How Long To Cook 2.5 Lb Chuck Roast

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Get the step-by-pace guide for how to make a perfectly moist and juicy pot roast. Today's recipe uses a chuck roast braised in beef stock with a touch of balsamic vinegar for amazing season.

Do you remember when I shared with you lot how to brand a perfect pork roast? And then many of you loved that ho-hum-cooked method that I decided to exercise more irksome-cooked, large cuts of meat. Today, I'thousand tackling beefiness pot roast.

There'southward a real cooking tendency these days to use all parts of the beast. It'southward chosen olfactory organ-to-tail cooking. Pot roasts are peachy for this trend because they let you take a less expensive, and often less desirable, cut of meat and turn it into magic. I usually apply a chuck roast (sometimes chosen chuck steak, not to be confused with chuck centre steak, which is different).

Finished pot roast on a blue plate with carrots and potatoes, carving utensils in the background.

What Is A Chuck Roast?

Here's the wikipedia entry, merely basically, it's a cut from the front (shoulder area) of the moo-cow and is ordinarily a 1 and i/2 to 2-inch thick oval of about 8-nine inches across. It has a lot of connective tissue that melts when cooked. For this reason, you lot want to cook this cut all the way through, slowly, then that the collagen from the tissue gets a risk to melt, moistening and flavoring the meat.

Braising Slowly

The trick to pot roast is to cook information technology at a low temperature for awhile, and to use a braising liquid. A braising liquid keeps things moist. You tin utilise beer or wine, broth or stock, or even just h2o. Any combination of those will piece of work also. You can add together other things to the mix if y'all'd like, similar apple tree juice or even cola.

What I've done for today'due south recipe is to add a touch of balsamic vinegar to beefiness stock for the braising liquid. It adds a flake of sugariness and a bit of sour. You'll barely notice that information technology's in that location but without it the flavors are a bit flatter.

Which Vegetables To Include In A Pot Roast?

In improver to the less lean cutting of meat that yous use here, pot roasts often include vegetables. These veggies volition end up really soft and tender. If you want them less soft, you tin add together them halfway through the cooking time. I never do that though considering office of the joy of pot roast for me is exactly that cozy, super-soft thing.

Root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and onions are common and the best bet. You want something that stands upward to the long cooking time.

Notation that you tin totally leave the peels on the potatoes for this dish. Why do this? Because non having to pare them speeds things up, results in less food waste and because the peel has some really great nutrients in it. It's a win-win-win. Unfortunately, you do have to peel the carrots though. Otherwise the outer layer gets a bit woody. If yous tin can find thinner, younger carrots, those with the greens still attached, they're fine without peeling. Merely trim off the greens and then give the carrots a quick scrub with a murphy brush. Done!

Those are the principal tips for a perfect pot roast. At present here are the stride-past-step instructions.

How To Brand A Perfect Pot Roast

Step #1

Season a beef pot roast all over with a liberal corporeality of salt and pepper. For a 2.5 pound chuck roast, you'll want to use about a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of black pepper.

Oestrus a skillet over medium-loftier heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil.

Let the oil become really hot. Add the roast to the hot oil. Cook on 1 side until very well-browned. Y'all want it crusty because that brown caramelized chaff is going to add tons of flavor to the eventual dish. It'll take four-v minutes. So flip it over and get the other side brown and crusty too.

A chuck roast in a skillet being browned

Step #ii

While the roast sears in the skillet, peel your carrots and chop them into large chunks so that they don't cook to quickly. Similarly, halve small potatoes and quarter larger ones. I use red potatoes because I like the flavor and the pop of color that they add to the dish when you lot leave the peels on, every bit I typically do.

Large chunks of red potatoes and carrots on a cutting board

Step #iii

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Transfer the roast to a roomy roasting pan. You demand infinite for the roast to exist surrounded by potatoes. Note that when I exercise a chuck pot roast similar this, I usually do two. The reason is so that I have leftover beefiness for lunches or for using in a unlike dinner the adjacent day.

So, add together your roast to the roasting pan. Then pour beef stock into the skillet, about 2 cups per roast. You're going to want the liquid to become halfway up the roast in the roasting pan so the corporeality really depends on the size of your roast and the size of your roasting pan. Oestrus the stock to a simmer. Add i/two tablespoon of balsamic vinegar for each cup of stock. Stir. Pour over the roasts in the roasting pan. Surround roast with potatoes.

Chuck roasts in a roasting pan in broth with potatoes around them.

Step #4

Peak the roast and potatoes with the carrots. I prefer to non have the carrots submerged in liquid. They proceed their color and season meliorate that style. Adding them on top is the best bet.

Carrots added on top of the roast and potatoes

Footstep #v

Put a lid on the roasting pan, or encompass information technology tightly in heavy-duty foil if you don't have a lid. Put it into the oven until the potatoes and carrots are soft and the meat is tender plenty that you lot could pull information technology apart with your fingers, about 2 hours. Remove the meat and potatoes from the liquid. Optionally drizzle the meat with some balsamic vinegar (1 teaspoon per roast) or serve it on the side every bit a dip. You lot don't need anything other than that.

Finished pot roast with potatoes and carrots on a serving plate.

If you'd like to, you can make use of the liquid in the roasting pan (I often save information technology for another use, similar making soup the side by side day, but it can definitely exist role of your pot roast meal instead). Skim off the fatty (I use a fatty separator like this) and serve the juices on the side. Or turn it into a gravy by mixing together water and cornstarch and and so adding it to the skimmed juices. Commencement with i/4 cup water and 2 tablespoons of corn starch, add it then bring information technology to a simmer to thicken information technology. Add more cornstarch and h2o mixture if y'all'd similar it thicker.

Slice the meat and serve with the potatoes, carrots, balsamic vinegar, and braising liquid (optional).

Hither'south the printable version of the above instructions.

Enjoy!

Clarification

This recipe uses a chuck roast braised in beefiness stock with a bear on of balsamic vinegar for amazing flavor.

1 (two.v lb.) chuck roast
1 teaspoon salt
ane/ii teaspoon black pepper
i Tbsp. vegetable oil
eight big carrots
3 lbs. cerise potatoes
ii cups low or no sodium beef stock*
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, plus more than for serving

Season the roast all over with salt and pepper. Oestrus a skillet over medium-high oestrus. Add the vegetable oil. Let the oil get really hot. Add the roast to the hot oil. Cook on one side until very-browned, iv-v minutes. Flip it over and become the other side brown and crusty every bit well, some other 4-5 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel the carrots and chop them into big chunks. Halve whatsoever smaller potatoes and quarter larger ones.
Preheat oven to 300°F. Transfer the roast to a roomy roasting pan.
Pour beef stock into the skillet that you used to sear the roast. Heat over medium-high heat to a simmer. Add together ane tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Stir. Pour over the roast in the roasting pan. Environment roast with potatoes. Top the roast and potatoes with the carrots.
Put a lid on the roasting pan, or cover information technology tightly in heavy-duty foil. Put it into the oven until the potatoes and carrots are soft and the meat is tender enough that you could pull information technology autonomously with your fingers, about 2 hours.
Remove the meat and potatoes from the liquid. Optionally drizzle the meat with some balsamic vinegar (ane teaspoon or so) or serve it on the side as a dip. If you'd like to serve the braising liquid with the repast, skim off the fat before doing then. I similar to use a fat separator like this.
Slice the meat and serve with the potatoes, carrots, balsamic vinegar, and braising liquid (optional).

Notes

*You lot might demand more or less stock depending on the size of your roast and the size of your roasting pan. What you ideally want is to have enough stock and then that the roast is covered half way upward.

This post originally appeared in March 2022 and was revised and republished in March 2022.