Dutch Oven
Chuck Roast
Prep Time: 15 min. (after meat is room temp)
Cook Time: 4 hr.
Total Time: 4 hr. 15 min.
Makes: 2-4 servings
Macronutrients: 19.6g protein · 0g carb · 21.8g fat (3oz)*
*(only counting the meat, broth calories will vary greatly depending on what is being used)
For a visual, see my instagram video here!
About the Dish:
Chuck roast is what most people refer to as “Pot Roast”
I remember this used to be one of my favorite meals growing up. I was ALWAYS a meat and potatoes kid. I would order “Pot Roast” at restaurants when I was a kid while other kids my age were ordering the chicken nuggets and french fries! I guess I was always destined to become heavily animal-based.
I remember my mom loved making this dish too because its such a TIME SAVER. Hard working parents don’t want to come home every night and make dinner. This roast can easily be placed in a slow cooker all day so that you have something tender and delicious to come home to. Even better, it’s an inexpensive cut of meat and yields a lot of great fatty protein so its filling too.
With the added benefit of having broth throughout the week as well!
Chuck roast is from the shoulder/upper neck of a cow, the chuck roast/steak section. This roast has a lot of fat and tissue throughout the ball of meat. Any meat with a lot of marbling and connective tissue is best cooked low and slow in liquids so you end up with a tender dish.
I grew up eating traditional “Pot Roast” with potatoes, carrots, and green beans.
I rarely eat these ingredients anymore because my body doesn’t enjoy digesting them. However, my body LOVES the tender meat and broth so I decided…
you can still make Chuck Roast with ONLY BEEF!
With that being said, you can EASILY take this recipe and add some animal-based friendly low toxic vegetables like squash & zucchini. If you don’t follow animal-based at all and still love the traditional vegetables mentioned above, you do you!
This recipe specifically is my meal prep recipe so I keep everything really clean and simple to be eaten throughout the week.
Checkout my “Burger Bowls” for inspiration on different ways to doctor up the beef throughout the week!
About the Broth:
The hardest thing about documenting my recipes for others to try has been my constant use of leftover beef drippings.
I very rarely use store bought bone broth.
When I am slow cooking short ribs, chuck roasts, stew meat, etc. I ALWAYS keep the leftover drippings from the dish. This will drastically change the flavor of my dish depending on what the previous drippings were from. Therefore, when I use leftover drippings from another recipe, it is likely VERY RICH and FATTY. So I might add a full mason jar (3 cups) of rich drippings and 3-4 cups of water so it cuts the fattiness down to a normal broth texture/flavor.
GO WITH YOUR GUT ON HOW MUCH BROTH VS. WATER
I HIGHLY recommend saving all of your leftover meat drippings, especially slow cooked meals when you are yielding a lot of beneficial fatty juices. These slow cooked fatty deposits and even sometimes bone marrow (if slow cooking bone in meat), are so beneficial for you. It’s also a great alternative and money saver to store bought broth.
I store the drippings in a large wide mouth mason jar and either keep it in the fridge to use that week or store it in the freezer to use at a later time. As long as the fat layer on top remains in tact, in can stay fresh for a long while in the fridge (even a few weeks, just do a smell test before using if its been that long). It will stay good in the freezer for well up to a year or longer!
Dutch Oven
Dutch ovens are heavy-duty pots with a lid that are typically made out of cast iron and sometimes coated in enamel.
They are GREAT for so many things but my favorite is their ability to brown meat before a simmer or braise, keeping all of the flavor in one pot.
The reason Dutch Ovens are superior to other pots:
Their ability to maintain temperature, allowing for an even, more efficient cook.
They have a tight-fitting lid that helps trap moisture within so everything stays nice and moist.
Being made out of cast iron/enamel for the pot AND the lid, you can place the whole thing in the oven or grill to finish cooking. Most pots you can only use the lid on the stovetop!
If it's only cast iron, you get the additional nutritional benefit of much needed iron to your diet!
They are amazing quality and will last a LONG, LONG time.
I totally understand if you would rather put this roast in a crockpot and let is slow cook all day while you’re at work. I personally don’t like the flavor from a crockpot as much as a dutch oven. However, I will write a quick description at the end of the “Steps” section for anyone wanting to use a slow cooker!
Follow any of the links to view a list of all of the foods or kitchen items that I recommend. It will provide an Amazon link to purchase if you wish.
As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.Equipment:
Dutch oven or Large pot & slow cooker
Ingredients:
3-4lb Chuck Roast
3 cups of broth
(want to make your own broth? Click here!)
or
2 cups of beef drippings & 1 cup of water
1 small onion sliced thin & long (optional)
3-4 garlic cloves (optional)
Rosemary and Thyme Sprigs (optional)
2 Tbsp Salt
If you tolerate onion powder and garlic powder, these are great additions too!
Steps:
Remove fully thawed roast from fridge and season with salt (and any other desired seasonings that you prefer). Allow to sit at room temp for 30-60 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 300°F.
Place your dutch oven on your large stovetop burner on med/high.
Add 1/4 stick of butter to your dutch oven and melt.
Sear each side of your roast for 1 minute until golden brown all the way around (should not take more than 5 minutes). I typically count 4 sides.
If you would like to use onion and garlic…remove the roast and place on a plate temporarily.
Add onion and garlic and cook in the dutch oven until translucent, adding more butter if necessary. Scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get all of the meat flavors!
Place your roast back in the dutch oven.
Pour your liquids over the roast. Turn off the burner.
Cover the roast and place in your pre-heated oven and cook for 4 hours. Check after 2 hours to make sure there is enough liquid left and if you would like to flip the roast over, do so now (I prefer to do this).
If you would like to add vegetables, do this at the 2 hour mark as well, making sure they’re submerged in the liquid around the roast.
You know the roast is done when it pulls apart easily with a fork.
Let rest for 15 minutes and then serve! I like to pour some drippings over the meat once plated.
Save your broth!
For a visual, see my instagram video here!
Crockpot peeps:
If you would prefer to slow cook all day in a slow cooker simply place your seasoned roast in your slow cooker, pour the liquids on top, add veggies to the bottom if you wish, cover, and cook on low for 6-8+ hours or until you’re home. It will definitely be super tender the longer it cooks.
The main difference between the slow cooker and dutch oven is the rich searing flavor of the meat, but you shouldn’t be disappointed either way.
Changes/Substitutions:
I have a Traeger smoker and sometimes I enjoy smoking the roast before adding it to the dutch oven. I pre-heat the smoker to 180°F for 15 minutes. I then add the roast directly to the great and let it smoke for 90 minutes. Once it’s finished smoking you can add the meat to the dutch oven as directed above and finish braising on the smoker in the dutch oven OR in the oven at 300°F, same as above steps.
As we also talked about above, you can use store bought broth, homemade broth, or beef drippings from other recipes. Each one is going to add a different flavor to your dish. Just remember, the fattier and richer the broth, add more water. If you are using store-bought broth, add much less water. Taste testing is the best way to decide!
Vegetables. I don’t add them for my meal prep roast but you certainly can. Some great animal-based friendly vegetables that would go great with this would be squash and zucchini.
Not animal-based? Traditional vegetables are white potatoes, green beans, onion, and carrots. People also add red wine!
Sadie creates naturally sweetened and savory dishes with an animal-based way of eating in mind.
Meal prep is her specialty.
She likes to make traditional recipes that are inclusive to everyones palate and lifestyle, while showcasing natural alternatives.
Learn more in “About me”
Please checkout my instagram account for videos of me making these recipes!
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