Perfect Pot Roast

Ree Drummond’s easy, top-rated recipe for juicy, flavorful and fall-apart tender chuck roast has over 1,700 five-star reviews.

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Ree Drummond's Perfect Pot Roast
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Level: Easy
Total: 4 hr 30 min
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 4 hr 15 min
Yield: 6 servings

Article by Layla Khoury-Hanold

Pot roast is a classic, one-pot comfort food dish, and Ree Drummond’s top-rated pot roast recipe guarantees flavorful, fall-apart tender results every time. Learn which cut of beef makes the best pot roast, easy ways to build flavor and why braising is the best way to cook it. Plus, discover the key ingredient that Ree says transforms her pot roast from flavorful to life changing.

How to Make Pot Roast Like a Pro

Choose the cut of beef. Boneless chuck roast is Ree’s favorite cut of beef to use for pot roast. Chuck roast is well-marbled for richness and has ample connective tissue that dissolves into gelatin during the low-and-slow cooking process, creating moist meat and adding body to braising liquid.

Brown aromatics to boost flavor. Ree browns onion halves and carrots in a hot Dutch oven to caramelize them and add flavor to the pot roast braising liquid.

Renee Comet

Season and sear the meat on all sides to build flavor. Generously sprinkle the roast with salt and pepper, then sear it on all sides until it’s golden-brown all over to create a flavorful crust.

Deglaze the pan to create depth of flavor. After Ree removes the browned roast from the pan, she deglazes the pan with beef broth (red wine works too), scraping the bottom of the pan with a whisk to loosen the flavor particles that accumulated from browning the vegetables and meat.

Renee Comet

Add just enough stock for the best braising results. Once the roast is back in the pot, add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway. This helps create an ideal moist environment that allows the pot roast to cook evenly and gently once it’s in the oven.

Add fresh herbs for more flavor. Ree adds sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme to transform her pot roast from delicious to life changing.

Renee Comet

Braise the pot roast to ensure a tender texture. Pot roast needs to slow cook for several hours in the oven. This technique, called braising, helps ensure even cooking and dissolves the meat’s tough connective tissues to create gelatin, which helps moisten the meat and add richness.

How Long to Cook Pot Roast in Oven

In an oven preheated to 275 degrees F, cook a 3-pound pot roast for 3 hours, or 4 hours for a 4- to 5-pound roast. You’ll know the pot roast is done when it’s fall-apart tender.

What Is the Best Meat for Pot Roast?

The best meat for pot roast is a beef cut with lots of connective tissue (collagen), such as chuck roast, beef brisket or bottom round roast. These tougher, cheaper cuts of beef lend themselves to the long, slow-braising process that yields fall-apart tender pot roast. Ree prefers using chuck roast, which is sometimes sold as shoulder steak or chuck shoulder pot roast, because it has abundant connective tissue and a good amount of fat, making it particularly rich. For more info on the different cuts of beef to use for pot roast, check out our primer The Best Meat for Pot Roast.

What to Serve with Pot Roast

Serve pot roast with sides such as mashed potatoes, green beans, rice, potato rolls, or buttered egg noodles. For more side dish recipes to serve with pot roast, check out our guide to 50 Vegetable Sides That'll Have Everyone Grabbing Seconds.

What’s the Best Way to Thicken Pot Roast Sauce?

The best way to thicken pot roast sauce is to make a flour slurry. Mix equal parts flour and water (or other liquid), stir a good amount of the mixture into the braising liquid and cook for a few minutes, adding more to reach your desired consistency. Be sure to simmer long enough to cook out any raw flour taste. For more ways to thicken pot roast sauce, such as reducing the liquid or making a cornstarch slurry, check out our primer How to Thicken a Sauce 6 Ways.

Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond

Perfect Pot Roast

  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 4 hr 30 min
  • Prep: 15 min
  • Cook: 4 hr 15 min
  • Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. 
  2. Generously salt and pepper the chuck roast. 
  3. Heat the olive oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the halved onions to the pot, browning them on both sides. Remove the onions to a plate. 
  4. Throw the carrots into the same very hot pot and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so. Reserve the carrots with the onions. 
  5. If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pot. Place the meat in the pot and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate. 
  6. With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pot, scraping the bottom with a whisk. Place the roast back into the pot and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway. 
  7. Add in the onions and the carrots, along with the fresh herbs. 
  8. Put the lid on, then roast for 3 hours for a 3-pound roast. For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours. The roast is ready when it's fall-apart tender.