Mom’s Oven Baked Pot Roast

January 3, 2023

There are few things that are as comforting as a slow-cooked, savory pot roast. And even though I do enjoy a pot roast that has been simmering slowly in a crockpot all day, there is just something better about making it in the oven. For me, it is the memories that it holds. My grandma ALWAYS made pot roast in the oven, and I can remember smelling it and waiting in anticipation as she would make her homemade breads and desserts while it was in the oven. If I could have somehow bottled those aromas…but I will settle for the memories! Today my house smells amazing as I am baking this. And I will smile as I think about the woman that had so much to do with molding me into the woman I am today. But enough reminiscing! Let’s make the best dang pot roast you will ever eat!

What Kind of Roast Should You Use?

If you want the honest answer, ANY type of roast will work, but if you want my honest opinion, Chuck Roast is the way to go here. It is one of the tougher cuts of meat, but has wonderful fat marbling. These two elements will make it fall off the bone tender after a long, slow cook. It is also USUALLY cheaper than other cuts, which can really make a difference with today’s grocery prices!

Note* – We buy our beef from a local farmer every year. We buy a half, and will usually yield at least 100+ lbs of meat. We figured out that we spent roughly $3.89/lb last year. That includes roasts, steaks, burgers, ground, and organs! And they will cut it and package it exactly how you want it. If you can afford to make the investment up front, I highly suggest it. Locally sourced meat not only tastes better, but it feels good to help the local economy and to support not just the farmer, but the butcher as well.

This is a 4.5 lb chuck roast that I cut into roughly 3 inch pieces. At this point you just need to salt and pepper all sides of it.

Next you will add about 1 tbs of oil to a large stock pot over medium high heat. (You will be working quickly here and may need to brown the meat in batches.) Once you have it all browned, remove it and set it aside.

Now you will add about 1 tbs of tomato paste and 2 cups of beef broth. Give that a good stir with a wooden spoon, making sure to scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan.

Dump in 3 large quartered yellow onions and 4 stalks of celery, cut into about 3 inch pieces. Then add in your browned meat.

Onto the seasoning. You can use absolutely any kind of seasoning you like. I have tried all kinds of packaged ones and I have made my own. But this Kinder’s one instantly became my favorite when after I used it for the first time! It is sooooo good! But there are plenty of packaged seasonings, and like I said, you can make your own!

My dear sweet husband was home while I was making this and I nearly forgot one of the most important ingredients…GARLIC! It would normally go in with the onions and celery so I just threw it in at this point and gave it all a little stir, trying to keep the meat on top of the veggies. Trust me, it still turned out amazing! At this point, you’re going to put the lid on and put it in the oven for about 2 hours.

This is what it looked like after 2 hours. And oh my gosh, I wish you could smell it! The meat is starting to break down that fat, but still has a way to go. I like adding my carrots in at this point for a couple reasons. One is that I do not like them super mushy, but also because I feel like if you put them in too soon, the roast just ends up tasting too much like carrots instead of roast. Maybe I am weird, but that is why I do it this way just FYI.

I used 2 lbs of washed, but unpeeled carrots. You can certainly peel yours, but I prefer mine unpeeled. I used a fork to gently submerge them under the liquid. If you are going to use potatoes in yours, this would be the time to add those as well! I was making this batch to have with mashed potatoes, but I love both ways. It really just depends on my mood that day, plain and simple!

Now you will just put the lid back on and back in the oven it goes!

Cook for about 2 more hours or until meat is fork tender and has reached a temperature of 195 degrees.

I made a batch of creamy garlic mashed potatoes with this batch and some dinner rolls. The recipe for the potatoes can be found here: https://whatsmomcookin.com/creamy-garlic-mashed-potatoes/

My husband likes to use fresh horseradish on his roast. I like it just the way it is. I didn’t even need extra salt or pepper. If you need comfort, this is the dish for you!