Shredded Pot Roast

I have never been a big fan of Pot Roast, usually finding it too dry and flavorless.  When I started this blog, one of the goals that I had in mind was to "perfect" some of the most basic recipes that my husband and I grew up with.  I didn't want to just pass along a family recipe on these.  I really wanted to find my favorite version!  So after hours of scouring recipes on the internet and testing them on my guinea pig (husband Terry), I am confident that this is my all-time favorite recipe for Pot Roast!  It is time consuming but so worth it!  It is super moist and really flavorful.  Once I discovered this recipe, I made it 4 times that month!!

Pot Roast Ingredients:
4 TB butter
3 lb. rump roast, trimmed (you can also use chuck roast, just cook a little less)
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 cups beef stock (much better than beef broth!)
20 whole peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1/2 TB salt
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 tsp. salt

Gravy Ingredients:
4 TB butter
4 TB flour
2 cups liquid from cooked roast (can add beef stock if not quite 2 cups)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Farenheit

Season the roast on all sides with salt and pepper.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in dutch oven.  Sear the roast on each side to brown, approximately 2 minutes on each side.  Remove the meat to a clean plate.

In the same dutch oven, melt another 2 tablespoons of butter.  Add the onion, celery, garlic, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaf and parsley to the pot.  Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Return the roast to the pot.  Add the beef stock and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Bake the roast, covered, for 4 hours or until the meat is tender enough to shred.  Baste the meat every half hour to keep it moist.  You can also turn the meat over each half hour to keep it even more moist (optional). 

 

Remove the roast to a plate and shred with two forks. 

 

Strain the liquid into a bowl to remove the solids.  You can throw out the vegetables and spices, we will only be using the liquid.  We hope to get 2 cups of stock from this.  But don't worry if you don't, just add enough store-bought stock to make 2 cups total.

 

Put the shredded roast back in the pot again and pour the stock over it.  Add in the sliced carrots and 1/2 tsp. salt and mix.  Put the covered pot back in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.  This step really makes the roast moist and adds so much flavor!

Strain the shredded roast again to reserve the liquid.  We are going to make the gravy with this good stuff!

Note: You can also add cubed potatoes at this time if desired.  I choose not to, because I serve this over mashed potatoes.

 

Making the gravy:

Melt 4 TB butter in a pan.  Add 4 TB flour and whisk together for one minute.  Slowly add the strained liquid and simmer until thick. 

I like to serve this shredded pot roast over mashed potatoes and pour some gravy over all of it.

Hope you like it as much as I do!

Recipe from