Braised Chuck Roast

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Orrington Farms®. All opinions are 100% mine.

When it comes to comfort food, one of the dishes I immediately think about is slowly cooked pot roast with gravy and potatoes. Tender braised chuck roast, infused with delicious and rich flavors, cooked with potatoes, carrots, seasoning, and herbs. One of the easiest ways to cook this dish is in a slow cooker.

This recipe for braised chuck roast is cooked in the slow cooker, but I have also included directions below to cook it in a dutch oven. The slowly cooked chuck roast creates a wonderful dinner or meal prep option. It is flavorful and tender and so easy to make. I started with a 4LB chuck roast, added Orrington Farms® Beef Flavored Broth Base With Other Natural Flavor, spices, potatoes, carrots, herbs, and then let it cook undisturbed. In the end you will have a delicious and flavorful pot roast meal that you will want to make again and again.

How to make Pot Roast in the Slow Cooker

When you slowly cook meat, it transforms the meat from being super tough to being super tender. When choosing a meat to use for pot roast, traditionally super tough cuts of meat like chuck roast or brisket are used. They can withstand long cooking times without becoming tough or dry because they have the perfect amount of fat on them, which melts away during the cooking process.

I chose a 4LB chuck roast, and I cut it into two equal sized pieces before cooking. Cutting it in half helps cook it a little faster. I like to season my chuck roast first, and then I sear all sides of it in a heavy bottomed pan. This gives the meat more flavor. I then scrape up the bits leftover on the pan by adding my liquid to the pan and gently boiling it before I add it to my slow cooker. If you cooked this in a dutch oven, you would sear the chuck roast in the dutch oven and then you would just leave it in that same pot to cook.

Braised Chuck Roast

After I added my chuck roast to my slow cooker, I added my potatoes, carrots, garlic, and pepperoncini peppers on top followed by my beef seasoning. The beef seasoning I used for this braised chuck roast was Orrington Farms® Beef Flavored Broth Base With Other Natural Flavor. You can either combine it with boiling water before you add it to the crock pot to make a broth or you can just add the Beef flavored Broth Base powder directly to the crock pot, followed by the liquid later. It will all mix together during the cooking process.

I like using this broth base because it is a fast-dissolving powder, so I can use it as a beef seasoning or as beef broth. It adds a lot of beefy flavor to this dish, which compliments the chuck roast well. Also, unlike liquid broth, I can keep this container in my pantry and it makes 56 cups of broth per jar, so it is just super convenient. Once everything has been added to the slow cooker, add the cover and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours.

How to make Braised Chuck Roast in A Dutch Oven

If you own a heavy duty dutch oven and you have less time to cook, you can make your pot roast in the oven. This method allows you to use slightly higher heat and a pot with a tightly fit cover to create tender pot roast in less time. This pot roast recipe is similar to my beef stew recipe.

First, before you start cooking your pot roast, you want to preheat your oven to 350F. This will allow your chuck roast to cook in about 3-4 hours depending on size. I use a 4 LB chuck roast, but I cut it in half so that it cooks more equally. Season all sides of your roast very liberally with sea salt. It is a thick cut of meat, so it needs a lot of salt. I use about 3 teaspoons of salt in addition to my other seasoning products. Also add your black pepper and flour to the roast.

Next, heat up a large heavy bottomed dutch oven on medium high heat. Make sure it has a lid as that is an important part of the cooking process. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pot. Once your pan is hot, add your chuck roast to the pot and let it cook undisturbed for about 6 minutes per side. Let is develop a nice brown crust on all sides. This will lock in moisture and flavor. Once your meat is seared, move it to a plate temporarily if you are going to add wine.

Red Wine Braised Beef

If you are using wine, add your wine to the dutch oven and bring it to a low boil. Use a silicone spatula to scrape up all of the meat bits that may have gotten stuck to the pan while the beef was searing. There is so much delicious flavor in these bits and you don’t want to get rid of them. Also, bringing the wine to a low boil cooks out the strong alcohol taste and leaves it with a delicious flavor that will compliment the broth and beef very well. After 3 minutes, add in your garlic and let it cook for a few minutes.

Finally, turn off the heat and add your beef back to the pot, followed by the potatoes, carrots, pepperoncini peppers, beef broth base, and water. Cover your pot and add it to your oven for 3-4 hours. After 3 hours, carefully remove the pot and lid and give the meat a check. If the meat is very tender already then it is done cooking. If it is not tender, add it to the oven for an hour longer.

  INGREDIENTS

• 4 lb Boneless Chuck Roast
• 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
• 5 cloves Garlic minced
• 3 tsp Orrington Farms® Beef Flavored Broth Base With Other Natural Flavor
• 6-7 Large Carrots cut into 2″ pieces
• 1 lb Baby Potatoes keep them whole
• 5 Pepperoncini keep them whole
• 1/4 cup Red Wine optional
• Fresh Rosemary 1-2 long stems
• 4 tsp Sea Salt you will use 3 tsp to season the meat, and the additional 1 tsp in the liquid
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 2.5 cups Water

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BRAISED CHUCK ROAST

Slow Cooker Method

• Cut your chuck roast in half. Season it with 3 tsp of sea salt, black pepper, and flour on all sides. 
• Heat up a large heavy bottomed pan with about 1 tbsp of olive oil. Heat the meat on medium high heat for 6 minutes per side. 
• Add your chuck roast to a 6 quart crock pot. Add your Orrington Farms® Beef Flavored Broth Base With Other Natural Flavor. 
• If you are using wine, add your wine to the pot on your stove. Bring the wine to a low boil so that you can scrape up some of the meat remnants from the pan. Boiling also helps cook out the strong alcohol taste. After 5 minutes, turn off the heat and add this to your slow cooker, followed by all remaining ingredients. 
• Add your cover to your slow cooker. Cook for 5 hours on high heat, or 8 hours on low heat. 

Dutch Oven Cooking Method

• Preheat your oven to 350F
• Cut your chuck roast in half and season it with 3 tsp of sea salt, black pepper, and flour on all sides. 
• Heat up a large heavy bottomed pan with about 1 tbsp of olive oil. Heat the meat on medium high heat for 6 minutes per side. 
• Once all sides are nice and brown, transfer your chuck roast to a plate for a few minutes as you prep your other ingredients.
• If you are using wine, add your wine to the dutch oven. Bring the wine to a very low boil so that you can scrape up some of the meat remnants from the pan. Boiling also helps cook out the strong alcohol taste. After 3 minutes, add in your garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
• Add your meat back to your dutch oven, followed by all the remaining ingredients on top.
• Cover your pot and add it to your oven for 3-4 hours. After 3 hours, check on the meat to see if it pulls apart easily when you try to shred it. Once it is super tender, remove it from the oven.