One is the bottom chuck, also known as a California roast or under-blade roast.
Image Credit: bhofack2/iStock/GettyImages The chuck, or beef shoulder, contains a large number of small muscles running in several different directions — and they’re known by a variety of names in different parts of the country. For example, two different roasts are sold as inside-blade roasts, depending on your butcher’s preferences.
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One is the bottom chuck, also known as a California roast or under-blade roast. The other is the chuck eye, sometimes called a boneless chuck roll. Both versions of inside-blade roast make good pot roast, and one of the best ways to cook a boneless blade roast is in your oven or slow cooker.
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Read more: How to Cook a Tender Steak on the Stove
Prepare for Braising
Step 1: Trim the Fat
Trim most of the surface fat from your roast, leaving only 1/8 inch to hold the meat together after it’s cooked. Skip this step if your roast is rolled and tied.
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Step 2: Brown All Sides
Sear the roast in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven until it’s well browned on all sides. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then set it aside on a clean plate.
Step 3: Add Some Veggies
Add coarsely chopped onions, carrots and celery to the pan and stir them for five to seven minutes, until they’re beginning to brown. Lift out the vegetables with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a bowl.
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Step 4: Deglaze the Pan
Pour off any excess fat from the pan and return it to the heat. Deglaze the pan by pouring in 1/2 cup of broth, water or red wine, then stirring the pan vigorously to dissolve all the browned-on juices from searing the meat.
Cook Beef Roast in Oven
Step 1: Layer Pot Roast on Veggies
Use a Dutch oven for your oven baked chuck roast recipe.
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Remove your Dutch oven from the heat after deglazing it and return the browned vegetables to the pan. Arrange them to make a pad for the beef, then place the pot roast on top of the vegetables.
Step 2: Add Your Liquid
Add enough extra cooking liquid, such as broth, water or wine, to immerse the bottom 1/3 to 1/2 of the roast. Add any flavoring ingredients you wish, such as bay leaves, peppercorns or garlic cloves.
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Step 3: Place in Oven
Cover the Dutch oven with its lid and slide it into the middle of an oven preheated to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 4: Simmer and Remove
Simmer the pot roast for three to four hours, turning it once or twice, until the beef is tender enough to easily insert a fork and twist away a tender morsel.
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Cook your beef until the internal temperature reaches at least 145 F — the minimum temperature for safe beef consumption, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
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Remove the pot roast from the Dutch oven and transfer it to a serving platter.
Let it rest under a loose covering of foil while you prepare the sauce.
Blade Roast in Slow Cooker
Step 1: Assemble Your Ingredients
Arrange the browned vegetables in the bottom of your slow cooker to make a cushion for the roast. According to the University of Minnesota Extension, vegetables take the longest to cook and need to be at the bottom or sides of your slow cooker.
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Place the beef on top of them and pour in the juices from the Dutch oven or skillet.
Step 2: Add Broth or Wine
Pour in enough additional broth or wine to come halfway up the sides of the pot roast. Add flavorings such as bay leaf or garlic as desired.
Step 3: Simmer Your Roast
Replace the lid on your slow cooker and plug it in. Simmer the pot roast for three to four hours on high or six to eight hours on low.
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Resist the urge to repeatedly lift the lid to "check on" your meat. According to PennState Extension, each time the lid is removed from a slow cooker, 15 to 20 minutes of cooking time is lost.
Step 4: Remove and Serve
Remove the beef carefully to a serving tray. It might fall apart under its own weight, so it’s helpful to hold the tray right next to the slow cooker. Read more: 10 Steak Recipes That Any Carnivore Will Love
Things You'll Need
Coarsely chopped onions, celery and carrots Cooking liquids such as water, broth or wine Salt and pepper Fork Serving tray Saucepan
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references
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "Complete List of Cooking Temperatures"
University of Minnesota Extension: "Slow Cookers and Food Safety"
PennState Extension: "The Benefits of Slow Cooker Meals"
references
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "Complete List of Cooking Temperatures"
University of Minnesota Extension: "Slow Cookers and Food Safety"
PennState Extension: "The Benefits of Slow Cooker Meals"
One is the bottom chuck, also known as a California roast or under-blade roast.
Image Credit: bhofack2/iStock/GettyImages
Image Credit: bhofack2/iStock/GettyImages
Coarsely chopped onions, celery and carrots
Cooking liquids such as water, broth or wine
Salt and pepper
Fork
Serving tray
Saucepan
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "Complete List of Cooking Temperatures" University of Minnesota Extension: "Slow Cookers and Food Safety" PennState Extension: "The Benefits of Slow Cooker Meals"
