Mom’s Perfect Pot Roast

When I think of pot roast, I have two memories:

First, as a kid, I kind of dreaded “pot roast” Sunday because sometimes (not always) the pot roast was so tough and dry. It was those tough & dry occasions that made me dislike roast altogether. 

Second, it always seemed so complicated. Pre-browning, seasoning, flour, peeling veggies, grease splatter on the stovetop and a looming smell of roast in my hair as I sit in the pew at church. 

Then I became a mom and found myself needing the benefits a pot roast meal offers, like ::

• a one pot meal
• a stick it in the oven and walk away meal
• a hearty, satisfying meal

So, I decided to give pot roast another try. After many dry pot roasts and plenty of church pew moments where I caught the aroma of pot roast in my hair – I finally figured out the trick to a tender, flavorful roast without feeling like a walking pot roast.

So here are my tricks :

Start off with a 3-4 pound chuck roast. Chuck roast is the perfect cut for a pot roast meal because as it cooks, it becomes quite tender. Probably the reason I remember tough dry pot roasts growing up is because mom bought whatever cut of roast was on sale. A rump roast is notoriously dry and tough. I never buy that cut – no matter how good the sale is. I just wait for the chuck roast to go on sale and stock up.

Next, roughly chop the celery, carrots and onion. You can add potatoes, tomatoes, peppers etc too if you’d like. I prefer to chop the veggies into smaller pieces  to intensify flavors.

Place meat and veggies in a large 7-9 qt pot and then add the liquid ::

• 24-32 oz beef broth (depending on the size of the roast)
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 oz sweet red or white wine (I used moscato)
• 2 T worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 c of your favorite BBQ sauce
• 10 oz spicy tomato juice (or spicy V8)
• 8 oz water
• 1 T dijion mustard
• 3 T cornstarch
• salt & pepper 

Combine all liquids, sauces and cornstarch. Whisk until smooth and then pour over the roast and veggies.

Cover the dutch oven and place in a 225° oven and cook for 6-8 hours. Once cooking time is complete, taste and add additional salt and pepper if necessary.

The cornstarch slightly thickens the cooking liquid and acts as a thickened au jus type of gravy for the roast and most of the veggies melt away, creating a richly flavored roast and gravy.