Beef roast is a classic Sunday dinner, and this is a simple, delicious way to make it for the most tender, flavorful meat!
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My farm animal girl, and a beef roast comfort meal
One of my very favorite things to do on cold weather weekends is fill my house with the aroma of beef that has been slow roasting all afternoon. After busy, on-the-go weekdays, I long to help my family have a couple of days of peacefulness, rest, and simple, delicious home cooked food. Last weekend my middle kiddo (the one that has been obsessed with all things animals since age 1) had a celebration at the farm she worked at this past summer. It was the perfect start the the cold weather season to bring out a beef roast for dinner!
Where it all began…
This simple beef roast is one of the first recipes I blogged on this site, so it was time for a refresh in photography to add in some step by step pictures for you. I also wanted to show you that 10 years later, this is still the most asked for Sunday dinner in my house.
Alongside a simple roasted chicken dinner, my kids have been eating this beef roast dinner since they were babies. Young momma readers, can you see that this is so worth it?! What began as a very easy, hands free dinner that could nourish my young family, became what the girls see as their comfort food. Setting them up for taste palates that crave food like this is priceless.
Let’s talk about the beef needed to make a beef roast
I think most people at this point know that grassfed beef far surpasses conventionally raised beef in nutrient content. While this is 100% true, 10 years of blogging in this space has allowed me the privilege of meeting people from all over the globe, and I know that access to grassfed beef is tough for some areas worldwide. And here’s the deal. I’d rather you make this beef roast with the best cut of beef you can afford and find, than not make it at all, and get take out or eat junk food.
Ask around local farmer’s markets, or at local WAPF chapter meetings for sourcing. We get a grassfed cow for the freezer every year, and they have it cut and packaged for our freezer. The chuck roast is my favorite cut for making a beef roast like this. Round roast and brisket work with this method too if that is what you have.
The Method :: Prepare the beef roast
The most important part of making this beef roast is the sear on the outside, and to get that sear, you need to salt the beef – generously! This allows that crust to form on the outside of the beef which yields all flavor! It’s a big cut of beef, so don’t be shy. It is really hard to over salt a cut of beef like this.
The Method :: Sear the beef roast
Once you prepare the meat you’ll sear it in a screaming hot dutch oven or oven safe roaster. I put this pot on to heat up for a number of minutes before I put the beef in. Sear the beef roast in a friendly fat of your choice for a good 5 minutes on each side.
The Method :: The vegetables
While the beef roast is searing, you can chop up some aromatic vegetables to flavor the liquid that the beef will be roasting in. Just a simple, rough chop, though I do like to make the carrots pretty since we eat those with our meal!
The Method :: Slow roasting the beef roast
Once the beef is done searing, you’ll pour some red wine into the bottom of the pan to pull up all those flavorful bits at the bottom. Toss in the veggies and some water and you are hands free while that beef roast cooks all afternoon, filling your house with the *best* beef roast aroma!
How to make a simple pan gravy/sauce for the beef roast
This beef roast will literally fall apart by the time it is done cooking. It really doesn’t need a sauce or gravy, but it definitely tastes yummy if you want to make one! Just strain off 2-3 cups of the liquid from the pot where the beef was cooking, and bring it to a simmer in a small sauce pan. I just shake up some white rice flour in a small cup with water until it is smooth and pour this slurry into the gravy to thicken it up.
What sides to you serve with your beef roast?
That is totally up to you. I tend to keep it budget friendly and super simple most weekends. Green beans or broccoli cooked in butter, along with mashed potatoes is our typical. Spend the money on the best meat you can afford, and do the simple, budget friendly sides to pull it together!
How To Make A Simple Beef Roast
Ingredients
- 3 lb grassfed chuck roast
- Sea salt and pepper to taste Be generous here – a good tablespoon of salt will be needed for this size
- 4 tbsp friendly fat to sear the roast in butter, olive oil, tallow, lard, ghee
- 1 large onion coarsely chopped
- 3 large carrots coarsely chopped
- 3 stalks of celery coarsely chopped
- 1 head of garlic peeled and smashed
- 1/2 bottle red wine
- enough water to fill to almost cover the roast
- 2 tsp dry thyme optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 275 degrees.
- Heat a large dutch oven or oven safe roasting pan with a lid over medium/high to high heat on the stovetop while you prepare the beef. You want the pot nice and hot to get a good crust/sear on the beef. Pat dry your beef roast with a paper towel, and generously salt and pepper all sides of the beef.
- Melt your friendly fat in the hot dutch oven, and add the seasoned beef to the pot. Sear the beef until it has a golden brown crust, about 5 minutes. Don't touch it! Just let it cook and leave it alone! Flip the beef to the other side and sear the same way. If your cut of beef roast is really thick, sear the sides as well.
- Once the beef is seared, pour the wine into the bottom of the dutch oven, and scrape up any bits at the bottom of the pan. Turn the stovetop heat off.
- Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the pot around the beef roast. I like to lift the roast up a little to get the veggies underneath too. Sprinkle the roast with thyme if you wish to use it, and pour the water into the pot to almost the top of the roast.
- Put the lid on your dutch oven, and cook the roast at 275 degrees for 3-4 hours.
- If you want to make a “gravy” or “sauce” for your roast, strain off about 2-3 cups of the liquid in the bottom of the pot after the beef cooks. Simmer the liquid in a small sauce pan and whisk in 1-2 tablespoons of rice flour shaken up into a few tablespoons of water to help thicken the gravy.
Notes
- If you don’t tolerate wine, you can sub more broth or water. The alcohol does cook off if that is your concern, but I also know some people don’t tolerate wine in general, so this is your option for that.
- You can add creamy, yellow potatoes to the pot while the beef is roasting to have an all in one pot meal! My crew prefers mashed potatoes, so I tend to do that most of the time!
This looks delicious Renee! I LOVE a good beef roast. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Pinned it.
I love a good roast. This will be something I will definitely be trying soon!
Yum, yum, yum!!! I need to put a beef roast in my crockpot soon. Pinning!
This is great! simple but delicious
I love a simple and hearty meal! Thanks!
Looks great! Trish
Yum! That looks amazing.
I make my pot roast very similar, except I usually add in a beer… but I bet wine or a wine/beef broth combo would be amazing. I’ll definitely try that next time! Thanks for sharing!
I love the versatility of using broth (or wine) with this recipe so it can be GAPS and AIP-friendly. This is great, to share a simple, basic, really good roast recipe. Pinning it! 🙂
Could I make this in a convection oven?
Hi Kimberly – yes I’m sure you can though I’m not familiar with how the cook time would be different.
can I make this in an instapot?
Hi Elisa! I’ve never had good luck with a roast in the IP! I just stopped trying because they don’t come out with the same tender texture!