Red Wine Pot Roast

What Makes This Pot Roast Special

• Cooking the bacon first creates a flavorful base with rendered fat and browned bits that add richness and smoky flavor to the braising sauce.
• Red wine, mushrooms, shallots, and herbs come together to create a glossy, savory sauce with lots of depth.
• Adding the carrots and potatoes later in the cooking process ensures they’re perfectly tender without turning mushy.
• Everything comes together in one pot for an elevated comfort food dinner with tender beef, vegetables, and a rich red wine sauce.

Ingredients

• Boneless beef chuck roast: Look for one that’s between 2½ and 3 pounds. This cut is perfect for a long braise. As it cooks, the fat and connective tissue slowly break down, leaving the beef melt-in-your-mouth tender.
• Bacon: Thick-cut bacon works best.
• Red wine: I’ve tested this recipe with Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. I prefer Pinot Noir because it has a mellower flavor. Whichever you choose, opt for a dry red wine that you enjoy drinking.
• Beef bone broth: I think it’s worth the splurge to use bone broth instead of regular beef broth for this recipe. It adds rich, savory flavor, and the natural gelatin helps give the sauce body and a glossy finish.
• Mushrooms: I like whole baby bella mushrooms, but other kinds will work, too. I halve or quarter them so they hold their shape during cooking. If you’d prefer the mushrooms to blend into the sauce, chop them into smaller pieces.
• Shallots: I’ve tried this recipe with shallots, pearl onions, and regular onions. I like shallots because they have a milder flavor, but pearl onions are a close second.
• Herbes de Provence: This dried herb blend typically includes thyme, rosemary, oregano, and other herbs. Some blends also include lavender.
• Tomato paste: A couple of tablespoons add rich, concentrated flavor and give the sauce more body.
• All-purpose flour: Helps thicken the sauce as the pot roast cooks.
• Potatoes: I like petite gold potatoes and halve or quarter them, depending on their size. They have a buttery flavor and creamy texture. They also hold their shape well after cooking.
• Carrots: Cut them into large, 2-inch pieces so they hold their shape while the roast finishes cooking.

How to Make It

1. Cook the bacon and sear the beef. Cook the bacon in a large oven-safe pot, braiser, or Dutch oven until the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon and brown the seasoned chuck roast on both sides in the bacon fat. Transfer the roast to a plate.
2. Build the braising sauce. Add the mushrooms and shallots to the pot with a splash of beef bone broth. Scrape up the browned bits, then stir in the garlic, Herbes de Provence, and tomato paste. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for a minute before adding the remaining broth and red wine. Bring the sauce to a simmer.
3. Braise the beef. Return the bacon and chuck roast to the pot. Cover and transfer to a 350°F oven for two hours. Remove the pot from the oven, add the potatoes around the roast, and top them with the carrots. Return the pot to the oven, uncovered, for another 1½ to 2 hours, or until the beef and vegetables are tender.
4. Finish and serve. Transfer the chuck roast to a cutting board and cut it into chunks or shred it. Return the beef to the pot, stir in the fresh parsley, and serve.

Tips for the Best Red Wine Pot Roast

Watch the heat when cooking the bacon. I like to start the bacon in a hot pan over medium-high heat. As it cooks, the fat renders and browned bits (called fond) develop on the bottom of the pan. You want those flavorful bits, but you don’t want them to burn! Stir the bacon often and adjust the heat as needed. I usually start at medium-high, then lower it to medium and eventually medium-low.

Get a good sear on the beef. Once the bacon is out of the pot, add the seasoned chuck roast and brown it on both sides. You’re not cooking it through at this point, just developing a nice crust that adds flavor to the finished pot roast. You may need to increase the heat from medium-low to medium. Plan on about five minutes per side to get a good sear.

Don’t leave those browned bits behind! You’ll want to scrape up the browned bits twice: once after adding the mushrooms and shallots to the pan and again after adding the flour. You only need about ½ to 1 cup of bone broth total for this. Add a splash at a time and, as it simmers, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. They add so much flavor to the sauce.

Don’t worry about all the liquid. A whole bottle of red wine and two cups of beef broth might seem like a lot, but it’s what creates that rich, flavorful sauce. The liquid should cover the pot roast. I like to keep the pot covered for the first two hours of cooking so the beef stays moist as it braises. Once the vegetables are added, the pot goes back into the oven uncovered so the liquid can reduce and thicken into a glossy, savory sauce.

Add the vegetables later and check for doneness. After the first two hours of cooking, add the potatoes around the roast so they’re submerged in the braising liquid, then add the carrots on top. This gives the beef a head start so the vegetables don’t turn mushy. Continue cooking uncovered for another 1½ to 2 hours, checking after the first hour. The pot roast is done when the beef is fork-tender and easily pulls apart, and the carrots and potatoes are tender.

Make It Ahead

• This red wine pot roast is a great make-ahead dinner! You can prepare it a day in advance and refrigerate it overnight. As it sits, the flavors have time to meld, making the sauce even more delicious.
• Let the pot roast cool at room temperature, then transfer the beef, vegetables, and sauce to airtight containers and refrigerate them. The next day, gently reheat everything in a covered pot on the stove over medium-low heat until heated through. Add a splash of beef broth if the sauce has thickened too much.
• Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days.

Easy Side Dishes for Pot Roast

• Garlic Toast
• Sauteed Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic
• Easy Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
• Buttered Egg Noodles