Melt in Your Mouth Perfect Oven Pot Roast (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook meat so it melts in your mouth? ›

When roasted, the collagen and connective tissue present in meat will start to break down. It will melt more thoroughly if slow-roasted, and if you add liquid, it will break down even more quickly as it's water soluble.

Low and Slow is the Way to Go

Whether you cook your pot roast using a stovetop, oven, slow cooker, or pressure cooker method, you'll always get the most tender and flavorful results if you use low temperatures over a long period of time.

Next, place the roast in a baking dish with aromatics, such as garlic, onion, celery and carrots. Also, include herbs, stock or water. "If you cook the roast at 250 degrees, it will take about 40 to 45 minutes per pound.

Don't be in a rush: For the best results, chuck roast should be roasted on low heat (we recommend 300-325 degrees). Yes, this takes longer than it would if you cooked it on, say, 450 degrees, but it also yields a more tender texture and prevents the meat from drying out. Trust us, it's worth it.

Cover tightly with foil and roast for 30 minutes at 425 degrees F. Turn roast over, re-cover with foil and TURN OVEN DOWN to 300 degrees F. Continue to roast for an additional 4-5 hours at 300 degrees F. Roast is ready when it is fall apart tender.

It's delicious both ways. If you want to give your crock-pot a whirl, here's a slow cooker pot roast recipe for you. But pot roast is plenty easy to make in the oven! You do all the browning and roasting all in the same pot and it requires less time than in a slow cooker roast.

A surefire way to make a tender, juicy pot roast is through braising; that is, cooking the meat in a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pot at low temperature.

You'll notice our chart selects low to moderate heat, in the range of 325 or 350 degrees, for larger roasts and higher heat, above 400 degrees, for smaller, tender roasts to produce the best results.

Does roast get more tender the longer you cook it? ›

Contrary to an already lean and tender piece of meat, which needs a shorter cooking time and dry, high heat, a chuck roast needs to cook for several hours in moist heat. In other words, low & slow to break down fat and tenderize the meat for that fall-apart doneness a good pot roast is known for.

We recommend a temperature of 195-200 °F / 90-93 °C for a tender and juicy roast. Serve: Remove the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs. Blend some of the celery, carrots and onion with some of the juices until you have a smooth puree. Spoon some of the puree sauce on each serving plate and top with the roast.

When cooking a roast in the oven, keep it uncovered until roasted to the desired doneness. After removing from the oven, tent with foil and let stand 15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute, preventing them from draining out during carving—and preventing dry, disappointing meat.

Slow cookers generally operate between 190°F (on the low setting) and 300°F (on the high setting). In comparison, when using an oven as a slow cooker, you'll typically set the temperature between 325°F (similar to the low setting) and 375°F (resembling the high setting).

When we cook tender meat it is imperative to cook the meat in a way that will liquefy the connective tissue, called collagen. Slow cooking can turn even the most economical cuts of meat into a melt-in-your-mouth treat.

Cooking Instructions

Heat grill on high for 15 minutes (mean while drain steaks). Drain steaks on brown bag for at least 5 minutes. Reduce heat to med-high on grill and place steaks two inches apart, cooking 4 minutes on each side for medium rare. DO NOT MOVE STEAKS WHILE COOKING.

Chuck roast is the way to go. Chuck roast has the right type of marbling that melts down and becomes incredibly juicy and tender in the longer cooking process. Bonus—it is a fairly inexpensive cut of meat.