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Bread and Butter Pot Roast

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The aroma of a savory, Pot Roast loaded with winter veggies, slow cooked until it’s fall apart tender, in a fabulous beef and wine broth will have you hoping for chilly weather! The best meal in the fall and winter for a slow cooked Sunday dinner.

Pot Roast lends itself to crisp afternoons, leaves gently floating to the ground, crunching underfoot. A crackling fire, frosty mornings, the cheers, grunts and whistles of a football game on TV.

Love slow cooked meals? Try these reader favorites! Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, Slow Cooker Red Beans & Rice, Easy Crockpot Butter Chicken (or Stovetop).

pot roast stuffed potato on a white plate with roast and carrots around.

Ah, Autumn has officially arrived and along with it, comes my desire for slow-cooked, hearty meals, like this Bread and Butter Pot Roast, paired with a with a loaf of Russian Black bread and a crisp green salad and well, that’s dinner folks!

I love coming together after a busy week and sitting down to dinner with one another; nothing seems to draw people to the table like the smell of a savory, slow cooked meal like this tender Sunday pot roast, slow roasting in the oven for hours on a quiet (or not so quiet) Sunday afternoon.

Steaming hunk of pot roast coming out of a red dutch oven on a wooden spoon

This is a recipe from The Pioneer Woman, don’t you love her? I do! Everything I’ve ever made of hers I have loved, she’s my kind of gal! I’ve modified it slightly for my tastes.

The following are answers to common questions I receive about pot roast:

TIPS FOR TENDER POT ROAST

  • Low & Slow! Pot roast is typically a pretty inexpensive cut of beef and in order to make it tender, you need to cook it LOW & SLOW. Longer in the oven, at lower temps.
  • Sear! I am a big believer in searing the meat before cooking, giving the outside a crispy brown crust, preserving the juices inside the meat. Remember the flavor is in the BROWN!
  • Don’t peek! The steam that develops in the pot while cooking, brings moisture and tenderness to the meat. I usually only take a peak near the very end to make sure that it still has enough liquid and if you haven’t done it early, to pop in your carrots.
  • Let it Rest! Once you take the meat from the oven, allow it to rest for a minimum of 15, preferably 20-30 minutes.

How to make a Tender, Bread & Butter Sunday Pot Roast

Now would be a good time to make sure your pot will fit (with the lid) into the oven, moving racks if needed and preheat to 275°F.

  1. Over medium high heat, brown the cut side of onions in hot dutch oven or pot.
Process shots of pot roast process. 1. browning onion halves 2. browning carrots. 3 salted chuck roast. 4. searing chuck roast in pot
  1. Add carrots to the hot pan and toss them around until slightly browned, a minute or two.
  2. Salt and pepper the chuck roast well. Use your hand to rub it in, salt all 4 sides, it’s a large cut of meat! Set aside.
  3. Carefully place meat in dutch oven, it should steam and spit and spurt at you! That’s good! Sear for about 1-2 minutes on each side, you may need to hold it on the short sides with tongs. Remove roast to plate.

FRESH COOKY PRO TIP: You want a well marbled (fat) cut of meat, the flavor will increase greatly with marbling and that fat melts away into the meat while slow cooking, making a normally tough cut of meat, tender.

Pot Roast Process shots 5. deglazing pan. 6 adding fresh rosemary, 7. adding fresh thyme. 8 adding beef broth.
  1. With the burner still on high to medium-high, deglaze your pan using 1 cup of either red wine (yum) or beef broth (also yum), using a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pot removing all of those delicious brown bits. Remember that’s where the flavor is!
  2. Place the roast back in pot, add sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme and parsley if desired.
  3. Tuck veggies back around pot roast, adding small or cut up potatoes if desired.
  4. Add enough beef broth to cover the meat about halfway up, 2-3 cups should do nicely.
Dutch oven filled with carrots, onions, potatoes, pot roast and broth ready to go in the oven.

It’s ready for you to put the lid on and place in that preheated 275° oven, don’t be tempted to open it either, slow cook at least 3 hours before you peek, it can easily cook longer if needed.

At about 5 hours you might need to check the liquid levels, if it has cooked down too much you can add a bit more beef stock, but return to the oven for at least and hour so those flavors can blend.

To round the meal out, make some Russian Black bread. This is a hearty bread, that pairs so well with the pot roast, the flavors complement one another perfectly and you can use this soft, hearty bread to sop up all those wonderful bits and juices left from the pot roast and veggies.

Slow roasted carrots, potatoes and onions from pot roast

Once you have the roast in the oven and bread ingredients in the machine, feel free to go and take a long nap, light a fire and read a good book, watch your favorite football team, crunch through some leaves…relax and watch the magic happen as the smells start to waft through the house, I love that word, waft, don’t you!

When it’s slow cooked a sufficient amount of time, at least 3 hours for a smaller roast and 4-6 for a larger roast, carefully remove from the oven and plate the roast, allow it to rest 15-30 minutes (covered) before breaking into serving size pieces; or just serve right from the pot, just be careful.

Crock Pot Pot Roast

Yes, you can make this successfully in a slow cooker. Prepare the pot roast in a dutch oven or skillet through the browning and searing of the pot roast, then transfer everything to a crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

What to Serve with Pot Roast

  • You don’t need much since this is a one pan (pot) meal, however a crisp green salad adds some brightness and ruffage.
  • My favorite way to eat Pot Roast hails from the Black Eyed Pea restaurant, Pot Roast Stuffed Spud! Bake up some large russet potatoes and spoon hunks of pot roast, carrots and sauce over your split (and buttered, just saying) baked potato! Dreamy! Or try my air fryer sweet potatoes.
  • Bread is a must have, try Russian Black bread, Cheddar Beer Popovers or Sweet Molasses Brown Bread rolls.
  • Perhaps instead of cooking carrots with the roast, you want them on the side, these tender Tarragon carrots would go great!
  • And a nice, light dessert is in order as well, like this make ahead Tiramisu or a fall classic, Apple Crisp.

Pinterest image for Pot Roast Stuffed Spud, pot roast, carrots and gravy over a baked potoate

Give these other tender, tasty recipes a try!

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Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and comment below the recipe!

pot roast stuffed potato on a white plate with roast and carrots around.

Best Bread and Butter Pot Roast

Author: Kathleen Pope
4.38 from 16 votes
A slow-cooked wonder. This pot roast is so simple; fork-tender, flavorful beef, soft and creamy carrots, caramelized onions and rich potatoes, the perfect Sunday dinner…or for any weeknight.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings
Calories 639 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 3-5 pounds Chuck roast, well marbled with fat, will yield a more tender pot roast
  • 2-4 Tablespoons olive oil, or 2 TBL olive oil and 2 TBL butter
  • 2 onions, peeled and cut in half
  • 6-8 carrots, washed, cut into 2 in pieces (peeling is optional)
  • 4-8 potatoes, if using russet, just 2-4 small medium ones, if using baby potatoes or fingerlings as many as you think your family will eat, cut potatoes that are larger in half or thirds
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 cup red wine, optional, beef broth or stock may be used instead
  • 2-3 cups beef broth or stock
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh parsley, optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 275° F, moving racks to make sure your pot (with the lid) will fit in the oven.
  • Heat oil (and butter if desired) in a large dutch oven or pot, medium to medium high heat, until hot but not smoking. Salt and pepper your chuck roast well, it’s a large piece of meat, don’t be shy about salting it. Set aside.
  • Cut onions in half and carefully place cut side down in hot oil, brown for 1-2 minutes per side, remove to plate.
  • While pot still hot, toss in cut carrots (2 inches or so) and stir around hot pan until lightly browned, about a minute. Remove to plate.
  • Turn up the heat a bit, so that the pan is screaming hot, but still not smoking. Carefully, using tongs add your meat to the pot, searing well on each side for about 1-2 minutes per side. Once all sides are seared, remove to plate.
  • Next keeping the temp up on the pot, deglaze your pan by pouring in 1 cup of wine or broth, using a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pan releasing the flavor in the brown bits.
  • Return meat to the pot, tucking in the carrots, potatoes and onions all around. Pour in additional beef broth until about halfway up the side of the meat. Add sprigs (or dried) of rosemary, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf tucking around the veggies and meat.
  • Cover and don’t peek, cook for 3 hours (for a smaller roast) and 4-6 hours for a larger roast. If necessary, check the liquid levels about hour 4 or 6 if cooking longer adding a cup or so of additional broth. Serve with warm Russian Black Bread and a crisp green salad.

✱ Kathleen’s Tips

This is so delicious on top of a baked potato as well, or use leftovers and bake potatoes for a completely different meal idea!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving Calories: 639 kcal Carbohydrates: 35 g Protein: 48 g Fat: 31 g Saturated Fat: 12 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g Monounsaturated Fat: 17 g Trans Fat: 2 g Cholesterol: 156 mg Sodium: 535 mg Potassium: 1699 mg Fiber: 6 g Sugar: 6 g Vitamin A: 10279 IU Vitamin C: 36 mg Calcium: 95 mg Iron: 7 mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Fresh Cooky is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Kathleen Pope, The Fresh Cooky.

About Kathleen Pope

Recipe Innovator | Food Photographer | Food Writer

Hi, I’m Kathleen Pope. Here at The Fresh Cooky you will find easy, mostly from-scratch, trusted recipes for all occasions. From speedy dinners to tasty desserts, with easy step-by-step instructions. I am here to help teach you how to make mouthwatering recipes without spending hours in the kitchen. Read more about Kathleen here.

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10 Comments

  1. So, it may not be Sunday, but we will be enjoying this delicious recipe this Thursday. There is nothing better than a good pot roast! And I can’t wait for the way my home will smell while this is cooking as much as I m looking forward to enjoying the meal. Thanks, friend.