Cooking The Perfect Pot Roast

Time to Make the Perfect Pot Roast!

You know I love meat and potatoes.  Classic beef stew, chicken stew with mashies and the perfect pot roast!  Cooked in wine and broth with carrots and potatoes.  Served with homemade gravy and mashies. Just yum!

I’ve done it in the slow cooker many times, but it is so much better cooked in a Dutch oven if you’ve got the time.  Because searing the meat it is magical.  

Especially because the onions and wine are used to deglaze all the fabulous brown bits at the bottom of the Dutch oven to give you a lot of deep flavor. The gravy is amazing after this all cooks down.

After the onions are cooked down add in the mushrooms and garlic. Since the cooking liquid will be strained, you don’t need to mince the garlic. I usually just cut it up into big chunks. Then cook for a few more minutes before adding wine.

Add in your choice of red wine. I’ve used just about everything red and robust but really prefer a Cabernet Sauvignon. You could probably use white wine, too – I’ve just never done it because we pretty much only drink red wine and always have a bottle of something red around.

And I prefer to use sirloin tip roast or a lean cut of sirloin because it contains less fat than a chuck roast or other cuts of meat typically used for roasting. But you can really roast any type of large chunk of meat. Just make sure that if you use a fatty one, you separate out the fat from the cooking liquid before making the gravy.

You cook the pot roast for and hour and a half (90 minutes) then carefully remove from the oven. Add in the potatoes and carrots and cook for another hour. Waiting is the hardest part.

But I love the smell of wine and thyme cooking together. It smells so amazing even the dog starts to stalk the kitchen.

So How About That Gravy

When the roast is done, turn that cooking liquid into a delicious gravy.

You can use any type of flour you want to thicken it, but I’ve been using gluten-free garbanzo bean flour or Bob’s Red Mill all purpose (bean blend) because they work nicely and don’t contain xanthan gum.

I used to add the flour to the cooking liquid, but realized it is much better to make a roux first with flour and ghee. Then add the liquids to get the gravy to the preferred consistency. Adding more beef broth if it gets too thick.

So good and so easy – if you’ve got the time. This lovely pot roast makes a perfect Sunday supper! And since I’m usually cooking for two, there are plenty of leftovers to enjoy over the next few days. Enjoy! 🙂

Want More Recipes Like The Perfect Pot Roast?

• Garlic Lemon Chicken and Potatoes
• Ghormeh Sabzi (Persian Herb Stew)
• Lime Pepper Beef Fajitas
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Spiced Roasted Chicken
• Chicken Fried Steak and Mashies with Gravy
• Bison Shepherd’s Pie
• Oven Roasted Potato Wedges

Print

The Perfect Pot Roast

A beautiful sirloin tip roast cooked in wine and broth with carrots, potatoes, and spices makes a perfect pot roast and gravy.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, French

Keyword perfect pot roast, sirloin tip roast

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours 10 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Servings 8

Author Deana Larkin Evans

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
• 2-3 lb sirloin tip roast (or chuck roast)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 mushrooms, sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup red wine (I prefer Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 2 cups GF beef broth
• Fresh thyme sprigs (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
• Pinch of dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 large organic carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 large organic potato, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces

Gravy

• 1 1/2 tbsp ghee
• 1 1/2 tbsp GF free flour (without xanthan gum)
• 1 + cups strained cooking liquid (fat layer separated and removed)
• 1-2 cups GF beef broth
• 1 tsp GF Worcestershire sauce (like Lea & Perrins)
• Kosher salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Pot Roast

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper. Add roast to the pan and sear all sides, about 3-5 minutes each side. When all sides of the roast are browned, carefully remove it from the pan and set aside on a plate.

3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion slices. Sauté until the onions are tender and the browned bits are deglazed, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic (can be whole or cut into large chunks). Cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Add the wine and stir for a few minutes to really deglaze the pan.

5. Return the roast to the pan and add broth, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.

6. Carefully pull the Dutch oven out of the oven and add the carrots and potatoes. Cover, then return to the oven and bake for 1 hour.
7. Transfer the roast, potatoes and carrots from the Dutch oven into a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.
8. Strain the remaining cooking liquid through a mesh sieve into a 2-cup Pyrex measuring glass or use a fat separator. Skim off the fat that rises to the top if not using a fat separator. The amount you recover will vary but you should have at least a cup.

Gravy

1. To make the gravy, add the ghee and flour to a small saucepan. Whisk until a light roux forms, about 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Add some salt and pepper.

2. Then add the strained cooking liquid to the roux. Whisk until well incorporated. Add in about 1 cup of beef broth. Whisk until the gravy starts to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes. Adding more beef broth if you want a thinner gravy.

3. Add the Worcestershire sauce and more salt and pepper to taste. Cool then refrigerate any extra gravy (goes great with leftovers).

Recipe Notes

If you like pot roast potatoes, add more – the original recipe called for 2 pounds.

Adapted from my recipes.com