A hearty and comforting stew of beef, potatoes, mushrooms and carrots, Alton Brown's overnight pot roast recipe is even better as leftovers.

Course: Mains

Keyword: Beef, Comfort Food, Entertaining, Make-Ahead, Meats, Winter

The Final Pot Roast

Name: The Final Pot Roast
Prep time: 65 min
Total time: 410 min
Ingredients: 3 1/2 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into 3 to 4 pieces and any large pieces of fat removed; 7 teaspoons kosher salt, divided; 2 tablespoons ghee, divided; 8 ounces button mushrooms, washed and halved if large, divided; 15 ounces carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks, divided; 1 (14-ounce) bag frozen pearl onions, divided; 6 cloves garlic, sliced; 1 1/2 teaspoons herbs de Provence; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup low-sodium tomato juice; 1/3 cup red wine vinegar; 15 ounces baby red potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

The final pot roast with potatoes and carrots in a Dutch oven.

ACTIVE TIME: 1 5

TOTAL TIME: 6 50

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

One of the big complaints about my pot roast 1.0 is that because it includes things like raisins and olives, it isn’t really pot roast.

What I've learned since then is that pot roast shouldn’t taste like meat...it should taste like pot roast. This one does and maybe better than most, if I don’t say so myself, especially with a range of doneness on the veggies and plenty of gelatin and additional Maillard flavors generated due to the overnight rest.

Could you simply serve it right away instead of waiting for the next day? Certainly. And most of you will. But later, when you reheat the leftovers, you’ll notice how much better they are than on the first day and you’ll be sad.

The pot has rightfully returned to the roast and tradition, backed by sound food science, has been restored. Best of all, I can finally put this entire nasty pot roast business behind me.

This recipe first appeared on Season 2 of Good Eats: Reloaded.

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3 1/2 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into 3 to 4 pieces and any large pieces of fat removed
7 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
2 tablespoons ghee, divided
8 ounces button mushrooms, washed and halved if large, divided
15 ounces carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks, divided
1 (14-ounce) bag frozen pearl onions, divided
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons herbs de Provence
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup low-sodium tomato juice
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
15 ounces baby red potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

Specialized Hardware

Digital kitchen scale

Cast-iron Dutch oven

Fat separator

ACTIVE TIME: 1 5

TOTAL TIME: 6 50

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Procedure

Heat the oven to 250°F.
Park a large Dutch oven over high heat for 2 minutes.
While the pot is heating, rub the meat with 2 tablespoons of the salt. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee to the pot, then add the meat and sear on all sides until deeply browned — 2 to 3 minutes per side. Whatever you do, do not crowd the pan or the meat will boil rather than brown. If necessary, work in batches. As the meat is browned, move to a platter.
Kill the heat and allow the pot to cool for 2 minutes, then add the remaining tablespoon of ghee and return to medium heat. Add half the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Follow with half the carrots and half the onions along with all of the garlic, herbs de Provence, pepper, and remaining salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is aromatic — 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the tomato juice and vinegar, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Cook, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, until the liquid has reduced by half — 3 to 5 minutes. Then return the meat to the pot and nestle it down into the vegetables. Cover, transfer the pot to the oven, and cook for 2 hours.
Carefully remove the pot from the oven and add the remaining mushrooms, carrots, and onions, along with all the potatoes. Cover and return to the oven until the vegetables are cooked through and the meat is fork-tender — 2 to 3 hours.
When the meat and vegetables are done, use a slotted spoon or spider to remove the hunks and chunks to a bowl. Filter the liquid through a sieve or into a fat separator, if desired. Return the filtered and defatted liquid to the Dutch oven and simmer over medium heat until the sauce reduces by one quarter — about 5 minutes. Kill the heat and return the meat and vegetables to the pot. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate overnight
When ready to serve, place the covered pot back in the oven then turn the oven to 350°F, allowing the roast to heat with the oven. In 45 minutes, the meat should be hot and the sauce bubbling. Serve directly from the pot to a grateful world.