie Truffles

Mint Brownie Truffles

salted caramel banana cream puffs on a round serving plate with bananas in the background

Salted Caramel Banana Cream Puffs

Goat Cheese Phyllo Cigars

a purple plate with 4 churro waffles

Churro Waffles

cranberry lime mojitos with cranberries and slices of lime

Cranberry Lime Mojitos

 

Fluffy, buttery sweet rolls covered in powder suga Fluffy, buttery sweet rolls covered in powder sugar. Perfect with a morning coffee!

To find this recipe, search for 'Mallorca Sweet Bread' on certifiedpastryaficionado.com

#sweetbread #sweetbreadrecipe #mallorcafoodie  #breadrolls #foodphotography #foodpics #marthafood #food #instafood #yum #eatingfortheinsta #instayum #picoftheday #foodblog #delicious #beautifulcuisine #foodgasm #nomnomnom #feedfeed #foodietribe #eeeeeats #huffposttaste #buzzfeast #buzzfeedfood #TODAYfood #foodblogeats
Thick rice noodles are stir-fried with egg, chicke Thick rice noodles are stir-fried with egg, chicken, broccoli, and a savory and slightly sweet sauce.

To find this recipe, search for 'Pad See Ew' on certifiedpastryaficionado.com

#padseeew #pastadish #pastarecipe  #ricenoodles  #foodphotography #foodpics #marthafood #food #instafood #yum #eatingfortheinsta #instayum #picoftheday #foodblog #delicious #beautifulcuisine #foodgasm #nomnomnom #feedfeed #foodietribe #eeeeeats #huffposttaste #buzzfeast #buzzfeedfood #TODAYfood #foodblogeats
Homemade, chewy dough is twisted in a pretzel shap Homemade, chewy dough is twisted in a pretzel shape, dipped in a soda bath, and baked until deep golden brown.

To find this recipe, search for 'Soft Pretzels' on certifiedpastryaficionado.com

#homemadedough #pretzlesrecipe #homemadepretzels #homemadesnacks 
#puffpastry  #foodphotography #foodpics #marthafood #food #instafood #yum #eatingfortheinsta #instayum #picoftheday #foodblog #delicious #beautifulcuisine #foodgasm #nomnomnom #feedfeed #foodietribe #eeeeeats #huffposttaste #buzzfeast #buzzfeedfood #TODAYfood #foodblogeats
Jumbo elbow macaroni and beef is tossed with a cre Jumbo elbow macaroni and beef is tossed with a creamy tomato sauce. It’s a perfect meal for weeknight dinners!

To find this recipe, search for 'Creamy Tomato Macaroni Beef' on certifiedpastryaficionado.com

#pastarecipe #macaronibeef #creamymacaroni #macaronirecipies 
#foodphotography #foodpics #marthafood #food #instafood #yum #eatingfortheinsta #instayum #picoftheday #foodblog #delicious #beautifulcuisine #foodgasm #nomnomnom #feedfeed #foodietribe #eeeeeats #huffposttaste #buzzfeast #buzzfeedfood #TODAYfood #foodblogeats
Raspberry jam and fresh whipped cream are sandwich Raspberry jam and fresh whipped cream are sandwiched between two vanilla sponge cakes and dusted with powdered sugar. A British classic dessert perfect for dessert or afternoon tea.

To find this recipe, search for 'Victoria Sandwich Cake' on certifiedpastryaficionado.com

#victoriacake #victoriasandwichcake  #vvictoriaspongecake
#puffpastry #puffpastrydessert #foodphotography #foodpics #marthafood #food #instafood #yum #eatingfortheinsta #instayum #picoftheday #foodblog #delicious #beautifulcuisine #foodgasm #nomnomnom #feedfeed #foodietribe #eeeeeats #huffposttaste #buzzfeast #buzzfeedfood #TODAYfood #foodblogeats

Copyright © 2025 Certified Pastry Aficionado · Web Design by Viva la Violet

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.