We went “lean” on Fat Tuesday? Yes, it’s Fat Tuesday, but instead of rich and decadent, today’s clip is lean and clean; a classic beef pot roast, slowly braised with aromatic winter veggies. As I say in the clip, this dish “makes itself.” A nice hunk of chuck, a few seasonings, some veggies and a few hours is all it takes to make something so satisfying and heart warming.Most of these recipes have you flour the meat first, and then sear it, but I think my method works much better. You’ll see me make a quick roux in the pot before we braise. This allows me to really brown the roast well, without worrying about burning the flour.
Of course you can vary the vegetables that we add for the last hour of cooking, but I hope you don’t leave out the parsnip. It really gives the dish an important aromatic layer of flavor. I didn’t add potatoes (since I wanted to save the carbs for the bread I used to soak up the juice!), but they are a standard addition to this dish in most recipes.
Be careful when selecting your pot roast. You are looking for a boneless, 3 pound beef “Chuck” pot roast. Check a few packages, as some can have larger chucks of fat than others. By the way, hey Butchers, stop putting the price sticker over that big chuck of fat to hide it! I hate that. Anyway, hopefully you have a nice butcher who will make sure you get the perfect cut for this great dish.
3 pound boneless beef “chuck” pot roast
2 tbl olive oil
3 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 bay leave
3 cloves garlic
3-4 springs fresh thyme and rosemary (2 tsp of dried if you can’t find fresh)
2 tbl flour
1 quart beef stock or broth
1 yellow onion
4-5 carrots
2 parsnips
3 stacks celery
26 comments:
Absolutely awesome!
Very nice to see an update, because I can't count the number of times I've seen all the other videos.
Greetings from Denmark
thanks! yes, we'll be posting more now that the new site is set up.
Can we use new red potatoes instead of the parsnips?
How could I stop you?? Would be fine,just not as aromatic
Can you please explain why you use Le Crousset Dutch Oven? If I don't have one, a regular stainless steel pot is fine? Thanks
I used a Le Crousset Dutch Oven only because I'm lucky enough to have one. Anything fairly heavy duty with a tight fitting lid will work.
Lucky duck! Just out of curiosity, what is the size of that particular dutch oven you were using, (3 1/2, 5 1/2, or 7 1/2 quart?) Thanks
7 1/2 qt
My pot roast turned out tough despite being cooked in a Crouset pot. In the beginning when I was browning the meat in very high heat, the meat was somewhat burnt, then after 3 hours in low heat and meat not tender, I continued cooking the meat for a few more hours and still meat was not tender. I was disappointed. What did I do wrong? Do you ever turn to high heat using your crouset pot for searing or just medium heat and get the pan very hot? Thanks
You have me stumped! The pot or hot brown it got are not a factor, Some poeple just throw it in the stock and braise it for hours until tender with even browning it. Did you use a chuck roast? If you cook it for a long time on low, eventually it just falls apart, so I dont how after 5 hours of simmering it could still be tough?? Did you slice it against the grain? See recent brisket video recipe for detailed description. I really have no idea what happened. But like I say the pot and initial searing arent a big factor, that is more for appearance. It's almost phyically impossible to simmer a chuck pot roast for that long and not be falling apart tender. I wish i knew what happened!
Hi! I am so glad I found this video on youtube. I am now officially addicted to your site! Kudos for doing such a great job! Anyway, I made this roast tonight and had the same problem Aimee had but think I know what was wrong. After adding the veggies and cooking for an hour, my roast was very tough and even the veggies weren't tender. I turned the heat up to med-low and let it cook for about another one and a half hours (till I couldn't wait anymore- it smelled sooooo good) and when I checked, the veggies were done and most of the meat was fork-tender. Some inner pieces were still a little tough, but much better than before. I am pretty sure the need for higher heat is b/c I use a glass top stove that gets hot and then cools for a few seconds before heating again. It's SUPPOSED to be a more constant temp throughout cooking by doing this but it doesn't seem to have kept my roast simmering. I could be wrong; but either way, this was my first pot roast and it was delicious!
im glad it came out. i think that is the issue.
This was the fourth recipe of yours I tried, and just like the others, it came out perfect. Like usual, I followed all your pointers. Perhaps it is a regional thing, but I never see "chuck" roast in the showcase. Instead I purchased a 3lb bottom blade roast. I'm not too sure of the differences, but I think they come from similar regions of the animal. At any rate, it was really tender. I also served your perfect mashed potatoes. I didn't realize the russet was so versatile.
Thanks!
Hey John,
Love this recipe! I come back to this site every winter (couldn't remember a recipe to save my life) and always enjoy the outcome. This year, I finally found a local butcher who gets local beef and knows what to do with it. Can't wait. Cheers!
I always have problems with making the roux. Just started this recipe tonight and I threw in three table spoons of flowers, it looked like there was enough oil, but it just clumped up. So I frantically added a whole bunch of butter into it (it was at hand) until it smoothened out.
Not necessary! Just use the amounts given and it will smooth out as it cooks. Relax ;-)
Happy New Year, Chef! It's now 2012 but this recipe from 2007 was a superb dinner to start the new year. Thanks for guiding us along the path of really good eating!
Can I use boneless shoulder pot roast instead since they are cheaper in price?
Chef Jon rules the kitchen. I made this recipe for my family and father for fathers day. What a great recipe. I took it up a notch and added 1/4 cup Worcestershire, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, and 1/2 cup marsala wine to the stock. Also when I was reducing the sauce I added 1/4 tablespoon cayenne peper to add a little kick. My old Italian father then mentioned Steak Piazzolla from his childhood days. Of course Chef Jon comes through and had a recipe I can not wait to make for him next family dinner. You are a great find. thanks for all you do.
Jon, you probably won't like this recipe for pot roast but I promise you it is very tasty - this is how my family has done it for years. Powder the chuck with flour, then bring medium heat to a corningware pot. Adding just enough water from time to time to not allow it to stick, brown each side of the roast. Then add 3 slices of sweet white onion and one cube of Knorr beef stock, then half-way cover the roast in water. Cook in oven at 300 for 15 minutes. Then remove the onions, setting them aside. Pour melot wine over the top of the beef just lightly enough to "wet" it. Then add 1 or 2 cans of Giorgio's Dawns Mushroom Steak Sauce. Cook the roast until it is about medium well. Remove the roast to another dish, cover it with the onions removed before, turn off oven and set the roast in to brown a bit. In the pot, add a packet of Sauers or McCormick's Mushroom gravy, stir well, add a splash of Kitchen Bouquet gravy seasoning-let simmer. This is a rich gravy for egg noodles. I hope you try it even if it has prepared ingredients!
best. pot. roast. ever.
thanks chef John. you rock<3
I added this to my allrecipes recipe box. I hope you don't mind.
http://allrecipes.com/personalrecipe/63778142/chef-johns-classic-pot-roast-with-winter-vegetables/detail.aspx
This was the dish with the longest cooking time I have ever made. But it was worth every moment of the wait. Scrumptious!
Not a big fan of making pot roasts-- until this receipe-SOOO good!! Although had to add in potatoes for my hubby. Thanks for the many amazing recipes Chef John!!��
Thanks Chef John! I just searched "pot roast" and "food wishes" on YouTube because I knew you would have just what I wanted! I got a Lodge enameled Dutch oven for Christmas. The first thing I made in it was your Pork Stew- our new family favorite! I am excited to make this too. Thanks!
Sometimes, I find that my attempts to simmer the stew results in dry meat. Is this because the temperature was too high and it was a boil and not a true simmer. Or, am I using too much salt. This is the most distressing problem I have with cooking braised meats. Pls advise. Thanks.
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