Perfect Pot Roast
Are you ready my friends? This is the first (and likely to be the only) beef recipe I’ve posted on the blog! We eat beef pretty rarely, and I almost never cook it at home, so I’ve never had any recipes to share. However, for Christmas this year, Geoff gave me this cast iron dutch oven from World Market, and I thought it was fitting that I make a pot roast in it to break in the pot! I know pretty much nothing about cooking with beef, so I ended up buying a roast that was pretty small relative to my pot, but it still turned out fantastic!
I’ve heard other people rave about The Pioneer Woman’s recipe, so I knew it was the one to try. The meat was juicy and flavorful and the pan sauce was rich and savory. My kids (who turn up their noses at new things routinely) tried it and loved it! It’s a pretty basic recipe and super easy to make. I know it’s not a major accomplishment to make a tasty pot roast, but I’m pretty proud of myself all the same. The only change I made to the original recipe was to leave out the carrots (because I forgot to get them at the store), but I’m sure it would be delicious with them! We served ours over baked potatoes, drizzled with the pan sauce. Yum!
Perfect Pot Roast
1 4-5 pound chuck roast (mine was only 2 pounds and it worked fine)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 whole onions, peeled and cut into quarters
6 whole carrots, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
4 cups beef broth (I used low sodium canned beef broth)
3 sprigs fresh rosemary (okay to substitute dried)Preheat the oven to 275. Sprinkle both sides of the roast liberally with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy (oven safe) pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions to the pot and cook them for a few minutes on each side, until browned. Remove them from the pot, then add the carrots and cook a few minutes, tossing to brown. Add the seasoned roast to the pan, and cook 2-3 minutes on each side, until browned. Remove the roast from the pan and pour about 1 cup of broth into the pan. Use a whisk to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the roast, onions, carrots, remaining broth, and rosemary. Cover and cook in preheated oven for about one hour per pound of roast (mine was perfect after 2 hours).
