Pot Roast with Onion Gravy
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Last updated
- Prep
- 20 min
- Bath
- 36 hours
- Total
- 36 hr 35 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
Main Coursebeefpot-roastgravy
Ingredients
- 1 plain boneless chuck roast, about 2 lb, fitting the guide’s whole-roast size limits
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef stock
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- Prepared mashed potatoes and cooked carrots, for serving
Method
Prepare
- Keep the chuck in its natural shape, unrolled and untied. Measure the whole roast and verify the starting conditions in the method below.
- Season with salt and pepper and seal the roast by itself. Keep the gravy ingredients and vegetables outside the bag.
Cook
- Set the water bath to 150°F.
- For Carvable, use one plain boneless chuck roast, about 2 pounds, whose whole natural shape fits within 2 3/4 × 4 1/8 × 6 7/8 inches, measured from shortest to longest. Bone-in, rolled, and tied roasts are excluded; measure the roast even when its weight is within range. Use plain, fully thawed meat without injection, mechanical tenderizing, added solution, brining, curing, or marinade. Season with salt and pepper only. Keep sauces, wine, lemon, fats, and other finishing ingredients outside the pouch. Verify a 41°F starting temperature and the selected bath setting with a thermometer. Seal each piece separately in its natural shape, without folding, rolling, tying, or overlap. Fully submerge the sealed bags in a verified, preheated circulating bath with water space around every bag. Start timing at immersion and complete the full listed time without interruption. The listed duration is the complete bath time, including heating; do not shorten it to a center-temperature reading or add another heating interval. Cover the bath and monitor the water level so every pouch stays submerged throughout the long cook. The long cook also softens connective tissue; a shorter heating-table time is not a tenderness schedule. Use clean utensils and discard all pouch liquid. Keep cooked food away from raw food, used bags, and utensils used for raw food. Pat dry and brown the whole roast briefly. Carve across the grain and serve immediately with separately prepared gravy and vegetables. These methods cover immediate service only, not frozen starts, chilling, storage, reheating, or holding. Colder or unknown starts, larger roasts, other beef cuts, ground meat, and stuffed roasts need another method.
- Cook for 36 hours for up to 2 3/4 inches thick; the whole piece must fit within 2 3/4 × 4 1/8 × 6 7/8 inches, measured from shortest to longest.
- Near serving time, soften and brown the onion in 1 tablespoon of oil. Stir in the flour, then gradually whisk in the beef stock. Add Dijon, Worcestershire, and thyme and simmer until the gravy coats a spoon.
- Prepare the potatoes and carrots separately so they are ready with the roast.
Finish
- After the complete cook, discard the pouch liquid and pat the roast dry. Brown its broad sides and edges briefly in a hot skillet with the remaining oil.
- Taste the hot gravy and adjust the seasoning.
Serve
- Carve the completed roast across the grain and serve immediately with the gravy, mashed potatoes, and carrots.
Want another texture or thickness?
The complete guide has all reviewed settings, safety context, and finishing options.