Oven Braised Chuck Pot Roast

A few nights ago I made a delicious pot roast. I found this recipe while searching online. I've only made pot roast a few times and have never loved the recipes I've tried - until now! I don't like using a slow cooker so I was specifically looking for a recipe to make in a braiser.

I made a few changes to this and it was delicious! I did not add celery like the recipe calls for. I added red wine towards the end (I'm not sure how much I put, probably 1/2 cup to 1 cup), which made it taste so good! I love adding wine to dishes like this. I used an Angus Beef Boneless Chuck Roast from Giant that was a little over 3 pounds and a bag of mini honey gold potatoes. I used more carrots than the original recipe calls for (it calls for 2 and I used 6). I also did not have fresh thyme, so I added a little bit of dried thyme and rosemary. I had 8 ounces of baby bella mushrooms that I chopped and was going to add towards the end, but when I checked it at 3 hours it was already done cooking, so I just cooked those separately and then added them to my dish. This worked out well because my husband doesn't care for mushrooms as much as I do so he left them out of his. I made this in my 3.5-qt. Braiser, which was a bit of a squeeze. Next time I will make it in something a bit larger. This fed 3 adults with enough leftover for 3 more adult servings. This was really delicious and I will definitely be making it again soon. If you try it, make sure you add some red wine!

Update January 2024: I made this again tonight but this time I made it in my 6.75-qt. Wide Round Dutch Oven, which worked much better than in my braiser. I used the full amount of salt and pepper called for in the original recipe (2 tablespoons of each), and I thought it was way too much. This was still delicious but I thought it tasted better the first time I made it, so next time I will use the amounts in the recipe below and see how that tastes. I set my oven timer to 2.5 hours, and the meat was ready, so I sautéed the mushrooms separately and added them in. This is the perfect winter meal, served with some crusty bread to soak up that yummy sauce with!

Oven Braised Chuck Pot Roast

Recipe adapted from “Sweet Tea + Thyme” Website

 

The perfect pot roast doesn't have to come from a slow cooker! This oven braised New-England-style chuck roast with vegetables is a fork-tender, juicy, and absolutely delicious recipe that's perfect for a family dinner.

 

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 (3-4 pound) boneless chuck roast

6 large carrots, roughly chopped

1 medium yellow onion, sliced into ½” slices

5 cloves garlic, smashed

3 sprigs fresh thyme (or some dried thyme and dried rosemary)

2 pounds baby gold potatoes, cut in half

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

1 Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups (16 ounces) beef broth or stock

½ to 1 cup red wine (optional)

8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, chopped

 

 

Preheat oven to 350°F.

 

Season all sides of the chuck roast generously with salt and pepper.

 

In a large dutch oven or oven-safe braiser on your range over medium-high heat, add your high heat oil and wait until the oil is shimmering hot (that means it looks like it's doing a little shimmy in the pot, it's moving a little) then add the seasoned chuck roast.

 

Sear the chuck roast on each side until it gets a deep brown crust, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chuck roast from the pan and set it aside onto a plate.

 

Turn the temperature down to medium, then add the chopped carrots and onions to the pot. Sauté the vegetables for five minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables start to turn golden brown. Add the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and cook for about two minutes. Add some red wine (optional).

 

Place the chuck roast back into the pot, add in the potatoes and beef broth, and put a lid on your pot (you can also use aluminum foil if you don't have a lid).

 

Cook pot roast for 2.5 to 4 hours, checking at 2 hours for fork-tenderness. Once fork tender, take the roast out of the oven.

 

If you want to add chopped mushrooms, either add them in the last half hour of cooking, or sauté them separately and add them in once you take the roast out of the oven.

 

Let the pot roast rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with vegetables and pan drippings or pan dripping gravy.

Before going in the oven (made in braiser)

Before going in the oven (made in dutch oven)

Saute the mushrooms and add them in at the end

Best Ever Beef Bourguignon

Last year I posted a recipe for Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon that I've made a few times and is delicious. I've been wanting to make this recipe in my dutch oven instead of in the slow cooker, so I looked back at the original recipe website and found a recipe for Best Ever Beef Bourguignon on the same website. This was exactly what I was looking for. It's very similar to the slow cooker version with a few changes, and I made a few changes myself.

I made this with 3 pounds of beef chunks from Giant. They were fine but ones I bought previously from Costco have tasted the best, so from now on I will try to get them there instead. I cut the beef chunks into much smaller bite-sized pieces. I left out the bacon because the last time I made this in my slow cooker, there was a heavy smokey flavor and I don't like when food tastes smokey. I love bacon but I actually thought it tasted much better this time around without the bacon! I also left the onions out. I added 24 ounces of baby potatoes and cut them in quarters which helped give them more flavor. I used 16 ounces of mushrooms instead of 8 ounces because I love mushrooms! I used an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce and left out the tomato paste. OK, I guess I made more than a few changes, but wanted to remember for next time what I did. I thought this tasted really good but would maybe use more carrots and less or no potatoes next time.

This recipe was so good and I love how easily you can adapt it to your liking. I also enjoyed making it in my dutch oven (I used my 6.75-qt. Le Creuset oval dutch oven which was the perfect size) and thought it tasted better than the times I made it in the slow cooker. I started this around 3:30pm and took my time cutting everything up and it was ready around 6:30pm. It made 4-5 servings.

Best Ever Beef Bourguignon

Recipe Adapted from The Recipe Critic Blog

 

Beef Bourguignon is a French classic made with melt in your mouth beef, mushrooms, carrots, and red wine and is cooked to perfection in the most delicious rich sauce.  A hearty and comforting meal that you will make again and again!

3½ Tablespoons olive oil

6 slices bacon (optional)

3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes

Salt and pepper

2 carrots, sliced

10-12 small pearl onions OR 1 small white onion diced (optional)

8 or 16 ounces mushrooms, sliced

2 cups red wine, young and full-bodied (like Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Burgundy)

2 cups beef stock

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

½ cup tomato sauce

¼ cup flour

2 cloves mashed garlic

½ teaspoon thyme

Bay leaf

 

 

Preheat the oven to 350° if making in the oven; otherwise, it can be made on the stove.

 

In a large dutch oven over medium high heat add the olive oil and bacon pieces. Cook until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon.

 

Salt and pepper the beef and add it to the pot and sear on each side for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the dutch oven.

 

Add the carrots, pearl onions, and mushrooms and sauté 2-3 minutes until tender. Remove and set aside.

 

Add the red wine to the skillet, scraping down the sides and allow to deglaze. Add the beef stock, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and whisk in the flour.

 

Add the beef and the vegetables and bacon back to the pot and stir. Add garlic, thyme and bay leaf.

 

If making in the oven, put a lid on the pot and let it simmer in the oven for 1½ to 2 hours until the beef is tender.

 

If making on the stovetop, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a low and simmer. Cover and let cook 1½ to 2 hours or until beef is tender.

 

Note: You can also add in the sautéed mushrooms 10 minutes before serving.

Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

My sister Caterina sent me a recipe for Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon a while ago that I never made until today. I have really been missing out! This was so delicious. It has been really cold out lately and my husband had the day off from work, so I took the opportunity to prepare this while he was home to spend time with our toddlers. It took me a little while to prepare it but it was completely worth the effort. My husband and I each had a serving and I also froze two small containers of the leftovers. I had my beef cubes freezer wrapped in 2-pound packages so I only used 2 pounds of beef, but 3 pounds would have been better. If you love mushrooms, add some more. 8 ounces was fine but more is always better! Also, I used soy sauce since that's what the recipe says, and I didn't realize until after making it that in the comments section of the recipe link above, the blogger says to use Worcestershire sauce, but in her recipe and all throughout her post she says to use soy sauce. Either one will work so use whichever you have on hand!

Edit: Other times I made this I made a few changes. I bought beef chunks from Costco which were really good and tender compared to the ones I used the first few times I made this that were from the Amish Market. I cut the beef chunks into much smaller bite-sized pieces. I cut the baby potatoes which helped give them more flavor. I used a 16 ounce bag or approximately 3 cups of baby carrots instead of slicing whole carrots. I used 2 teaspoons dried thyme instead of 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme, but it tasted like too much to me so next time I will try only 1 teaspoon. And I used 16 ounces of baby bella mushrooms.

Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

Recipe Adapted from The Recipe Critic Blog

Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon has crazy tender melt in your mouth beef and hearty veggies slow cooked to perfection in a rich sauce.  This meal is comforting and perfect for the cold months ahead!

5 slices bacon, finely chopped

3 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut to 1-inch cubes

1 cup red cooking wine

2 cups beef broth

½ cup tomato sauce

¼ cup soy sauce OR Worcestershire sauce*

¼ cup flour

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons thyme, finely chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme)

5 medium carrots, sliced

1 pound baby potatoes

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium high heat until crisp. Put bacon in slow cooker. Salt and pepper the beef and add to the skillet and sear on each side for 2-3 minutes. Transfer beef to the slow cooker. Drain fat from the skillet.

Add the red wine to the skillet, scraping down the brown bits on the side. Allow it to simmer and reduce and slowly. Add beef broth, tomato sauce, and soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce. Slowly whisk in the flour until the sauce thickens. Add the sauce to the slow cooker.

Add garlic, thyme, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms to the slow cooker. Give it a good stir and cook on low until beef is tender for 8-10 hours or high for 6 hours. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, if desired.

Note: The recipe calls for soy sauce, but the author also says that using Worcestershire sauce instead tastes better. Use whichever one you prefer!

Beef, Tomato and Acini di Pepe Soup

A few years ago, my oldest sister, Caterina, sent me a recipe for Beef, Tomato and Acini di Pepe Soup. She told me it was one of her family's favorites. I never got around to making it until yesterday, and realized I have really been missing out! Most of the soup recipes I make use either chicken or sausage. This is the first one I've made with ground beef. My sister makes it in a slow cooker, but I made it on the stove. I am only including the stove top directions below, but the link above also has slow cooker and instant pot directions. I used petite diced tomatoes and added a teaspoon of coarse black pepper to the soup, but otherwise I followed the directions. This soup was very easy to make, and tasted delicious! Just remember to plan ahead a little bit since it needs to simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours before adding the pasta.

I was able to fit one recipe in a 4-quart pot. If you have a larger family, you will probably need more than one recipe. My husband and I were the only ones that ate it, and I had two bowls leftover. I will definitely be making this recipe again soon!

Beef, Tomato and Acini di Pepe Soup

Recipe Courtesy Skinnytaste.com

1 pound 90% lean ground beef

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon coarse black pepper

½ cup diced onion

½ cup diced celery

½ cup diced carrot

28-ounce can petite diced tomatoes

32 ounces beef stock

2 bay leaves

4 ounces (2/3 cup) small pasta, such as Acini di Pepe

Grated parmesan cheese, optional

In a large pot or Dutch oven, sauté the beef, salt, and pepper on high heat until browned, breaking the meat up into small bits. Add the onion, celery and carrots and sauté 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock and bay leaves; cover and cook on low until the beef and the vegetables are tender, about 1 to 1½ hours (you may need to add more broth or water if it evaporates too much). Add the pasta, stir and cook according to package directions.