Solid Tender Pot Roast

solid Tender Pot Roast is the best recipe for a classic Sunday pot roast, full of flavor, and perfectly cooked, every time! If you grew up expecting a hearty roast dinner on Sunday afternoon, and you're looking to recreate those good, tender, never-dry roasts – this recipe is for you! This pot roast is fork tender (you can slice it with a butter knife!) that is loaded with rich, meaty flavor.

While some pot roasts shred when cooked, this recipe was designed to get you good tender sliced roast that is good for dinner, and makes good leftovers! check out our Instant Pot Dr Pepper Pot Roast recipe for a fun twist on this classic!

At Avdaye, we add lots of tips in all of our recipes – because we are a home cook without any formal training, and we find we are more confident making dishes when we understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. Our goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

How to Make Sunday Pot Roast

We love to serve this roast sliced thick with mashed potatoesor slice it thin and serve in sandwiches or wraps – this is one roast you won't want to skip! check out some keto side dishes like our mashed cauliflower or sautéed zucchini and squash for a low carb meal – or get the whole family excited for diner again with this knockout scalloped corn dish, or our favorite easy no knead bread!

Pot Roast Ingredients

First assemble the following ingredients:

• Butter (2 tbsp) –
• Boneless chuck roast (3-5 pound) – Chuck roast is marbled with fat and surrounded by connective tissue, making it a cut of meat better prone to cooking at low temperature for a long time, so that fat can render and break down – leaving you with rich, meaty flavor.
• Onion (1 large, cut into fourths) –
• Carrots (4 large, peeled and chopped into large 1-2″ chunks) –
• Celery (4 stalks, rough chopped) –
• Garlic (6 cloves, peeled, chop or toss in whole- up to you!) –
• Cracked black pepper (1 tsp fresh) –
• Celtic sea salt (1 tsp) –
• Italian herbs seasoning (1 tbsp) –
• Rosemary (1-2 sprigs) –
• Good quality red wine (1 cup) –
• Beef stock (1 1/2 cup) –

Steps to Make Tender solid Pot Roast

We will be following this method:

Prep and Brown

Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. In large, heavy skillet, melt butter and heat on medium high until foamy. Add roast to pan and brown on all sides. When roast has been browned, after about 8 minutes, remove from pan and add to large dutch oven or roaster pan that has a lid.

Add Veggies and Roast

Add vegetables to pan and cook 4-5 minutes until lightly browned and softened. When fragrant and slightly soft, add to dutch oven. Season well with salt, pepper, and herbs. Add wine and stock. Place rosemary sprigs in pan and add lid. Roast 4 hours, until roast is tender with light pressure from a fork. Remove roast and tent with foil on cutting board.

Rest and Serve

Let roast rest at least 15 minutes before slicing. As roast rests, braising liquid can be boiled down and blended to thicken and serve as gravy. Slice roast and serve.

Kitchen notes

How to save leftovers. Leftover roast can be stored in refrigerator for up to four days in airtight container. Frozen roast can be stored four months. Always reheat to piping hot when serving leftovers to prevent food-borne illness.

How to make pot roast shreddable. Keep roast in the oven, covered, and continue roasting until meat is so tender it easily shreds apart with a fork. Add additional water or stock if needed to keep from dying out or burning.

Serve it with

This pot roast is a solid hearty dinner – we are sharing some of our favorite easy sides that pair perfectly with this dinner!

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Pot Roast FAQs

Which pot roast is the most tender?

Boneless chuck roast is our choice for a tender pot roast.

Does pot roast have to fall apart?

Pot roast should be fork tender, but doesn't necessarily fall apart when served. This recipe is for a fork-tender sliced, not fall-apart shredded roast.

What temperature to cook pot roast to?

Since this recipe cooks slowly at a low temperature we don't rely on temperature to tell when meat is cooked, since we will go over the 145 degree internal temperature guideline for food safety.

You pot roast will get to about 190 degrees internal temperature, which is when connective tissue and fat breaks down.

How do we tell when pot roast is done?

Your roast will be done after 4 hours, when meat pulls back slightly with light pressure from a fork. It will be soft, and not yet soft enough to shred.

How much pot roast to make per person?

Plan on about 1/2 lb or 8 oz per person when meat is your main dish.

What temperature to set oven to for pot roast?

We cook pot roast at a lower temperature of 275 degrees Fahrenheit.

Do we need to brown roast before cooking?

For the best flavor, and to keep meat from looking grey, we reccomend browning meat in a pan before adding to dutch oven with other ingredients.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 3-5 pound boneless chuck roast
• 1 large onion, cut into fourths
• 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped into large 1-2″ chunks
• 4 stalks celery, rough chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled (chop or toss in whole- up to you!)
• 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp celtic sea salt
• 1 tbsp Italian herbs seasoning
• 1-2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 cup good quality red wine
• 1 ½ cup beef stock

Method

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In large, heavy skillet, melt butter and heat on medium high until foamy.
3. Add roast to pan and brown on all sides.
4. When roast has been browned, after about 8 minutes, remove from pan and add to large dutch oven or roaster pan that has a lid.
5. Add vegetables to pan and cook 4-5 minutes until lightly browned and softened. When fragrant and slightly soft, add to dutch oven.
6. Season well with salt, pepper, and herbs.
7. Add wine and stock.
8. Place rosemary sprigs in pan and add lid.
9. Roast 4 hours, until roast is tender with light pressure from a fork.
10. Remove roast and tent with foil on cutting board.
11. Let roast rest at least 15 minutes before slicing.
12. As roast rests, braising liquid can be boiled down and blended to thicken and serve as gravy.
13. Slice roast and serve.
14. Leftover roast can be stored in refrigerator for up to four days in airtight container. Frozen roast can be stored four months. Always reheat to piping hot when serving leftovers to prevent food-borne illness.