Chuck Roast: The Fall-Apart Tender Beef Cut of Dreams

Chuck roast, also known as chuck eye roast, beef pot roast, and chuck roll roast, is the beef cut of choice for a succulent pot roast. The ultimate comfort food dish of tender melt-in-your-mouth slow-cooked beef, it is best when it's surrounded by buttery carrots, potatoes and onions, and cooked immersed in a rich beef gravy. 

What is chuck roast?

Chuck roast is the classic choice of beef cut for pot roasts as it yields lots of flavour and texture when slow-cooked. It's also an inexpensive cut of meat, which makes it an economical choice when feeding a crowd.

Chuck roast is cut from the shoulder and neck region of the cow. At the butcher, you could ask for chuck roast, shoulder steak, boneless chuck roast, or chuck shoulder pot roast, which all point to the same thing.

Ingredients for making a pot roast

The ingredients for making a pot roast with a chuck roast are very simple, and usually as follows, although you can vary the recipe according to taste and preference.

• Beef chuck roast
• Salt and pepper
• Beef stock or broth
• Red wine 
• Onions
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Dried bay leaves
• Thyme
• Tomato paste

How to cook a pot roast?

Braising is the best way to tenderise a chuck roast because it breaks down the meat's fat into tender, juicy pieces while also creating a tasty broth.

Discover all the different ways of making a pot roast in the video recipes below, from sous vide to classic hearty home-cooked recipes.

How long to cook a chuck roast?

Depending on your cooking technique, whether in a slow cooker or the oven, cooking a chuck roast can take anything from a few hours to a couple of days to cook to perfection.

How to serve a pot roast

Once the roast is supple and tender, you can shred or chop the roast and return it to the pot.

Pot roasts are best served with mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles or crispy bread.

Chuck Roast Recipes

Basic pot roast

Babish shows how to make two different kinds of pot roast, a roast that he says is as "American as apple pie," as well as offering up a modern take on the classic French pot roast, pot-au-feu.

ChefSteps sous vide beef chuck recipe

The team at ChefSteps say 'chuck rules', so much so that they convinced us it's better than prime rib.

In the video recipe below they work their sous vide magic on a chuck roast. After trussing the chuck, they sear the meat for 6-10 minutes until golden brown, add in some oil and crushed garlic before some 18 hour sous-vide action, which tenderises the meat before finishing off in the oven with a tasty crust.

Slow-cooker pot roast recipe

If you're all about the simple slow-cooker one-pot stop, this recipe's for you. Simply heat some oil in a skillet then add your chuck roast. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sear on all sides until brown to deepen the flavour of the beef. Then transfer the roast to a slow cooker, add onion soup mix and a cup of beef broth or wine, carrot pieces, an onion, potatoes and celery. Cook on a low setting for 8 - 10 hours and sit down to some hearty home cooked food.

Martha Stewart's braised pot roast

Martha Stewart grew up in a family of eight, where a pot roast was not only a family favourite but a great money-saving dish. In the clip below she shows how easy it is to master the perfect fall-apart roast of her childhood.

Pot Roast with Tomatoes and Red Wine

Ina Garten is always a trusted source of comfort home cooking advice. Here she is hard at work cooking her pot roast in her trusted dutch oven with an additional splash of cognac and a tin of tomatoes.