Amazing Pot Roast with Balsamic and Dijon (Chuck Roast)

This pot roast recipe uses a chuck roast, then adds balsamic and Dijon for an amazing flavor twist. Make it in the oven, your slow cooker or the Instant Pot!

Chuck roast is one of life’s pleasures that we get in exchange for having to say goodbye to summer.

It’s what makes winter worth every shovel of snow.

What kind of meat is chuck roast?

A chuck roast is used to make pot roast and chuck is the type of cut. Chuck is used because it’s rather tough having come from the shoulder and neck area, which means it needs a long, slow cooking time in order to make it fall apart tender. It’s also fairly cheap which means you can buy a good bottle of red to go along with it. Winning!

How to cook a pot roast

First, you’ll sauté chopped onion. Then you’ll add some balsamic vinegar, reducing it down until it’s thick and adding a few tablespoons of Dijon for rich flavor. I used a boneless chuck roast for this recipe but bone-in will do the job just as well. In fact, the bone will contribute to its flavor. You can braise it in the oven, use a crockpot or an Instant Pot.

For the pot roast vegetables, I like to use carrots with their tops. I leave just a smidge of a stem before adding them to the pot; they make an otherwise ugly pot roast something pretty to look at and serve. I recommend using the teeniest, tiniest potatoes you can find. They not only cook quickly but you can leave them whole and they, too, help make a pretty pot roast.

And, really, who doesn’t need a pretty pot roast in their life?

You can also use baby carrots or new potatoes that have been cut in half or quartered, depending on their size. Or make mashed potatoes and serve the roast on the top with gravy drizzled all over it. It is so good and makes the ultimate comfort food!

If I haven’t convinced you to make your own fabulous pot roast at home (yet), then what if I told you that this is a recipe for which you really have no need to measure?

I typically shoot for a roast around 4 pounds because that’s enough for significant leftovers (and pot roast only gets better with time and I’m sure I don’t even need to mention the Pot Roast Sandwich as further evidence). Then I’ll just throw in however many potatoes and carrots I’m in the mood for. Which, just so you know, is normally a lot.

How long to cook a chuck roast?

You’ll need a large dutch oven and a few hours of cooking time. My preferred method is braising in the oven, but you can also slow-cook it in a crockpot. If you prefer the Instant Pot, it will significantly cut down on cooking time. This recipe is so beloved that it was the first recipe I put in my cookbook, Weeknight Cooking with your Instant Pot.

How to make chuck roast in an Instant Pot

To make this chuck roast recipe in the Instant Pot, you’ll want to use the sauté function to sear the roast, cook the onions and reduce the balsamic vinegar. Add the beef stock and take care to get all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot (that’s especially important to do in an Instant Pot to ensure it comes to pressure). You’ll follow the directions in the recipe below, setting the time on the Instant Pot to 50 minutes on high pressure. Do a natural release and your pot roast will be perfect!

How to make pot roast in a slow cooker

For the slow cooker, you’ll follow the directions in the recipe below through step 3. Then transfer the ingredients to the slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on low, adding the potatoes and carrots halfway through the cooking time.

Whichever method you choose to cook it, I’m confident this will become your new favorite pot roast recipe!

Make Ahead Pot Roast

Pot roast is a great dish to be made the day before. Simply preheat the oven to 350°F and reheat the entire pot roast for 20-30 minutes or until heated through. You can also use a slow cooker for about 2-4 hours, depending on the size of the pot roast being reheated.

For all you roast lovers who love venison and their Instant Pot, here’s a delicious recipe for Instant Pot Venison Roast.

Continue to Content

Chuck Roast with Balsamic and Dijon

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes

This unique balsamic pot roast can be braised in the oven, Crock pot or Instant Pot. Perfect for a Sunday Pot Roast or weeknight dinner.

Print

Ingredients

• 2-3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 4 pounds Chuck Roast
• 1 medium to large yellow onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2-3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 2 bunches small carrots, with tops (cut off tops leaving a small stub)
• 1 pound very small baby potatoes, white or red
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300F.
2. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over high heat. Season chuck roast well with salt and pepper, add to pan and brown well on all sides (a few minutes a side). Remove roast and set aside.
3. Add chopped onion to drippings in pot and reduce heat to medium. Saute onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, increase heat to medium-high and boil until reduced and slightly syrupy, about 4-5 more minutes. Stir in Dijon.
4. Set roast on top of onions in pot. Pour in 2 cups beef broth and add thyme sprigs. Cover and place in oven for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or until very tender.
5. Add carrots and potatoes to pot and return to oven. Continue cooking until carrots and potatoes are tender, 30-60 minutes more. Season well then serve and enjoy!

Notes

If making in a crockpot, follow directions through step 3 then add to crockpot. Cook 8 hours on low and add the carrots and potatoes halfway through. For the Instant Pot, cook on high 50 minutes, QPR.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 630Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 188mgSodium: 501mgCarbohydrates: 17gNet Carbohydrates: 15gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 59g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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