The Best Restaurant Style Beef Pot Roast

Updated September 26, 2024

Beef pot roast is a comfort food classic! Juicy and tender melt-in-your-mouth beef surrounded by a rich and flavourful gravy that is beyond delicious.

This is a perfect beef dinner for a cold fall, or winter, Sunday night. Just a few simple ingredients make this an easy to prepare dinner.

Elevate it for company! Make sure to pair this dinner with potatoes, rice, veggies or salad. Add rolls or a Yorkshire pudding if you really want a family feast!

The Beef

The most important part of this recipe is getting the right type of beef. This will be the difference in a meltingly delicious beef dinner or a tough dry chunk of meat.

The best beef cuts for pot roast are chuck roast, rib-eye roast, eye of round roast, bottom round, bottom round, and sirloin. You need a cut of beef that has fat and marbling throughout the roast.

This marbling is what is going to melt during the slow cooking process and provide an abundance of flavour as well as perfectly tender meat.

Searing the beef

This is a simple recipe that really just lets the natural flavours of the meat shine. No syrups or sauces added in, just simple. Searing the meat on the outside, before fully cooking it, gives it a nice crust and seals in the juices.

Searing the beef is a step that should not be skipped. The caramelized outer crust adds an amazing depth of flavour that will elevate your meal to a restaurant quality feast.

When is the beef done?

Beef roasts can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness. From medium rare to well done beef. Use an meat thermometer to check the doneness of the roast.

A range between 140 °F – 150 °F (60 °C – 65 °C) means the meat is fully cooked.

Resting the beef

This is an important step that is sometimes overlooked. After the beef is done and removed from the oven you must rest the meat before slicing.

Resting the pot roast will allow all of the internal juices in the beef to reabsorb and redistrubute through out the meat. It will also allow the muscle fibres in the meat to relax.

This is going to ensure you have the very best juicy pot roast.

Elevate your beef pot roast

To elevate this simple comfort food dinner to a sophisticated company worthy meal, add olives, capers, dried fruit, and figs. This adds some interest, as well as some bursts of salty and sweet flavours.

These unexpected flavour notes will elevate your dish. No need to caramelize these ingredients along with the beef, just simmer along side the meat.

With these added flavours, the pot roast resting overnight in the refrigerator will be even more flavourful!

Storage for beef pot roast

This beef pot roast recipe tastes even better as leftovers, so you are going to want to make enough to store away.

Fridge

The fridge is the perfect spot to store your pot roast. All of the flavours develop even more after resting in the fridge overnight.

• Leave the pot roast unsliced in it’s juices. This will keep the meat moist and juicy.
• Allow the roast to cool to room temperature.
• Cover completely with plastic wrap or with a tight fitting lid.
• Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezer

You can freeze a cooked pot roast for longer storage. Making sure to keep the roast whole and not presliced will help the roast not dry out in the freezer.

• Leave the pot roast unsliced in it’s juices.
• Allow the roast to cool to room temperature.
• Cover completely with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container.
• Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to reheat leftover beef pot roast

This is where the overnight magic comes in! For the best overnight beef pot roast make sure to follow these step for reheating leftovers!

1. Remove the roast from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Thinly slice the remainder of the roast.
3. Place in a casserole dish and spoon the sauce overtop.
4. Cover with foil and bake 30 mins.
5. Remove from oven and serve with your favourite sides.

How to make the BEST Beef Pot Roast

Ingredients

2-3 Tablespoons oil (for frying) 30-45 ml

5 lb beef roast 2 kg

salt and pepper to taste

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic

1 Tablespoon brown sugar 15 ml

3 cups beef stock 750 ml

1 cup red wine 250 ml

2 Tablespoons lemon juice 30 ml

2 teaspoons dried oregano 10 ml

Method

1. Preheat a large pan or Dutch oven to medium-high heat.
2. Rub the roast all over with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
3. Add the oil to the pan and sear the roast about 5-7 mins per side, or until you have a nice caramelized crust over the entire roast. Remove the roast to a plate. (It is not cooked at this point.)
4. To the pan add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 mins.
5. Add the garlic and cook another few minutes.

6. Add in the brown sugar, stock, red wine, lemon juice and oregano.

7. Add back in the roast (if using a Dutch oven) and bring up to a boil.

8. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 3 hours. During that time, turn the roast several times.

9. (If using a pan) transfer everything to a roasting pan. Cover and place in a preheated 325°F (150°C) oven for 1½ to 2 hours, turning a few times during the cooking process. Make sure the liquid does not run out. You may need to add water.

10. Internal temperature is 150°F – 160 °F (60 °C – 65 °C)

11. Remove from oven or remove from heat and let rest 10 mins. Keep the roast covered to keep everything warm.

12. Serve with your choice of side.

Overnight magic (Letting your roast rest overnight develops flavour)

1. Remove the roast from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Thinly slice the remainder of the roast.
3. Place in a casserole dish and spoon the sauce overtop. Cover with foil and bake 30 mins.
4. Remove from oven and serve with choice of side.

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