How to Cook Pot Roast in a Dutch Oven - Beginner's Guide

Uncooked pot roast on a bed of vegetables

Cooking in a Dutch oven is called braising, a cross between stewing and steaming. The meat is neither submerged in liquid nor suspended above it. To braise, the pot roast sits on the bottom of the pan in simmering liquid about halfway up the meat, with a tight cover to keep the steam inside.

Things You'll Need

• 10- or 12-inch, 4-quart, cast-iron, enamel-coated Dutch oven or braiser with tight-sealing lid
• 8-by-12-inch oven-safe casserole dish or serving platter
• 1 large sheet of foil
• 2 oven mitts or pot holders
• Silicone-tip tongs
• Silicone spatula
• Fork and knife for slicing meat
• Vegetable cutting knife
• Spoon
• Liquid measuring cup
• Dry measuring spoon
• 1-cup size jar or plastic container with tight-sealing lid for shaking
• Vegetable scrub brush
• 2.25-pound beef chuck pot roast (about 8 inches long by 2 inches thick)
• 1 packet of Lipton Beef and Onion powdered soup mix (about 4 tablespoons)
• 4 small russet potatoes (average 4.5 inches long by 2.5 inches wide)
• 28 baby carrots (about 6 ounces)
• 1 cup water
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• Gravy ingredients:
• Almost 1 cup water (see instructions)
• 1 or 2 tablespoons pot roast drippings
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. Make sure frozen meat is completely thawed. If using refrigerated beef, allow it to sit on the counter for 10 minutes to eliminate the chill. Place the Dutch oven on the stove burner without heat. Open the package of beef chuck and place the slab into the ungreased Dutch oven. Some people like to first rinse the meat and trim off the fat.

2. Turn the burner to medium. After six minutes on the first side, flip over the meat using the tongs and brown the second side for six minutes. The meat will make its own juice -- be careful about splattering. To brown the edges of the meat, hold the meat in an upright position with tongs for two minutes for each edge until the whole slab is browned. Browning is very important because it seals in the flavor of the roast. It might take about 20 minutes to brown all six sides. It should have light golden color, not pink or dark brown.

3. Turn off the stove and remove the Dutch oven from the burner and place it on a cool burner or trivet. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the top of the roast.

4. Add 1 cup of water and stir in the powdered soup packet with a spoon until dissolved. Pour the liquid mixture in the bottom of the Dutch oven alongside the roast but not on top.

5. Move the Dutch oven back to the previously heated burner and turn it to high. Bring the water to a boil, then cover tightly and reduce the heat just enough so that the water bubbles gently. The stove setting is a little less than halfway between low and medium temperature. Another way to tell, when you cannot see through the lid, is to bend down and listen closely to the sound of the bubbles rumbling inside the pot. It sounds like a gentle bump-bump-bump.

6. Cook for two hours. Check from time to time that the water sounds like it is boiling gently, but do not open the lid. Open the lid only if the pot has run out of water, in which case add two tablespoons at a time.

7. Prepare the vegetables when there are about 10 minutes left of the two-hour cooking time. Rinse the baby carrots under warm water. Scrub the potatoes under warm water using a vegetable scrubber, but do not peel. Cut each potato into six pieces that are around 1.25 inches thick. At the two-hour mark, remove the Dutch oven lid using oven mitts and stack the vegetables in the liquid around the roast. You can stir or spoon some of the liquid over the vegetables to coat them. Replace the lid.

8. Cook for 1 hour. Follow the same procedures regarding the water bubbling and when to add more.

9. Prepare the casserole dish. Turn the oven to 200 degrees or less and place the empty dish inside to warm it up. At the one-hour mark, turn off the stove and remove the Dutch oven from the heated burner. Remove the lid using oven mitts. Make a cut in the center of the roast with a fork and knife to make sure it is tender and brownish inside. Remove the warmed casserole dish from the oven and place it next to the Dutch oven. Using tongs, transfer the meat and vegetables into the casserole dish, leaving the liquid roast drippings in the Dutch oven. Cut a sheet of foil that is sized to fit over the top of the dish and wrap around the edges. Wrap the foil over the top of the dish and press the edges closed to seal tightly. Put the roast dish into the oven to keep warm while preparing the gravy.

10. Lifting and tilting the Dutch oven, pour the drippings into a measuring cup. Discard most of the liquid except one or two tablespoons. Add some water to the cup until the total liquid reaches exactly 1 cup, then stir. In a jar, add exactly 1/4 cup of cold water and 2 tablespoons flour, then cover tightly. Shake the jar until the water and flour are well-mixed.

    Using the oven mitts, move the Dutch oven back to the previously heated burner and turn it up to high temperature. Pour the liquid drippings mixture into the Dutch oven. Gradually pour in the liquid flour mixture, stirring constantly. Bring the gravy to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling one minute until thickened. It might take up to 3 minutes to get thick. Reduce the heat to low to keep warm.

11. Remove the roast dish from the oven and place on a cool burner or trivet and remove the foil. Cut the roast with a fork and knife into 1/4-inch slices or large pieces. Serve with gravy and vegetables.

Tips & Warnings

• Start at 2:30 pm to have dinner on the table at 6:30 pm. From Fridge to Table Total: 4 hours. Breakdown: Man the Kitchen - 1 hour 20 minutes. Run Off and Play - 2 hours 40 minutes.