How do you make a roast in the oven

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.

Table of Contents Show

Pot Roast Vegetables:
Best Roasts for Making Classic Sunday Pot Roast:
Slow Cooker Instructions:
Instant Pot Instructions:
Storage and Reheating Instructions:
How do you oven roast?
How long do you cook a roast at 350 degrees?
Do you cover a roast in the oven?
Can you roast in a regular oven?

When it comes to a Sunday dinner in America, there’s nothing quite as classic as pot roast. Of course, the day of the week doesn’t really matter, pot roast is a delicious dinner any day of the week. This meal is full of nostalgia, when the only time we ever had pot roast was for a large family dinner or special occasion. We seemed to always get served way too small of portions, leaving us unsatisfied and wanting more. Now, we get to make pot roast as often as we want, and revel in the joy of deciding our own serving size. Once you make this pot roast, everyone will beg for more!

Pot Roast Vegetables:

The classic mix of vegetables to add on top of your pot roast include potatoes, onions, and carrots. We recommend using a white or sweet onion, but yellow onions often fair well during the slow braising process as well. Carrots can either be cut into chunks, or you can use baby carrots for easy preparation. We don’t recommend slicing your carrots into thin discs because they tend to turn to mush. We recommend using either red potatoes or Yukon gold. If you choose to use russet potatoes, be sure to peel them first.

Best Roasts for Making Classic Sunday Pot Roast:

Chuck Roast – tender, falls apart when finished and easily shredded
Round Roast (bottom round, top round) – lean and easy to slice
Beef Brisket – fattier option that gets super tender, but can still be sliced for serving

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. Searing your beef roast helps the fat render and seal in the moisture so it’s worth the extra time and dishes. But we also recognize that one of the benefits of using a slow cooker is a short prep time so that you can throw everything in. Place the seared or un-seared meat directly into a slow cooker. Add in all remaining ingredients and cook on low 8 hours.

Pro Tip: It’s better to cook pot roast on the low setting rather than the high setting. Your meat will be tender and delicious every time.

Instant Pot 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.

Pro Tip: the natural release portion of electric pressure cooking is an important step. We have found that if you release the pressure immediately after cooking, your beef may toughen up. Letting the pressure cooker sit for 15 minutes during the natural release stage produces a more tender result.

Storage and Reheating Instructions:

Pot roast is best served fresh. You may store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in an oven preheated to 350 degrees until warmed through.

If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other classic Sunday dinner recipes:

Classic Braised Beef Short Ribs
How to Roast Chicken
Easy Baked Pork Chops
Sunday Pork Roast

Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 3 to 5 pound beef roast chuck, round, or brisket
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 cloves minced garlic
1 to 2 cups red wine*
2 cups low sodium beef broth
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 large white onions cut into 2 inch chunks
1 pound baby carrots
1 pound red potatoes cut into bite-sized chunks
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Get a large oven safe dutch oven pot heating over high heat.
Season both sides of chuck roast with salt and pepper. Add vegetable oil to pot and sear roast until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes each side.
Remove roast from pan and set aside briefly on a plate or cutting board. Add garlic to pot and saute 60 seconds. Deglaze pan with red wine and beef broth. Add roast back to the pot.
Pour Worcetershire sauce over roast and 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 3 hours, or until meat reaches an internal temperature of 202 degrees F and shreds easily with a fork. Season vegetables with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

Notes

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

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.

How do you oven roast?

Roasting, like baking, is typically done with the oven rack positioned in the center of the oven to allow the hot, dry air to surround the pan evenly. Roast food in oven safe cookware that has sides to catch fat and juices.

How long do you cook a roast at 350 degrees?

Cover with foil. Bake at 350°F. for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender. Serve with pan juices.

Do you cover a roast in the oven?

When cooking a roast in the oven, keep it uncovered until roasted to the desired doneness. After removing from the oven, tent with foil and let stand 15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute, preventing them from draining out during carving—and preventing dry, disappointing meat.

Can you roast in a regular oven?

Set Your Oven to the Right Temperature. High-heat (above 400°) roasting works well for small, tender cuts such as tenderloins because it quickly produces a browned crust, and the meat cooks adequately in a short time.