Dutch Oven Pot Roast Recipe
I just purchased an already seasoned Lodge Dutch Oven. I opted for their 7 quart Dutch Oven with the spiral bail (handle) and iron cover. They also make a 5 quart and 9 quart version but 7 quarts is large enough to handle a lot of short ribs or chuck for braising and still fit into my new outdoor wood-burning oven.The reason I purchased this giant cast iron pot was to be able to use it in the outdoor oven and my friend Barbecue Bob has one and highly recommended it. The problem with some of the other fine Dutch (French) Ovens like Le Creuset are the plastic handles on the covers that max out at 400ºF and the smoke makes them difficult to clean.
The Logic Dutch Oven from Lodge is rated a “Best Buy” by Cook’s Illustrated and that’s good enough for me. The spiral bail (handle) is good for transporting the pot from the outdoor oven to inside.
What is a Dutch Oven?
Basically it is a heavy cooking pot made out of cart iron that has been used for slow cooking in America for more than two centuries. Think of those old western movies where the cowboys are all sitting around a campfire with a big black pot hanging above it usually filled with beans and pork fat. That’s a Dutch Oven.
In the past you could only get them unseasoned unless you purchased a used one. Today they come pre-seasoned so you can use it right out of the box. I’ll work on an article about the pros and cons of purchasing Dutch Ovens soon, but let’s go to a very simple recipe for Dutch Oven Pot Roast.
Dutch Oven Pot Roast
Nothing could be easier and have as much flavor as slow cooked beef in a Dutch Oven. I had picked up a couple of chuck steaks each weighing about 2½ pounds at Costco the day my Dutch Oven arrived from Cooking.com . I used one of them for this pot roast and vacuum sealed the other for the freezer.
Chuck is a great meat for braising. It comes from the shoulder and neck area of the cow and is very inexpensive. Too tough for grilling, but perfect for the tenderizing effect of slow cooking (braising) in some beef stock. And with the addition of some vegetables, you can have one of the best sauces imaginable. (See My Beef Cuts Chart)
What’s On Hand Recipe
This is one of those “what’s on hand” recipes that you make up as you go along with whatever you have on hand in the refrigerator. I used this opportunity to clean up some of the leftover veggies from Thanksgiving. I would not recommend you trying to duplicate what I did but use this recipe as a guide to clean out your own refrigerator.
This recipe takes about 20 – 30 minutes to prep and you are done. It cooks in the oven for 3 to 3 ½ hours but you don’t have to do anything but get hungry as the smells start wafting out of the kitchen. So 20 minutes of work for an incredible meal and you get to clean out your refrigerator too.
Ingredients
- One 2½ pound tough cut of beef (I used chuck but you could try brisket, top round, bottom round or rump)
- A little port or red wine to deglaze the pan
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2 peppers, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- One 14½ oz. can of diced tomatoes
- 1 cup of brown stock (beef or veal or combination)
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
- ½ cup half & half or cream for sauce
How to Make Dutch Oven Pot Roast at Home
I guess I could have done everything in one pot, but I thought it would be easier to brown the chuck and vegetables in a fry pan and then assemble everything in the Dutch Oven.
I started by preheating the oven to 300º F, then heating up my biggest fry pan and browning the chuck on both sides for a couple minutes per side. Once browned, I seasoned it with a little salt & pepper and then placed the meat into the Dutch Oven.
Deglaze the pan with a little port, red wine, or brown stock and let the liquid cook down to an essence. Add the onion, celery, peppers and garlic to the pan. I added a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the pan because I didn’t think there was enough fat. You can opt not to if you are watching those calories.
You don’t want to cook the vegetables that much. Just brown them some. This should take about 4 to 5 minutes. Spoon the browned vegetables over the meat in the Dutch Oven, dump in the can of diced tomatoes, add the cup of stock and top with the fresh cilantro and rosemary.
Again, these are just ingredients I had around the house. Experiment with what you like. I wanted to add a couple of bay leaves and had them in my pantry but forgot. It may have added to the flavor but the pot roast was still delicious without them.
When all the ingredients are added, cover and place in the preheated oven. Cook for about 3 hours, then check to see if the meat is fork tender and shreds easily. If not cook for a little longer.
When done, remove the chunk of meat from the pot. You may want to use a couple of large spoons so the meat doesn’t come apart when you lift it out. With the meat removed, add the half and half or cream. I used a hand blender to puree the vegetables with the stock and juices from the meat. If you don’t have one, you can use a food processor or maybe even a blender. The sauce is so good you could it like soup!
Taste, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and serve. To serve, spoon some of the incredible sauce onto a plate and place a couple of chunks of meat on top of it. My daughter made her favorite Near East Rice Pilaf that she doctored with some pesto, her own creation that worked perfectly with the pot roast. You could also cook up some potatoes or white rice or even couscous.
This is as simple as it gets for braising and if you were served it in a restaurant you would be happy with it…my way of telling if a recipe works.
on December 13th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
OH MY GOSH THANK YOU!!!
on December 15th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Sounds great and easy!
on January 14th, 2009 at 11:14 am
where is the pros and cons of dutch oven review?
on April 19th, 2009 at 6:08 am
Can’t wait to try this recipe, but I need to purchase my dutch oven first. I eagerly await your review and hope that it covers the comparative advantages of cast iron (such as Lodge), enameled cast iron (such as Le Crueset), and stainless steel (such as All Clad).
on August 15th, 2009 at 10:34 am
thank you, I am going to give this a whirl for dinner tonight. I just bought a dutch oven and am having so much fun with it. I love recipes that are not an exact science, i cook better when I can improvise.
on August 16th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Have fun with the Pot Roast recipe ariel. Let us know how it turns out.
on October 4th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
I was looking for a simple receipe for pot roast that I could use in my new Le Crueset. This was it! Since I have a glass top stove, I had to brown my meat as the RG did. The heavy pans contain the heat better so you can do your dish at a lower temperature. Oddly enough, the items used in the receipe are the ones I bought yesterday at the store. It was a terrific, simple meal!
on October 4th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Hi Rufus, glad to hear the pot roast worked out for you. I really enjoy my Le Crueset pans for stove top and oven cooking.
on October 13th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
I have the 9 qt. cast iron from Lodge. Could I just set the dutch oven on the top of my soapstone woodstove and allow it to cook this way or will the roast cook too quickly?
Thanks
on October 13th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Hi Dennis, I guess if you keep the heat low enough it would work but when you are cooking on a stove top, you
are heating directly to the bottom of the pot. When you cook in an oven, the heat is coming from all sides and will
make a slight difference. How much? I have no idea. I’m sure it will turn out fine so give it a try and let us know.
on December 20th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
I am preparing this for the second time today and wanted to say how much I enjoyed it the first time. I have a few specialties, but I am not a “cook”. This is delicious, easy, familiar yet special. Thanks
Thank you Rick. - RG
on January 26th, 2010 at 4:57 am
Dennis - Re putting the dutch oven on top of your soapstone woodstove, as long as it is flat-bottomed and made of iron it will receive and conduct the heat from the woodstove to all the metal, if you preheat it a little with the lid on you will be able to feel that the lid is hot to touch, this will be adequate to heat the food inside evenly. If you are concerned about burning the bottom you can address it by greasing it more, or partway through the cooking you can move it to sit right in front of the woodstove - once the dutch oven is hot it will stay that way and the proximity to the woodstove will keep it from cooling off, it will keep cooking slowly.
With good judgment about how hot your fire is and when to shift your dutch oven’s position to keep it at a consistent temp, I have found you can make very good stews on a woodstove.
Great post Aaron, thank you.
on February 5th, 2010 at 3:38 am
We are getting another big snow storm this weekend so I figured a pot roast would be perfect. Your long cooking method will also help keep my house warm, will let you know how it turns out.
Great - RG
on February 27th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
I added diced new potatoes and cooked it for 8 hours (4.5 lbs roast) in the crock pot… It was great on a cold night!
Sounds like a good idea David, thanks for sharing. - RG
on March 9th, 2011 at 1:56 am
RG: I recently read that a “cast iron” pot, such as a dutch oven or skillet, is not good for acidic foods, such as tomatoes or tomato sauce/paste. Is this true?
Thanks for your reply…Rob
Hi Rob, I’d say yes and no. If the cast iron pan is well seasoned, tomatoes should not be a problem especially when you are cooking them with other ingredients like when making chili. But I’m not sure I would use a cast iron pan or dutch oven for making tomato sauce from scratch. Now if you have an enameled cast iron pan, like a La Creuset, you don’t have to worry about tomatoes at all and you still get the advantages of cast iron. - RG
on May 9th, 2011 at 8:04 am
This was novel. I wish I could read every post, but i have to go back to work now… But I’ll return.
on October 23rd, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Hi RG: I did the recipe only I used a large (12 in) or better) cast iron frying pan with lid. I enjoyed the results as well. We ate the veggies (did not do the blender) and enjoyed all!
Thanks for letting me know p love. - RG
on November 3rd, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Couldn’t help myself I wanted to drink the sauce! My family said this was the best thing I have ever made - and I’m 50 yrs old and cook a ton! I had some garlic butter left over in the fridge, I added that to my olive oil to brown the roast. That’s the only thing I did different. I will make this a staple in my kitchen. Thank you!
on November 5th, 2011 at 1:39 am
It’s actually a nice and helpful piece of info. I’m happy that you simply shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
on December 19th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
Wonderful!! My husband was delighted!
on January 14th, 2012 at 6:37 pm
First time I’ve used my dutch oven for a roast. I threw in some cabbage and a dash of cider vinegar instead of the wine. The hubby loves it and eats it with wheat bread to soak up the sauce. Thanks for sharing!