Braised Beef Chuck Roast Recipe (Pot to Oven)

Published September 2021, Updated March 2025

This Beef Chuck Roast is the ultimate crowd-pleaser recipe! The meat is melt-in-your-mouth tender, you use one pot and I've made a rich delicious gravy from the cooking liquid.

Pot roasts are widely popular for their ease of cooking, extremely budget friendly recipes and will feed a crowd in multiple ways - sandwiches, fajita's, mashed potatoes, roast potatoes, crusty bread, rice and so much more!

We're talking tender, fall-apart meat and a rich gravy in every delicious scoop!

Slow Cooker Beef Chuck Pot Roast

You can start off with a soffritto if you prefer but a pot roast can also be made without it. Less flavor but your meat will still be tender.

A soffritto is a slow fry of chopped onions, carrots and celery that cooks low and slow to create the base for all the flavors. This method is used in Italian cooking and also known as a “Mirepoix” in French cooking.

Unlike my Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe or Slow Cooked Short Rib Ragu (Oven) and Soffritto Lentils with Tomato this recipe does not start off with a soffritto.

In this recipe, I skipped on the soffritto and went straight to cooking a fry-up of onions and loads of garlic.

After seasoning with sea or kosher salt and black pepper, the beef is seared, and the onion sautéed over medium-high heat. Once that’s done, we submerge the meat into the braising liquid—red wine, water, and beef stock—along with fresh herbs and bay leaves, then we let it slow-cook for 4-5 hours.

The result is tender boneless, braised pulled beef with all the crusty edges.

I create a lot of liquid and flavor it up properly which means I am getting the best gravy afterwards! If you don't want a gravy you can add less liquid to your pot roast.

However, before we get to 'set-it and forget-it' we start off by searing the meat. I know a lot of recipes skip this part and although you can, I strongly suggest that you don't because the difference between meat that has a sear vs no sear, is in the taste.

It can take 5 minutes to season your meat and chop up a few veggies so why not spend another 15 minutes to sear the meat for extra flavor? The time to sear will depend on the size of the meat. This beef chuck is a whopping 2.5kg (5.5lb) and that's huge so it took me around 20 minutes to get a good all round sear while regulating the heat.

Whether you cooking your pot roast on the stove the entire time, in an electric slow cooker, Instant Pot, Dutch Oven, Crock Pot - these methods are all easy and convenient. They lock in rich flavours and create melt-in-your-mouth meals.

Yes, you can serve beef chuck roast with mashed potatoes, rice, or polenta, and it's absolutely delicious. But don't stop there! Pile it onto tacos, burger buns, lettuce cups, sandwiches, or pita bread — however you serve it, it's going to be fantastic!

4 Important Steps Before You Start

1. Room Temperature: Take the beef chuck out of the fridge an hour before you begin. This helps it cook more evenly.
2. Dry the Meat: Pat the meat dry with paper towels, and let it air-dry on a rack before seasoning. This helps the seasoning stick and ensures better searing.
3. Seasoning: Season generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper. This seasoning will lock into the meat throughout the cooking period.
4. Sear: Start off the searing on high heat but you need to regulate the heat as you sear. Theres no need to smoke up the kitchen and there's no need to burn the pot black. Control the heat between medium to high-heat. You want a sear not a blackening.

Ingredients You Will Need

Please see the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below. There are many variations to this recipe, see my notes on each ingredient below.

Ingredients

Beef - 2.5kg (5.5lb) boneless beef chuck which I seasoned well with kosher salt and black pepper before searing it in hot oil. I used my faithful Dutch-oven but any heavy based pot that can also go into the oven is convenient.

Seasoning - Start off with salt and black pepper for seasoning. I prefer to salt generously with less is more with the pepper because it tends to burn in the pot on high heat.

Fat - You can use any - olive oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, canola, grapeseed, lard, ghee (clarified butter) or peanut oil. Lard is like duck fat, makes the best roast potatoes!

Onions - Even though I used one yellow onion, you can also use leek which I sometimes do. You can use a combination of both.

Vegetables - Parsnips are optional and other veggies can include sweet potato, turnips, carrots and potatoes. I used whole baby carrots but you can use any carrots just be sure to peel and chop if they are large.

Liquid - Beef stock is my first choice for this recipe however, you can use vegetable or chicken stock. I used all three liquids in this recipe - beef stock, water and red wine. Although the red wine is to deglaze it still makes up the liquid part of the recipe. In terms of red wine, a merlot is a good choice for a beef recipe whether you're cooking or eating it. You can also go with shiraz or a cabernet sauvignon, or good choices here.

Tomato paste - I love the richness of tomato paste especially when added at the beginning of the recipe before all the liquid.

Canned good quality tomatoes - Not watered down tomatoes! This is important because we have a lot of liquid in here and we don't need any more so rather drain the water out from the tomateos or use less water when

For the slurry - Maizena (flour or cornstarch) and water.

Worcestershire sauce - We like finishing off a slow roast with Worcestershire sauce but this step is completely optional. You can use vinegar to finish the ro

Herbs - Fresh thyme, parsley, rosemary and 2 celery leaves. All of these are optional and you can decide which herbs you want in your pot raost.

How to Make This Braised Beef Chuck Roast

Preheat the Oven: Set the oven to 160°C (320°F) while you're prepping. Once ready to roast, lower the heat to 150°C (300°F).

Prep the Beef Chuck: Remove the chuck roast from the fridge and any packaging an hour before cooking. Pat it dry with kitchen tissue paper and place the meat on a wire rack, over a sheet pan to collect any drippings. Just before you cook, dry it one more time before generously seasoning with kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Sear the Chuck Roast: Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat and add oil. Once the pot is hot, carefully place the beef chuck in and sear on all sides. Ensure you hear that sizzle! If not, remove the meat and wait for the pot to heat up properly.

Use a pair of tongs to turn it around (only when it lets you) making sure to get the whole roast well seared. You may have to hold it with tongs for support when you sear the bottom and sides.

Only when the meat lets you turn it, meaning - if you try to lift it and it wont' give, it's not ready. If you pull on it, you will tear the meat so use tongs to feel it it's ready, when it is, it will turn without force.

Set aside on a plate or roasting tray and make the sauce in the same pot. Don't wash the pot or remove the oil, none of that.

Sauté the Onion and Deglaze with Red Wine: In the same pot (lower the heat) same oil, sauté the onion on medium-heat until golden brown (about 7 minutes) then add the garlic. Cook the garlic for a minute and then add a portion of the red wine (about ¼ cup) to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom.

Add the tomato paste, mix and let it cook for 2 minutes. You may need to add a little liquid to help combine the onions, garlic and tomato paste. If you do, nothing more that 1-2 tablespoons because once the wine is absorbed (top right pic) you're ready for the next step.

Braise the Beef Chuck: Before returning the beef to the pot, add the tomatoes. Sorry, I missed that shot but the tomatoes are in there! Stir, now return the seared beef to the pot, along with any juices on the plate.

Liquid: Add the remaining liquid (water, wine and beef stock) and bring it to a boil. Cover the pot, then transfer to the oven and braise for 3 hours.

Add Vegetables & Herbs: After 3 hours, add the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery, and fresh herbs. Stir in Worcestershire sauce (optional) for extra flavor. Continue braising for another 2 hours, or until the vegetables are fork-tender.

Finish the Sauce: Remove the beef chuck and set it aside. With the roast on a plate on the side, pour everything that's in the pot into a strainer and the strainer must be over a bowl to catch the precious liquid. Push it down with a strainer.

Thicken the Sauce: Pour the liquid back into the pot and bring it to a simmer. Create a slurry by mixing ¼ cup of flour with about ½ cup of water. You want a smooth, pourable consistency then add it to the sauce, stir, and simmer for 4-5 minutes to thicken.

Note: You can thicken the liquid without making a slurry. All you do, is add the flour directly to the onions just before adding any liquid. Stir it in for about a minute until the onions absorb it then add a little water and carry on with the recipe.

Rest the meat: Very important. If your liquid is very little in the pot because you added much less of it and are not making a gravy, let the meat rest before slicing or pulling-it-apart.

Serve: Place the roasted beef a serving platter (don't forget to remove the string holding it together) and use to forks to pull it apart while adding the gravy and any remaining resting juices.

How to Serve Tender Beef Chuck Roast

Serve this easily shreddable meat as a main dish over mashed potatoes or polenta. You can also use it for tacos, pizza, burgers, or BBQ beef sandwiches.

---

Can I Make Beef Chuck Roast Ahead?

Yes, you can — and I often do, especially for a larger roast. This way, you can get the searing done ahead of time. Prep and sear - follow those steps and then leave the roast to cool down completely. Loosley cover it with aluminium foil, and refrigerate. Remember to remove the seared beef roast from the fridge an hour before you start making the sauce and then continue with the rest of the recpe as per recipe card below.

Storage

Refrigerate: Store any leftover beef chuck roast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Freeze: In a freezer container (covered) for up to 3 months.

Reheat: Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat or microwave until heated through.

5 Tips for Searing Beef Chuck

1. Large Dutch Oven/Skillet: You'll need a large Dutch oven or a cast-iron skillet. Just be sure to have a covered pot for when it's time to transfer to the oven.
2. Tongs: Use large tongs to keep a safe distance from the pot, especially if you're new to cooking!
3. High Heat: Start with high heat to get that immediate meat-to-pot contact, then regulate the heat to avoid smoking up the kitchen.
4. Rotate the Meat: Turn the roast around and wait for it to brown on all sides. Once browned, use the tongs to hold the meat upright so the top and bottom also get a sear.
5. Be Patient: The most important tip: be patient! Don't rush the searing process.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Bone-in or Boneless Chuck Roast: Which is Better?
  Bone-in meat is generally more flavorful, but it costs more due to the weight and takes a bit longer to cook. Boneless is easier to sear and carve, making it a great choice for a simple roast.
• I don’t have a Dutch oven; what can I use?
  You can use any pot with high sides. If it doesn't have a lid, cover it with aluminum foil to create a similar effect to a Dutch oven.
• How do I get the perfect browning on my meat?
  Control the heat carefully: start with high heat to get that first sear and then lower it as you brown all sides of the roast. Also, make sure the meat is as dry as possible for the best sear.

---

Never Miss A Recipe

Join my free email list and get a complimentary eCookbook featuring over 50 delicious recipes as a thank you for signing up! You'll also get exclusive updates, tips, and more.
While you're here, be sure to shop our online store for a selection of high-quality, all-natural spices to elevate your cooking! Facebook Pinterest Instagram 

More Beef Recipes

Enjoyed This Recipe?⭐️ Please take a moment to leave a rating and a comment in the card below. Your feedback helps me continue to provide you with high-quality, free recipes. Thank you for your support, and happy cooking!

Print

Melt-in-your-mouth beef chuck roast served with the enhanced cooking liquid. Easily serves a crowd, refrigerates and freezes well, a budget friendly tender beef recipe!