Growing up, I have some of the fondest memories of my life sitting around the dinner table with family at my grandmother's house in East Ridge, where we would occasionally be treated to her world-famous pot roast, always rump, served on a bed of carrots. We ate this dish no matter the season, and it always felt like home.
Over time, the sacred recipe was handed down to my mother, and she began making the signature dish in a crock pot for me and my brother when we were children. While the core elements were the same, she decided to add her own spin on it, incorporating canned Del Monte carrots and a bouillon cube for more flavor.
Eventually, the recipe was handed down to me, and after years of experimenting with it, I decided to switch from using rump roast to chuck roast during my college years, when I realized that I needed to cook to survive and that not every meal could be a burrito.
Some may call the switch from rump to chuck roast sacrilege as it diverts from the original recipe, and to those folks I would say you may have a point, but nonetheless it was time for me to incorporate my own flare into the dish. I also added in red potatoes, cut in fours, and some bone broth for more flavor.
What I discovered and began experimenting with was pan-searing the chuck roast prior to slow cooking it in the crockpot with extra virgin olive oil, unsalted butter, garlic, and rosemary, giving even more flavor and making all the difference in the final product when the tender meat effortlessly falls apart with the touch of a fork.
Without further ado, here are the ingredients for the perfect summer pot roast recipe, generations in the making:
- 1 (3–4 pound) chuck roast
- 2–3 cups beef stock or beef broth
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Liberally sprinkle salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large white onion, cut into large wedges
- 4–5 whole long carrots, peeled, cut into fours.
- 4–5 celery stalks, cut into 2–3 inch pieces
- 2 pounds red potatoes, diced into large chunks
Below are the instructions for making the pot roast once you have the ingredients:
Pat the chuck roast dry and liberally season all sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then pan sear the roast for 3–4 minutes per side until a deep golden-brown crust forms.
Place your chopped onions, celery, carrots, and diced red potatoes in the bottom of a roasting pan or crock pot, then set the seared chuck roast on top of the vegetables. Now it’s time to pour the beef stock or beef broth around the roast. Cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil, and cook at 350°F for 5–6 hours, or until the chuck roast is fork-tender and easily pulls apart.
Let the roast rest for about 30 minutes before shredding or slicing. Serve with the vegetables and spoon those yummy cooking juices over the entire plate. Voilà, and hooray, you have made yourself a savory pot roast in the dead of summer. Grab some family or friends, gather around the table, and be prepared to save some room for leftovers.
While the recipe may have changed throughout the years, what hasn’t changed is the nostalgia and meaning it carries for me and my family. While I can no longer visit my grandmother or sit at our family table on Claremont Avenue, I can make her pot roast and sift through all the good memories. Sometimes, a great recipe can mean more than just great food; it can carry a legacy with it, a generational one that both touches your heart and feeds your soul.