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When you’re looking for something cozy and hearty, this beer braised pot roast fits your bill. The tender, fall apart beef is the star of the show, along with veggies and a flavorful au jus. This is the epitome of a fancy date night in so grab your partner, find a movie or board game, and let’s get cozy!
Cozy, Unlocked: Beer Braised Pot Roast
There’s something about this beer braised pot roast that makes me want to just grab my plaid scarf, furry boots, a giant bowl and cozy up by the fire. Whenever I think of this beer braised pot roast, it’s usually in the cooler months because that’s when majority of us are craving something hearty and dense to keep us warm. Of course, this can be made year-round, but something about the low and slow simmering of this pot roast in the oven just evokes such a cozy, wintery feel.
I love everything about this dish but the highlights for me are the tender, fall apart beef. Just taking a fork to it after it has been braising, it literally falls right apart with a slight touch. The veggies get all soft and sweet, and the au jus has a deep, rich flavor from slowly cooking and melding with all the ingredients in the pot 2 hours.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- Take the extra step to pre-bake the beef. It makes sure the seasonings adhere to it and gives a slight browned crust on it.
- Using a different cut of beef. You may use boneless short ribs or boneless chuck roast — whichever is easiest to find and has great marbling. I had a giant chuck roast in my freezer that I had to use up so I just cubed it and used it. I would suggest keep it to chuck roast or short ribs as they get super tender and flavorful.
- If you cannot have alcohol, that’s okay! Alcohol is obviously a big part of this recipe and we’re so lucky to have Atlas Brewing for your non-alcoholic beer needs.
- A more malty type beer is probably your best option. Or a porter. A stout would probably be okay but it might be too bitter. Definitely not an IPA or anything hoppy.
methods this beer braised pot roast can be made
- Slow cooker: follow all the instructions through step 5 and cook on low 7-8 hours.
- Instant Pot: follow all the instructions through step 5 and cook on manual, high pressure for 35 minutes. Do a quick release.
- Stovetop: follow all the instructions through step 5 and cook covered on a low simmer for 2 hours.
Serving Suggestions
We love to ladle this pot roast over a generous helping of my creamy garlic mashed potatoes with a side of cornbread or honey butter rolls.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Refrigerator: allow leftovers to cool then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, place pot roast into pot and warm through on the stovetop.
Freezer: allow leftovers to cool then store in 2 cup freezer-safe trays for up to 4 months. To reheat, add to a pot on the stovetop and reheat until defrosted and warmed through.
Beer Braised Pot Roast
Equipment
Ingredients
For the spice mixture:
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
For the rest of the dish:
- 2 ¼ pounds (1020 g) boneless chuck roast, cubed into 1 ½-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 stalks celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 handfuls baby carrots, sliced lengthwise
- 1 cup (237 ml) beef stock
- 12 ounce (340 ml) bottle brown ale or porter
- 15 ounce (425 g) can of diced tomatoes, with juices
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 °F (218 °C). Place a wire rack on top of a foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together spice mixture. Sprinkle spice mixture on beef and coat on all six sides and gently pressing the mixture onto the beef.
- Place the seasoned beef onto the wire rack. Bake for 15 minutes then remove from oven. Turn oven temperature down to 350 °F (177 °C).
- While the beef is in the oven, heat the olive oil in a large cast iron dutch oven or braiser on medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, add onion, celery, and garlic.
- Cook until just softened and then add the carrots. Remove from heat.
- Pour the beef stock, ale, and diced tomatoes into the pot then stir to combine. Add in the bay leaves.
- Nestle the beef in the stew then cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours. With the last 30 minutes of cooking, you can opt to remove the lid to let the beef brown a bit.
- Once done cooking, let sit for 15 minutes and then serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Photographs by Jess Gaertner Creative
Excellent stew
I just made this — very easy and really delish. I added some potatoes, per my boyfriend’s request and it was a nice addition. Highly recommend trying this!
Hi Julie! This looks amazing and I will be making it tomorrow. Am I able to brown the meat in my Dutch oven, or does it need to be in the oven on the wire rack?
it’s preferable to do it on the wire rack but you can do it in the dutch oven for less of a cleanup!
I have been doing A LOT of pressure cooking recently so I was excited to find this recipe and how you encourage cooking it the old fashioned way. Honestly, it’s totally worth it! The house smells amazing ! This recipe was really cozy AF and the broth is just so rich. I will totally make this again.
Ahh, thank you!! I’m so glad you made it the old-fashioned way and enjoyed it!
this looks pretty darn perfect!!! It’s on the menu for next week! Thanks Julie <3
Enjoy!
Not sure what “AF” is an abreviation for. Is it the same as a NA beverage?
No, it’s not. It stands for “as f*ck” – it’s what people say these days, “cozy AF.” They add ‘AF’ at the end of something to describe something super good or fun. At least that’s how I interpret it.
How many cans of diced tomatoes?
A 14-15 ounce can of diced tomatoes is usually 1 can.
I made this yesterday and I loved it! The meat was so tender and the stew had such a wonderfully rich flavor. It tasted even better the next day! Thanks for the great recipe!
So great to hear!!
Julie– What size dutch oven did you use? I have a Lodge 6 qt dutch oven, is that big enough? Will try this recipe this week!
Yes, that will be plenty big! :) Mine it 6 quart too but my braiser (pictured) I think is slightly smaller so your 6 quart will definitely be perfect.
*shifty eyes* get in mah belly!
:) :)