Classic Sunday Pot Roast is an easy to make comfort food that is hearty, filling, and can easily feed the whole family. This recipe will work for a classic oven braise as well as in a slow cooker or Instant Pot.

The secret to a flavorful pot roast is browning the meat and onions before roasting, which adds a rich meaty flavor and caramelized sweetness. This step is what separates our recipe from many others that use a slow cooker. And also unlike a slow cooker recipe, our sauce is simmered to reduce a little which concentrates the flavors. What you’ll end up with is a roast that’s fall-apart tender with a velvety sauce and delicious vegetables.

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Sunday Pot Roast

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Active Time3 hours hrs

Total Time3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Yield: 6

Materials

• 4-6 pound beef roast chuck, round or brisket
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp italian seasoning
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 cups low sodium broth beef, chicken or veggie
• ¼ cup worcestershire sauce
• 2 large white onions cut into 2" chunks
• 4 large carrots cut into 1" chunks
• 1 lb potatoes cut into bite-size chunks
• 1 sprig rosemary

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Get a large oven-safe Dutch oven pot heating over high heat
• Add oil to pot, season both sides of chuck roast with spices.  Sear roast until browned, about 3 to 4minutes each side.
• Add garlic to pot and saute 60 seconds. Add wine, broth, and Worcestershire making sure to deglaze pan.
• Place the onion chunks, carrots, and potatoes on top of and around the meat. Place rosemary sprig on top
• Place a lid on the pan and transfer it to the preheated 350 degree oven. Cook for 1.5 hours, and check the veggies. Remove the veggies and potatoes when they are cooked, and place in a separate serving dish. Cover with foil to keep warm (or you can warm them up just prior to serving).  Turn the roast over and return to oven for another 1.5 hours or until meat reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F and shreds easily with a fork.
• Remove roast and place in serving dish with the veggies and serve with HP sauce, mustard or horseradish!

Notes

*You can replace the wine with either more beef broth OR grape juice. Use up to 2 cups for a larger roast.

You can keep the potatoes and carrots in for the entire cook time, but I find that they get too well done.  Keeping them in for the first half of cooking adds to the flavour of the meat.  Also the liquid tends to reduce quite a bit by the end and you risk drying the carrots and potatoes.

SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS: Season the roast with salt and pepper as directed in step 2 of the recipe. Searing in oil in a skillet is an optional step. Place the seared or un-seared meat directly into a slow cooker. Add in all remaining ingredients and cook on low 8 hours.

INSTANT POT ELECTRIC PRESSURE COOKER INSTRUCTIONS: Follow this recipe as directed, but instead of searing and baking the roast in a large pot, you’ll do all of this in your pressure cooker. Sear the roast as directed in step 2 using the sear setting on your electric pressure cooker. Cook the garlic, and deglaze the pan with liquids, and add in vegetables. Cook on high pressure for 60 minutes, followed by a 15 minute natural release. Then, switch the release valve to the venting position. Remove lid once steam has stopped coming out.