Pot Roast & Gravy is classic comfort food—ideal for cozy family dinners. This straightforward recipe produces a tender roast and a rich, velvety gravy that will become a favorite at any gathering. With simple ingredients and slow, patient cooking, it delivers deep, homey flavor everyone will enjoy.
Delicious Pot Roast and Gravy
This tried-and-true pot roast method yields reliably tender, flavorful results. The key is good ingredients and slow cooking so the flavors meld and the meat becomes fork-tender.
It’s a hearty, satisfying dish that often evokes memories of home-cooked meals. If you prefer a hands-off approach, a crockpot pot roast can deliver similar results, but this stovetop-to-oven method builds deeper browning and a richer gravy.
Here’s What You’ll Need Ingredients
- 3–5 lb chuck roast (3 lb works well)
- Carrots, halved and chopped
- Onions, halved
- Oil (olive oil or any high-heat oil)
- Beef broth
- Red wine (optional, a dry drinking variety)
Here’s How You Do It
- Generously season the roast with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with a little raw or brown sugar.
- Sear the roast on all sides in hot oil in a heavy ovenproof pot (Dutch oven).
- Remove the roast and brown onions and carrots in the same pot to develop flavor.
- Deglaze the pot with wine or some broth, scraping up browned bits, then return the roast and vegetables to the pot. Add herbs and garlic.
- Pour in enough beef broth to come about halfway up the roast, cover, and slow-cook in a 275°F oven until the meat is falling-apart tender.
Tips and Tricks
- Chuck roast is preferred for its marbling and connective tissue that break down into moist, flavorful meat. Sirloin can work, but results are best with chuck.
- If you skip the wine, use only broth—wine adds depth, but broth alone still makes a tasty roast.
- During browning you’ll develop a crust on the roast; those browned bits are flavor, so scrape and incorporate them into the cooking liquid.
- If the roast is still tough, it needs more time. Keep the broth level a couple inches deep in the pot and continue cooking until a fork easily pulls the meat apart. Lower oven temperature and longer cooking time will break down collagen without drying the meat.
- Although USDA recommends cooking beef steaks to an internal temperature of 145°F, pot roast needs much longer cooking at low temperature to reach the fork-tender stage rather than a target internal temp.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover pot roast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Reheat gently to preserve moisture:
- Microwave: reheat in 1-minute intervals until warmed through.
- Oven: cover with foil, add a splash of water or broth, and heat at 350°F for about 20 minutes.
- Stovetop: warm in a saucepan over medium heat with 1/4 cup water or broth to loosen the gravy.
Leftover Suggestions
Leftover pot roast is versatile—use it in burritos, tacos, sandwiches, or as a hearty salad topping. Shredded roast also makes excellent hash, shepherd’s pie filling, or savory pot roast tacos.
Watch Me Make Pot Roast
I love hearing from readers—please leave a comment and tell me how your pot roast turned out. I read and respond to comments personally whenever I can.
Delicious, Easy and Perfect Pot Roast & Daddy’s Drooling Again Gravy
Ingredients
For the Pot Roast
- A 3-5 lb pot roast Chuck roast preferred
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon raw sugar brown sugar is OK
- 2-3 Tbs olive oil (or other oil)
- 2 onions halved
- 8 carrots halved and chopped
- 1 ½ cups red wine dry variety
- 3 cups beef broth
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 3 sprigs thyme tie together with rosemary
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 leaf bay leaf
For the Gravy:
- Liquid from the roast and vegetables
- 1 cap Kitchen Bouquet (optional)
- 4 Tbs heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tbs flour
Instructions
For the Roast
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Preheat oven to 275°F. Generously season the roast with salt and pepper and sprinkle with raw or brown sugar. Let it rest while you prepare the other ingredients.
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Heat oil in a Dutch oven over high heat until very hot. While the oil heats, halve the onions and chop the carrots.
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Brown the onion halves in the hot oil until well colored, then remove to a plate. Brown the carrots, then remove. Sear the roast 2–3 minutes per side until deeply browned; transfer it to the plate with the vegetables.
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Pour the wine or a splash of broth into the pot and scrape up the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Let the liquid bubble briefly, then return the roast to the pot and arrange the carrots and onions on top. Add the tied rosemary and thyme, smashed garlic cloves, and the bay leaf.
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Add beef broth until it comes about halfway up the side of the roast. Cover the pot and place it on the middle rack of the oven.
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After about 3½ hours, baste the roast with pan juices every 15 minutes. Check at 4 hours—if the roast pulls apart easily with a fork, it’s done. If not, continue cooking and check every 30 minutes until tender.
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When the roast is falling apart, remove the pot from the oven and transfer the roast and vegetables to a plate.
For the Gravy
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Heat the cooking liquid from the roast over medium-high heat.
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Stir in Kitchen Bouquet (if using) and heavy cream.
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Whisk the flour with just enough cool water to make a smooth slurry, then whisk it into the hot liquid until no lumps remain.
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Simmer until thickened, taste, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
Calories from Fat 63
This post has been refreshed and updated from its original version published in 2014 and now includes revised details and a recipe card.
A Verse to Share
Something worth remembering:
Mark 12:31
“The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”