Comforting Classic Pot Roast (Recipe/Guide)

This week's feature is pot roast made with One Straw Boneless Chuck Roast! With such excellent flavor it's one of our favorite cuts at any time of the year, but it is especially comforting on dark, dreary days. 

Typically I toss a chuck roast in the crock pot in the morning with a little liquid and we come in to a fall-apart-tender roast for dinner. If that sounds good, check out our Caffeinated Beef Recipe.

However, this cut is also the perfect candidate for a classic Oven-Roasted Pot Roast, as pictured. Oven-roasting is not my specialty, so I suggest you check out a professional recipe to make sure you get the desired result. However, if you're just looking for a little inspiration or guidance, read on to see an overview of how I made our roast this past week!

Pot Roasting Guide

• Salt and pepper the roast, give it a quick sear in a hot skillet, place in your baking dish.
• Top with some rosemary and red wine, broth, or water. How much is "some?" About 1/2 cup. As it cooks, the roast will release its own juices but you don't want this roast to dry out so check it every once in a while to make sure there is liquid in the pan.
• Roast, covered, at 350. Cooking time depends on the size of roast; the pictured 3 lb roast took about 3 hours, total.
• Part way through cooking, surround the roast with onions, potatoes, carrots, and winter squash. I gave the vegetables about an hour (but I turned the oven up to 375 for that last hour because dinner time was fast approaching).
• The pan juices, thickened with a little cornstarch and water, make excellent gravy for the potatoes. 

Writing this, I wish I had another one in the oven for tonight because it sure is tasty! Thankfully, starting with good ingredients can sure make up for a variety of sins in the cooking process :)

I hope that you're inspired to warm your table with a delicious chuck roast, however you choose to cook it.