Classic Pot Roast (Southern-Style Comfort)
Tender, slow-cooked beef with vegetables in a rich gravy — perfect for Sunday dinner.
🥩 Ingredients
- 3–4 lb chuck roast
- Salt & black pepper
- 2 tbsp oil (or bacon drippings)
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 3–4 carrots, cut into chunks
- 3–4 potatoes, halved
- 2–3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried thyme (optional)
- 1–2 bay leaves
🔥 Instructions
- Season the roast generously with salt and pepper.
- Sear in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat until browned on all sides (about 4–5 minutes per side). Remove and set aside.
- Sauté onions & garlic in the same pot until softened.
- Deglaze with a splash of broth, scraping up browned bits.
- Return roast to the pot. Add broth, Worcestershire, thyme, and bay leaves.
- Cover and cook:
- Oven: 300°F (150°C) for 3–4 hours
- OR stovetop: very low simmer for 3–4 hours
- OR slow cooker: 8 hours on low
- Add carrots and potatoes during the last 1½–2 hours of cooking.
- Roast is done when fork-tender.
🥣 For Thicker Gravy (Optional)
Remove roast and vegetables. Simmer liquid and whisk in:
- 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp cold water (slurry),
OR - 1 tbsp flour mixed with butter (roux)
🍽 Serving Ideas
- With cornbread or hoecakes
- Over rice or mashed potatoes
- With collard greens on the side
If you’d like, I can also give you a Mississippi-style pot roast or an old-fashioned farmhouse version.
