Beef Bourguignon Pot Roast for a Slow Sunday

A pot roast suits a day when the oven can do the long part of dinner. Browning the meat and building the sauce take attention at the start; after that, the main task is checking that the braise stays gentle.

Charlie Mitchell's beef bourguignon pot roast in Food & Wine inspired the idea. This independently written home variation uses a small whole chuck roast and a straightforward mushroom-and-carrot sauce.

Ingredients

Serves 4. Allow about 30 minutes to prepare and approximately 2 1/2–3 1/2 hours for braising.

• 900 g boneless beef chuck roast
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 300 ml dry red wine
• 400 ml beef stock, plus more if needed
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 350 g carrots, cut into thick pieces
• 250 g mushrooms, halved or quartered
• 150 g peeled pearl onions or small shallots
• Salt and black pepper
• Mashed potatoes or bread, to serve

Choose a casserole with a lid that fits the meat fairly closely. A very wide pan can need substantially more liquid.

Brown the beef

Heat the oven to 160°C conventional or 140°C fan. Pat the beef dry and season it.

Warm one tablespoon of oil in the casserole over medium-high heat. Brown the beef on its main surfaces, allowing each side to colour before turning. Move it to a plate.

Lower the heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until softened, then add the garlic and tomato puree. Stir for a minute without letting the puree burn.

Build a gentle braise

Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits. Simmer for a few minutes, then add the stock, bay, and thyme.

Return the beef and any juices. The liquid should reach roughly halfway up the meat; adjust with a little extra stock if necessary.

Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and move to the oven. Begin checking after two hours. Turn the beef once during cooking and make sure the pan has not become dry.

Add the carrots and pearl onions for roughly the final 45–60 minutes. Continue cooking until a fork enters the beef easily and the meat separates with gentle pressure. Tenderness, rather than an exact elapsed time, decides when it is ready.

Finish the mushrooms and sauce

Brown the mushrooms in the remaining oil in a separate frying pan. Add them to the casserole near the end.

Transfer the beef to a warm dish. Remove the herbs. If the sauce needs thickening, simmer it uncovered on the stovetop; if it is already concentrated, leave it alone. Taste before adding salt.

Slice or pull the beef into large pieces and return it to the sauce.

Serve and store

Serve with mashed potatoes or Rosemary Focaccia to catch the sauce.

Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within two hours and use within three to four days. Reheat to 74°C throughout, following USDA leftover guidance.

Recipe note: this variation has not been kitchen-tested by Pixeld Food. Cover: AI-generated serving illustration.