Each time we make pot roast, we’re astounded at just how marvelously tender such an undervalued cut of meat can become with a little love and a lotta patience. We’re convinced the trick to pot roast lies in leaving it in the oven long enough. Those of you who are impatient will find that it remain not quite ready until the very last moment, when you’ve all but given up any thoughts of it actually becoming tender. Hang in there. It will happen. It just does so in its own time.–Renee Schettler Rossi
Ina Garten’s Company Pot Roast
Ingredients
- One (4- to 5-pound) prime boneless beef chuck roast, tied
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- All-purpose flour
- Good olive oil
- 2 cups (4 carrots) chopped carrots
- 2 cups (2 onions) chopped yellow onions
- 2 cups (4 stalks) chopped celery
- 2 cups (2 to 4 leeks) chopped leeks, white and light green parts
- 5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 2 cups good red wine, such as Burgundy
- 2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
- One (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes in puree
- 1 cup homemade chicken stock or canned chicken broth
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 3 branches thyme
- 2 branches rosemary
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
- Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Season the roast all over with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Place the flour on a plate and dredge the roast in flour, turning to coat all sides, including the ends.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons oil. Add the roast and sear, without moving it, until nicely browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn and sear the opposite side. Then turn and sear the ends, 4 to 5 minutes each. Using tongs, transfer the roast to a large plate.
- Add 2 tablespoons oil to the Dutch oven and keep it over medium heat. Add the carrots, onions, celery, leeks, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender but not browned.
- Carefully add the wine and Cognac and bring to a boil.
- Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, bouillon cube, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Tie the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen string and add to the pot. Return the roast to the pot, bring to a boil, and cover. Place in the oven for 1 hour.
- Turn the heat down to 250°F (120°C) to keep the sauce at a gentle simmer. Continue to roast until the meat is fork-tender or the pot roast registers 160°F (71°C), about 1 1/2 hours, for a total of 2 1/2 hours in the oven.
- Transfer the roast to a cutting board. Remove the herb bundle and discard. Skim and discard as much fat as possible from the surface of the sauce.
- Transfer half the sauce and vegetables to a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth.
- Pour the puree back into the pot, place on the stove top over low heat, and return the sauce to a simmer. Meanwhile, place 2 tablespoons flour and the butter in a small bowl and mash them together with a fork. Stir the butter mixture into the sauce and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, taste, and adjust the seasonings accordingly.
- Remove the strings from the roast and slice the meat. Pile it onto a platter and serve it warm with the sauce spooned over it. (You may have some leftover sauce, which you can cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Rewarm it gently over low heat and, if desired, add a splash of red wine just before serving. It's delicious over pasta.)
Notes
Slow Cooker Variation
To make this company pot roast in your slow cooker, follow steps 1 through 4, place the pot roast and vegetables in your slow cooker, and then proceed as follows… 5. Transfer the vegetable and booze mixture to the slow cooker and add the tomatoes, chicken stock, bouillon cube, if using, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Tie the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen string and add to the slow cooker. Place the roast in the slow cooker and cover. Cook until the roast is fork-tender, on low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 5 to 6 hours. 6. Transfer the roast to a cutting board. Remove the herb bundle and discard. Skim off as much fat as possible from the surface of the sauce. 7. Transfer half the sauce and vegetables to a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth. 8. Pour the puree and the remainder of the sauce into a large pot, place on the stove top over low heat, and return the sauce to a simmer. Place 2 tablespoons flour and the butter in a small bowl and mash them together with a fork. Stir the butter mixture into the sauce and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, which ought to take about 2 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, go ahead and thin with additional chicken stock. Taste and adjust the seasonings accordingly. 9. Remove the strings from the roast and slice the meat. Pile it onto a platter and serve it warm with the sauce spooned over it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This is an elevated pot roast, one indeed worthy of company. While the prep time for this recipe can seem a bit daunting, it’s well worth the work assembling your mise en place as the recipe will come together easily from there.
This was SO fantastic and our house smelled delicious for hours. It served 4 adults (2 who ran a marathon yesterday!) and 2 children with ZERO meat leftover although we did have a lot of sauce leftover to be used with egg noodles or polenta tomorrow. It was succulent and fork tender. We hardly used a steak knife to cut into it.
This is a very simple and delicious pot roast recipe. It’s comfort food all the way. Fabulous served with creamy mashed potatoes or buttered noodles. The leftovers are great for an open faced sandwich the next day. For those who use a slow cooker, this dish is ideal. Puréeing the sauce makes a wonderful gravy to use over the potatoes or noodles. Serve it with some glazed carrots or broccoli and this is an ideal dish for family or guests.
Follow this recipe and you’ll end up with a wonderful, comforting pot roast.
This pot roast recipe is certainly company worthy. The wine elevates this from ordinary pot roast to something you might expect to get in a restaurant. The roast was fork tender and the flavor was outstanding.
This aptly named recipe for hearty pot roast was a huge hit at our dinner table! Perfect for a weeknight meal or Sunday supper but equally appropriate for company, this hearty tomato-based sauce gets its layer of flavor from red wine, a splash of brandy, chicken stock, and a lot of veggies, aromatics, and fresh herbs. Lovely when served over white rice (which I did), creamy polenta, or even buttered egg noodles. I enjoyed this slow-cooker version of the recipe which made the cooking process relatively hands-off and the clean-up easy.
Hi there! What size Dutch oven did you use?
Hey, Erin. Any large size (5- to 7-quart) Dutch oven will work.
Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Lots of gravy left for noodles tomorrow! My family of 7 enjoyed it thoroughly. Plenty leftover, too. Thanks, Ina. Another great recipe from you, love your mac n cheese:-)
We’re so glad you love it as much as we do, Sheri!
Omg. This turned out so hard! What did I do wrong!?
Alison, how long did you cook it? That’s what I was trying to address in my previous comment: the size is going to affect how long you cook it, and you need to pay attention to the visual and sensory cues. It needed more time for the collagen and connective tissue to break down.