A beef pot roast is a fantastic way to use one of the more economical beef cuts like topside, bolar, chuck or brisket, and especially one of our rolled beef roasts which are cut from the forequarter and benefit from this long, slow cook in liquid.
You’ll end up with deliciously tender beef and vegetables in a rich sauce/gravy. These can be cooked in the oven or a slow cooker and we’ve given you some notes below.
For 1 to 1.5kg piece of beef
Oven pot roast
Pro tip – if you’re using a piece of topside, bolar or chuck beef, tie it with chef’s string at intervals to keep the meat straight when cooking.
- Heat oven to 160°C. Rub the meat with 1 T of olive oil and plenty of seasoning. Heat a large flameproof casserole dish and brown the meat all over for about 10 min.
- Pour in 500-600 ml of beef stock and tuck around it 3-4 chunky chopped carrots and celery, and 2 bay leaves, trying not to submerge the carrots too much. Sprigs of fresh rosemary and/or thyme are nice. Garlic and onions are also popular additions.
- Cover and cook in the oven for 1.5 to 2 hrs, turning the beef halfway through cooking if you want. A rolled beef roast from the forequarter needs another 2 to 2.5 hrs for pull-apart tenderness.
- When the beef is ready, it will be tender and easy to pull apart at the edges. Remove it from the casserole and snip off the strings, leaving it to rest, covered in foil for 15 min.
- Thicken the cooking liquid by mixing 1-2 T gravy powder with a dash of water, stir into the cooking juices and simmer over a low heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Carve the beef into thin slices to serve with the gravy and vegetables.
Extra: Mustard topping
Mix together 1/4 C Dijon mustard or Rum and Que mustard sauce with 3 finely chopped garlic cloves and spread over the beef before you add the stock around it. No need to turn over during cooking.
Slow cooker pot roast
- Dust your beef with 2 T plain flour and season well with salt and pepper.
- Put 3 chopped carrots, 3 chopped celery sticks, 2 chopped parsnips, 1 chopped onion and 80g button mushrooms in the bottom of your slow cooker and turn it to low.
- Sear the beef all over in the hot pan then place it on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker.
- Add the 2 bay leaves, 2 crushed garlic cloves and 2 tsp English mustard then pour over 500ml red wine and 250ml beef stock. Cover with the lid and cook for 7 hours.
- Heat oven to 200 deg C or 180 deg fan bake. Carefully take the beef out of the slow cooker and place it on a baking tray then roast it in the oven for 20 mins.
- While the beef is in the oven, carefully ladle the cooking liquid out of the slow cooker into a shallow pan. Boil rapidly on a high heat to reduce to a rich gravy.
- Serve the beef sliced with roast potatoes, the softened vegetables, gravy and your favourite green veg.
To buy any of these great cuts of beef to make a pot roast, visit The Butcher’s Block and Smokehouse at 33 Reece Crecent, Wanaka Monday to Saturday or order online for home delivery or click and collect orders.
