Awesome Red Wine Pot Roast

I call this awesome red wine pot roast recipe my "famous Seamus" pot roast because my tiny Siamese cat, Seamus, sat in the kitchen the entire time this was cooking. I've been making this recipe for 40+ years, and I just throw the ingredients together; it's very forgiving. My son-in-law also says it's the best thing he ever ate. When boys hang around the kitchen, it can't be bad.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 4 15

Total Time 4 30

Course lunch/dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 12 people

Calories 4775.5 kcal

Equipment

1 Dutch Oven Must be oven-proof and heavy-bottomed for effective searing and braising.
1 Chef's knife For preparing the roast and uniformly cutting vegetables.
1 Cutting Board
1 Measuring Spoons and Cups For accurate ingredient portions.
1 Tongs Essential for safely searing and handling the roast.

Ingredients

Main

3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons canola oil
½ cup water
½ cup red wine
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 onion sliced
8 pearl onions peeled and halved
6 red potatoes washed and halved
6 carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Evenly sprinkle roast with flour; set aside. Heat canola oil in an oven-proof Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add roast; brown on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Off heat, pour in water and wine; season with basil, salt, marjoram, thyme, and black pepper. Arrange onion slices on top roast.
Bake in the preheated oven, covered, for 3 hours. Add pearl onions, potatoes, and carrots. Add additional water if roast looks dry. Continue baking, covered, until roast easily pulls apart with a fork, about 1 hour more.

Notes

Achieving a truly 'awesome' pot roast hinges on a few key techniques. First, ensure your chuck roast is thoroughly dried before flouring and searing; this promotes a superior Maillard reaction, developing deep, rich flavor. Don't rush the browning – aim for a deep, even crust on all sides. When deglazing with red wine, scrape up all those flavorful fond bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. For the dried herbs, consider blooming them briefly in the hot oil before adding the roast to intensify their aroma. Uniformly cutting your vegetables ensures they cook evenly and retain their texture without becoming mushy. After braising, let the roast rest for 10-15 minutes before shredding; this allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in a more succulent final product. For an elevated presentation, thicken the braising liquid into a rich gravy.