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Cozy Dutch Oven Pot Roast

Fork-tender beef chuck roast braised in red wine and herbs, with potatoes, carrots, and celery cooked right in the same pot. It takes a few hours, but almost all of that is hands-off oven time.
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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • The roast
  • 3-4 lb boneless beef chuck roast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • The braising base
  • 1 large onion thickly sliced
  • 4-6 garlic cloves minced
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ tsp each dried thyme rosemary, and sage
  • 2 bay leaves
  • The vegetables
  • 1½ lb petite red potatoes halved
  • 4 carrots peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces
  • 4 celery stalks cut into 3-inch pieces
  • To finish
  • Fresh parsley chopped
  • Your Pot Roast Timeline

Method
 

  1. Before you start: Heat the oven to 300°F and make sure a rack sits in the lower third so your Dutch oven fits.
  2. Stage 1: Brown the beef (20 min)
  3. Pat the roast very dry and rub it all over with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the roast 4-5 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Transfer it to a plate.
  4. Stage 2: Build the sauce (10 min)
  5. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and stir for about 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits. Whisk the broth, wine, tomato paste, Worcestershire, and dried herbs in a bowl, then pour it in. Bring it to a gentle simmer and nestle the roast back in with the bay leaves.
  6. Stage 3: Braise (hours 0-2)
  7. Cover and bake for 1½-2 hours. Don’t peek too often, since the steam does the work.
  8. Stage 4: Add the vegetables (hours 2-4)
  9. Carefully take the pot out and tuck the potatoes, carrots, and celery around the meat. Cover and bake another 1½-2 hours, until a fork slides into the beef with no resistance and the vegetables are soft.
  10. Stage 5: Rest and serve (10 min)
  11. Discard the bay leaves. Let the roast rest 10 minutes, then slice or pull it apart. Spoon the vegetables and pot juices over the top and finish with parsley.
  12. Tips for Success

Notes

Tips for Success
Go by tenderness, not the clock. Chuck roast is a tough cut. If it still resists a fork, cover it and keep cooking, checking every 20-30 minutes.
Cut vegetables evenly so they finish at the same time. Yukon Gold or russet potatoes work too.
Short on time? Baby carrots skip the peeling and chopping.
No wine? Use an extra cup of beef broth.
Fresh herbs? A few sprigs each of thyme, rosemary, and sage replace the dried.
No tomato paste? Leave it out. The sauce will be a bit lighter but still flavorful.
Storing & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers with their juices in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in a 300°F oven, covered, so the beef stays moist. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.