He must have had some brownie points stashed away somewhere for me to have even entertained the idea of a succulent and mouthwatering beef pot roast that particular evening. If you have been an ardent follower of Safari of the Mind, you will know that I’m talking about my husband, Bert. It’s not very often that I cook a beef pot roast these days, but don’t get me wrong, we both love it, but for health reasons I try to limit our beef intake. You should have seen his expression when I pulled this out of the oven! I can’t tell you how moist and flavorful this one pot wonder was. The prep work didn’t take too long either, and then, wham, boom, bang in the oven it went with all those flavors, perfuming the entire house. I literally threw splashes of red wine in the pot without measuring, and wow, this was a winner! Inexpensive cuts of beef are best for pot roasts.


Oven Cooked Beef Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast
- kosher salt according to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
- 2 celery stalks cleaned and chopped
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cups unsalted beef broth
- 3 large garlic cloves, smashed
- 3 whole fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 whole fresh rosemary sprig
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 teaspoons Worcestershire saue
- 6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon malt vinegar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Method
- Heat the oven. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 325 deg.
- Season the roast and coat in flour. Season the meat with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and pepper. Sprikle 2 tablespoons of the flour over the entire roast until evenly coated.
- Sear the roast. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the roast and brown on all sides, including the ends, until you have a deep golden sear, about 5 minutes per side. I threw in a couple of bacon slices for extra flavor. Transfer the roast to a large plate and set aside.
- Sauté the onion with the celery, reduce the heat to medium and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté until softened and beginning to brown around the edges, about 4 minutes.
- Deglaze – add the red wine and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Add flavorings and roast to the pot. Stir in the beef broth, garlic, whole thyme sprigs, bay leaves, whole rosemary sprig, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. Return the meat and any juices to the pot.
- Cover and braise. Bring to a simmer, then cover and place in the oven. Braise for 1 hour and 45 minutes. The meat should appear tender, but will not be falling apart yet.
- Add the vegetables, uncover and nestle the carrots and potatoes into the braising liquid around the roast. Cover again, return to the oven and braise until the roast pulls apart easily and the vegetables are tender but not mushy for 1 1/2 to 2 hours more.
- Shred the meat. Remove the pot from the oven and set over low heat. Trnasfer the roast to a large bowl and shred into large pieces with 2 forks; set aside. Remove and discard the herb stems and bay leaves.
- Thicken the gravy. Stir the butter-flour paste into the pot and cook for 3 minutes to remove the raw flour taste and thicken the gravy making sure the liquid does not boil. Stir in the vinegar.
- Add meat back to the pot. Return the shredded pieces of meat to the pot and gently stir to coat in the gravy.
- Serve the pot roast with crusty bread. Top with a few grinds of black pepper and chopped thyme and rosemary.


This looks amazing! Good ole meat and potatoes, comfort food at its best.
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Nothing like it eh? I loved the recipe, so will definitely be making it again.
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Nice recipe 🙂
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Thank you Mistimaan. 🙂
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step7…are you saying Braise as a different step than merely cooking covered in the oven, or is it just identifying what that is called? and also , what does that bit of vinegar do? Liking the sounds of simplicity here and wondering how it differs or compares to mine 🙂
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Browning the meat first on the stove top and then a long slow process with the top covered in the oven = braise in my books 🙂 I did not use the malt vinegar, I just used ordinary vinegar. I usually like the taste of vinegar in any dish, it sort of brings out all the flavors for me.
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Looks so comforting, Loretta! Absolutely delish!
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Indeed it was Freda! Are you making any Goan sweets this year? You still in Goa?
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Hi Loretta! Yes, I plan to make a few. How about you? I returned in the first week of November 🙂
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I would say someone is very lucky to have this gorgeous dinner!! I try to limit beef, too, but I would so happily dig in to a plate of this! 🙂 Perfect winter comfort food, Loretta.
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Thanks so much Mollie. I’m actually going for this dish again over the Christmas break when all the gang are home. 🙂
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You are so good to Bert – the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I know that was true with Gene any time I fixed one of his favorite dishes. Looks so good – my favorite meal in the winter and I would enjoy making a new recipe. Not measuring the wine? – That’s my kind of recipe Loretta – LOL 🙂
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Ha ha ha Judi – nope there were no clean measuring cups around LOL! I’m sure Gene loved your great home made meals, he was a lucky man to have had a wife who cooked his favorite meals. I’m amazed at how many people have such beautiful kitchens, but don’t really cook in it at all. So I guess our husbands are/were lucky that we enjoy cooking. I’m lacking behind in my blogging world again, we were in Canada last week, and I’m really trying to catch up both online and also in the baking department 🙂
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I figured you were maybe still in New York or traveling somewhere else. I see a new post (dessert) from you and I will have to take a look. If I had lots of money to spare I would really have a fancy kitchen but I am happy – just could use a bigger one 🙂
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So many layers of flavor in this pot roast Loretta! I am sure Bert is busy gathering more brownie points for this treat again 🙂
So perfect for the winter time too….and I love the idea of not measuring the wine….sounds like you guys had a wonderful cozy evening. Stay blessed dear!
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Thanks so much Sandhya. Ha ha like I told Judi up above, there weren’t any clean measuring cups around, so I just guessed LOL! I think I’m gonna make this again when the gang come home for Christmas – it feeds an army. I hope you’re doing well in the snow?
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Thanks for asking. I am doing well. Snow was not much of a problem but the biting winds a couple of days ago were unbelievable! It was like they just went through you, you know?
I am enjoying your warm and inviting baked holiday yummies- fabulous posts Loretta!
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This pot roast looks both hearty and delicious!
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Thanks so much ChefKreso. They were both of that and more 🙂
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I love everything about this warm and comforting meal. I love all of the things you can do with the leftovers too!
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True Julie, we were eating leftovers for days. But I think I’ll make it again when the gang come home for Christmas. It clearly feeds an army. I hope you’re doing well. I’m sure you’re busy in the kitchen too 🙂
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This is one of the best comfort foods for us in NH. We are in the thick of winter! Thanks, Loretta!😁💗
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