Dutch Oven Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes
Dutch oven pot roast with carrots and potatoes gets juicy and fork tender right from the oven. If you have time to skip the slow cooker, it’s worth it for a melt in your mouth meal you’ll be happy to serve again and again.
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If you’ve been around here any length of time, you know that I’m not a slow cooker person. I won’t rant–but just know that it doesn’t produce the kind of food we enjoy.
And it seems like the #1 food people want to make in a slow cooker is a pot roast. And a lot of pull it off. I’ve tried it but my meat comes out so dry at the end. Yes, it’s tender on some occasions but what’s the trade off? The meat has just been cooked to death.
Why choose a dutch oven over a slow cooker for pot roast
Dutch ovens are made from cast iron and retain and distribute heat really evenly. Plus the tight fitting lid allows moisture to stay inside for the most part and with a few tricks, makes the juiciest pot roast you’ve ever had.
Plan ahead for this dutch oven pot roast
This recipe probably won’t be something you make on a week night if you’re terribly busy–but save it for a weekend, or if you happen to have a snow day at home and you’ll be so glad you put it together.
This roast takes 3 or so hours to cook in your oven.
Add those carrots and potatoes in the last hour of cooking and they are so soft when you’re ready to eat that they beg for a light mash with a little butter and salt.
Perfection.
What cut of beef is best for pot roast?
I almost always choose a chuck roast. Its marbling means the fat slowly melts during cooking and helps ensure the meat stays tender.
Other cuts that can work include a rump or round roast. They just don’t have the same marbling and are a bit tougher than chuck roasts so they may need a slightly longer cook time. Just cook it until a fork inserted in the meat will twist easily.
What’s the difference between pot roast and roast beef?
The pot roast method is different from that used to cook more tender cuts of beef such as “roast beef” (often top round or top sirloin) or prime rib.
Although both methods involve cooking relatively large pieces of meat until tender, there is a distinction in how it’s done.
Pot roast is cooked covered for hours at a low temperature until the meat softens, not until it reaches a specific temperature.
Roast beef, on the other hand, is cooked uncovered until a meat thermometer inserted into the beef reads a specific temperature.
In other words, roast beef requires you to cook to a specific doneness while pot roast requires you to cook to a certain level of tenderness. Make sense?
Should pot roast be submerged in liquid?
When making a pot roast, the meat does not need to be completely submerged but you do want the cooking liquid to come at least ¾ of the way up the roast. Some choose to use beef broth while some choose to use water.
Either will do. Note that, if you do decide to use water, you will want to season a bit more heavily.
Regardless of your choice, you will end up with a delicious, rich beef broth at the end. I love saving mine and using it for soup and stews.
Tips for a top-notch dutch oven pot roast
- Use a heavy cast iron dutch oven with a lid. This one is my favorite, or a good quality oven-safe pot with a tight lid. Just covering your meat in aluminum foil won’t work.
- Sear your meat first over high heat to start the browning process. Browning meat equals flavor and we need that.
- Add carrots and potatoes to the pot during the last 45 minutes to an hour of cook time so they absorb the broth and get good and soft.
When adding beef broth, know this
You can just use water on your roast if you want to. It will make its own wonderful beef broth as it simmers, but beef broth can be used too.
Choose a broth without additives, MSG or flavorings and never, ever use bouillon cubes or powders. They are so salty you could ruin your roast with them.
>>This is not a rare roast beef recipe. Please take note.<<
I’ve gotten a bit of hate mail from some confused home cooks who make this and then yell that their roast is overcooked at the halfway point.
This is not oven roasted rare roast beef and at no point should you be taking its temperature.
This is a pot roast that’s braised–a technique that uses moisture and long cook times to break down tough cuts of meat like a chuck roast until it falls apart. If you want a rare roast beef, you want a recipe like this one.
Ingredients you can add for a pot roast flavor boost
A pot roast can handle a variety of different flavors. Try these options:
- Swap part of the beef broth for red wine. Never use cooking wines.
- Add herbs like thyme or rosemary. If you want to use these, put them in during the last hour of cooking or the heat destroys the essential oils and their flavor.
- Toss in whole garlic cloves for a hint of flavor.
- Baby or pearl onions are a simple addition. Buy a bag of the frozen ones and add them with the carrots and potatoes.
- Swap the root vegetables for parsnips, turnips or sweet potatoes.
How to store leftover pot roast
If you find yourself with leftovers, allow the pot roast to cool completely before sealing it in an airtight container and storing it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
When you are ready to enjoy, reheat the desired portion on the stovetop over medium heat or in the oven, covered, at 300 degrees F until heated through.
I recommend adding a dash of beef broth, in either case, to help keep things moist.
To freeze
You can also freeze leftover pot roast. After the meat has cooled completely, separate it from the veggies, shred it, transfer it to a ziplock bag or an airtight container, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I do not recommend freezing the veggies as they will not reheat well.
When you are ready to enjoy the pot roast, reheat it as you would from refrigerated. Just tack on a bit of extra time.
What to serve with pot roast made in a dutch oven
Rolls are a staple with this recipe. Try one of these versions:
- Classic 100 year old yeast rolls
- Small batch yeast rolls
- No yeast dinner rolls
- One hour rosemary hot mix rolls
We love a horseradish cream sauce with our roasts. This one is a favorite though sometimes my recipe is as simple as some mayonnaise and ground horseradish. 😉
Dutch Oven Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- 1/2 red onion sliced
- 2 pound chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups beef broth
- 3 large russet potatoes peeled and sliced into 1-inch wedges
- 5 large carrots peeled and sliced into 1-inch thick pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375.
- Put your dutch oven on the stove and heat it over high heat about 5 minutes to sear the meat. (Please watch your pot and monitor the heat. Your pot may only need 3 minutes or 4. Y'all stop trying to burn your houses down because I said 5 minutes) Add the oil and season the meat with salt and pepper on both sides. Add it to the pan. It should sizzle immediately.
- Reduce the heat to medium high, and let the meat sear on one side 5 minutes, then flip. Add the onions and cook 5 minutes more.
- Add the beef broth to the pot--it should come about halfway up the side of the meat.
- Cover and bake an hour and a half, then check the liquid in the pot. Add a cup or so of extra water if needed.
- Reduce the heat to 350 and bake an additional hour, and then add the carrots and potatoes. Bake covered 45 minutes longer or until the meat is tender and the potatoes and carrots are soft.
What if I use a bigger roast do I need additional ingredients?
Not necessarily additional ingredients. Just get the water level up where it needs to be. If my roasts are larger than 4 pounds, I cut them in half. If you keep your roast whole it will extend the cook time. –Rachel
I make this recipe regularly now and it’s terrific. After our Sunday meal, I make the leftovers into a delicious soup. Can’t recommend this recipe enough. Thank you!
Thank you so much Julie!
This will ruin your roast. IT says 375 at one hour, then turn it down to 350 and do another hour. When I went to put the vegetables in for the last 45 minutes the roast was already 200 degrees and OVER DONE. REMOVE THIS RECIPE!! 2 hours and 45 minutes at 360 degrees for a 2lb roast is TOO MUCH HEAT!!
Now whoa there buddy. This is a braised dish. It’s not about rare, medium rare, etc. As you can see from the many positive comments this recipe does work really well. It’s about cooking the meat in a moist environment until it FALLS APART, not reaches a certain temperature and that means a long time in the oven until you can twist a fork and the meat falls apart. That takes time and patience. If you want to read up on braising, that will help you understand the process. –Rachel
@al, I have been doing it this same way for 36 years. Never had a dry or chewy or tough roast. Perfect every time!❤
i am used to making roast that use onion soup mix and a can of cream of mushroom soup. can i used that with this recipe?
Eh…well I don’t know Sandy. Personally I don’t use either of those ingredients when I cook so I can’t really advise you on that. I stick to mostly homemade whole foods. I’d personally suggest just trying it once as written and then you could go from there. –Rachel
@sandy, There isn’t enough water in condensed soups to slow-braise efficiently. You run the risk of drying the meat out and the dry soup mix just makes it worse. If you’re seriously addicted to the flavor of the soups, don’t be afraid to heat them together in a separate pot or in the microwave at the end of cook time to use as a gravy. But honestly, try the recipe as-is; finding some broth and chopping an onion isn’t that hard. ;>)
This is an outstanding basic pot roast recipe! I made it last night and am actually looking forward to leftovers tonight (that’s not often that happens). I was so happy to find this because it lets the beef shine. Isn’t that why you make a pot roast dinner…to taste a good beef dinner? Thank you for posting this recipe. I will be using it from now on! No frills just good down-home food!! YUM!!
Has anyone had an issues with it being oily, I only used 1 tbsp of oil and made a gravy with left over broth and butter and added it back to the pot but it is super oily, just wondering if anyone has had this problem
Hey Lucas, since I didn’t provide a gravy recipe I’d guess you were winging it on this but I have some theories. First of all it sounds like you had way too much grease. Remember that all the fat in your roast renders out into the liquid broth. That means you would need to use something like a fat separator to get that fat to rise out of your broth. Then you could have used either that fat for your gravy OR used butter instead but you didn’t need both–hence the oily factor. –Rachel
What size dutch oven do you use for a 2 lb chuck roast? Thanks!
It really won’t matter Yvonne as long as it has the right amount of liquid in it. What size do you have? Or are you planning to buy one? A 7 quart is great for big families, a 5 would be next best for feeding 2 to 3 people regularly. –Rachel
I cooked a Chuck Roast per this recipe last week and it was delicious. I have another Chuck Roast in the oven right now preparing for Hurricane Laura.
Can I use a bottom round roast ? 3.22lbs
Hey Maureen, yes you sure can.
I made a few vegetable additions to this recipe, but otherwise followed carefully. It was perfect! So delicious! Your recipe has now been adopted as the way we make pot roast in our house. Thank you!