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Alton's Herbs de Provence Pot Roast

The recipe for Alton Brown's Final Pot Roast from Good Eats Reloaded, re-written in this blogger's own words. This recipe includes Herb de Provence and pearl onions both which really elevate the flavor of the beef.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword Alton Brown
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 15 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Equipment

  • Cast Iron Dutch Oven
  • Gravy Separator

Ingredients

  • 3.5 lbs Boneless chuck roast
  • 2+ tablespoons kosher salt divided
  • 2 tablespoons high heat cooking oil or ghee
  • 8 ounces white button mushrooms cut in half
  • 15 ounces carrots peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 14 ounces pearl onions fresh or frozen
  • 6 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 ½ tsp Herbs de Provence
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup tomato juice low sodium if you can find it
  • cup red wine vinegar
  • 15 ounces baby potatoes

Instructions

  • Begin by preheating your oven to 250 degrees.
  • Place your roast onto a cutting board and cut into 4 pieces. Season all the meat with 2 tablespoons worth of kosher salt.
  • Place a pot over high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil or ghee. Place 2 pieces of meat into the pan. Brown on one side, and then turn to the next side until all 4 sides of each piece are browned. Repeat with the other two pieces then set the meat aside.
  • Add to the pan half of the carrots and half of the mushrooms. Season with kosher salt. Cook for 2 minutes, then add all the garlic, half the pearl onions, black pepper, and Herbs de provence. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until you can smell the garlic.
  • Stir in the tomato juice and vinegar. Scrap the sides and bottom of the pot to get any brown bites stuck to it. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the liquid has reduced in half. Now add in the beef.
  • Put the lid on the pot and carefully place in the oven for 2 hours.
  • Then remove the pot carefully from the oven. Take off the lid and add in the rest of the carrots, pearl onions and mushrooms along with all the potatoes.
  • Return to the oven and cook for another 2-3 hours or until the potatoes are cooked and the meat is fork tender.
  • Strain the meat and veggies out, keeping all the liquid.
  • Pour the liquid in a gravy separator or into a glass measuring cup. Allow to chill until the fat starts to separate. You can place it in the fridge to help it chill faster once the liquid is no longer hot.
  • Now you are going to add the liquid back to the pan. Remove the fat from the top of the measuring cup or pour the liquid out of the gravy separator making sure no fat comes out. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce by 25%. The liquid should be more of a sauce than a soup at this point. Add back in the meat and veggies.
  • Eat right away or refrigerate overnight and then reheat. Leftovers will be better the next day.

Notes

Ingredient Substitution Ideas

Herbs de Provence -> If you don't have any Herbs de Provence, then use whatever dried herbs that you already have on hand such as thyme, oregano, rosemary, or marjoram.
Baby potatoes -> You can pick any small sized potatoes you find in the store. Most grocery stores carry them now in a wide arrange of colors.
Button mushrooms -> These are also called white mushrooms. You could sub in cremini or baby bella mushrooms if you like.
Red wine vinegar -> Use whatever vinegar you have on hand. Red wine would be the best, but rice, apple cider, or white wine would work as well. You could try balsamic, it will bring a stronger flavor to the final dish, so that's up to you.
Tomato juice -> If you find yourself out of tomato juice but have tomato paste, you could thin out the paste to make a juice.