Dutch Oven Pot Roast

5 from 2 votes

Dutch Oven Pot Roast with gravy is an easy one pot meal featuring fork-tender chuck roast and gravy that cooks low and slow in a dutch oven.

Prep Time15

Cook Time3

Total Time3 15

Course: Dutch Oven, Main Dishes

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 370kcal

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Dry Rub - sprinkle steak seasoning or salt and pepper over the chuck roast on both sides. Rub it in well.
Sear - add olive oil to dutch oven on the stove top. Bring to medium-high heat until oil is sizzling. Sear the side of the meat, then brown the other side. Flip over and sear all edges of beef. Take meat out of pot with kitchen tongs and place on a large plate.
Browned Bits - pour a little beef broth into the dutch oven and scrape up the browned bits with a spoon over low heat. Add garlic and onions that have been cut into wedges.
Beef Broth - place the meat back in the dutch oven on top of the onions. Pour beef broth in the pot but don't pour it over the meat or it will remove the seasoning.
Bake- close lid and make sure it fits tightly. Bake beef at 325 degrees. After 2 hours, add 1 cup of water to the pot. After 3 hours, check to see if beef pulls apart by inserting a large fork into the meat and pulling. If it pulls apart easily it's done. If not, bake 1 more hour. Adding veggies? Go to the next step.
Vegetables- if adding diced red potatoes and carrots, place them beside the meat after it has cooked for 3 hours. Sprinkle veggies with salt and pepper. Bake for 1 more hour until veggies are easily pierced with a fork.

Remove Meat - take roast out of pot with tongs and place it in a large baking dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. If you added potatoes and carrots, remove them as well. Keep the onions and liquid in the dutch oven.
Thicken- Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl until smooth. Mix with the drippings in the pot and turn the heat on the stovetop to medium. Stir until it thickens. If it's too thick, add 1 cup of water and whisk until smooth.
Add Cream - Next, add 1 cup of half and half cream. Stir until gravy is the perfect consistency. If it's not thick enough, add more cornstarch mixed with a little water and turn up the heat. Stir until thickened.
Serve - Ladle hot gravy over beef in baking dish. Serve with mashed potatoes or vegetables.

This recipe is for a 3 pound chuck roast. If yours is larger, add 1 hour per pound to the cooking time.
Chuck roast freezes well if the beef is mixed with the gravy and placed in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months or refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days.
The standard serving size is about 3 to 4 ounces of meat per person if there are side dishes being served. A 3-pound roast will serve 8 people, while 4 pounds will serve 10 to 12 depending on appetites.
A good rule of thumb is to allow 1 hour per pound of meat. So a 3 pound roast should take 3 hours to cook at 325 degrees. If it's not fork tender after 3 hours, cook it 1 hour more.