Savory Grass Fed Pot Roast – Easy, Flavorful Recipe for Grass Fed Pot Roast with Turmeric, Onions, Garlic & Spices
As a Southern California resident, lately I’ve been wondering if fall will ever arrive—the weather has been so warm and dry, it’s felt like a never-ending summer. This morning, finally, we awoke to the grey drizzly chill that always accompanies my favorite season. Now that the weather is starting to turn, it seems the perfect time to share one of my go-to pot roast recipes. As our family has become more health conscious through the years, I’ve replaced all standard meat with organic grass fed. Grass fed meat is leaner and lower in cholesterol, while organic meat is hormone and antibiotic free, and fed from chemical-free sources. It took some time to figure out the right way to cook grass fed meat; it’s much leaner than standard beef, and because of this it can take quite a while for stews, roasts and briskets to become tender. I’ve learned that the most important key with these types of dishes is patience– low and slow (a low temp and slow, prolonged cooking) will produce a tender, delicious result.
This Savory Grass Fed Pot Roast is my favorite way to prepare an organic, grass fed roast. It contains anti-inflammatory turmeric (my favorite spice at the moment) and a few other Middle Eastern spices to add depth of flavor. I usually throw in green beans as well as the classic potatoes and carrots. It’s a fairly flexible recipe, feel free to throw in the vegetables you have on hand– any sort of large diced or baby potatoes, heirloom carrots, and most other wintry root vegetables will work. You can even add sweet potatoes for a flavor twist.
Of course, you may use a non-grass fed meat if you prefer. It will likely take less time to cook, so check it periodically and remove when fork-tender. I do highly recommend grass fed meat if you can swing it. Enjoy!
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Beauty shots and styling by Bethany Nauert.
Savory Grass Fed Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 5 pounds grass fed beef pot roast
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1/4 cup olive or grapeseed oil
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Generous pinch cayenne
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons potato starch
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cold water
- 3 bay leaves
- 6 whole garlic cloves
- 1 whole onion, sliced
- 12 ounces green beans, trimmed
- 1 pound baby potatoes
- 3 whole large carrots
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Salt the roast with 1 tsp of kosher salt. In a dutch oven or large pot with a lid, heat the oil and brown the roast on all sides.
- Remove meat and drain any excess fat. Add 2 cups beef broth and bring to a simmer. Deglaze and scrape up any brown bits. Whisk in the turmeric, cumin, cayenne, black pepper and remaining 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt.
- Dissolve the potato starch in the cold water. Whisk slowly into the broth. Starch may clump a bit at first, continue whisking until the sauce thickens.
- Add bay leaves and garlic cloves to the liquid, then add meat back to the pot.Cover the meat with onion slices. Cover the pot tightly. Place in the oven and let roast for 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, clean and trim the green beans, scrub the baby potatoes clean and scrub the carrots, then cut them into 1 inch pieces (no need to peel).
- After 2 hours, take out the pot roast and flip over the meat. Add the vegetables around the meat, covering with the sauce as best you can. Cover again and continue to cook for an additional 60-90 minutes or until the meat is fork tender and the vegetables are tender.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
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jacqueline dehan says
dear friend , i love your recipes, and sometimes, we just meet together and the web , i lived 20 years, in the Middle East….exactly in Persia , i am french, and lives now in Florida .so you see, all those flavors , you bring on your facebook page , are more or less, known by me ………………just a pinch more of herbs, or spices …..thank you for all the stories you bring with you , it always very interesting ,
Tori Avey says
How sweet of you to comment Jacqueline, so glad you’re enjoying the posts!
Val says
Hi, thank you for your amazing recipes!
I have a 7.8 lbs beef shoulder roast (grass fed). How long do I need to cook it in the oven? I know it needs probably longer then here 4.5 hrs but I don’t want it to get dry…
Tx 🙂
Tori Avey says
Sorry, I’m not super familiar with the shoulder roast cut, so probably not the best person to advise you. 🙂
Kim says
Wonderful recipe. Thank you. I tried this with a 2 lb. grass fed boneless chuck roast, adjusting the measurements to about 3/4 and the cooking time to 2 hours. The taste was fabulous but the roast was still tough. I noticed the broth was bubbling rather than simmering so wondering if my oven was hotter than 300 and next time I should try 275 or 250. Advice? Thanks.
Tori Avey says
Hi Kim! Yes you might try reducing to 250 next time and extend the cook time to 3 – 3.5 hours. Low and slow should help to make it more tender.
Jim mckeon says
LOve all your recipes! You are my go to cook when I want to try something new. The pot roast was great and a dinner party hit. Haha. It’s just that you mention mustard a few times but it’s not actually in the recipe as far as I could find ?
Tori Avey says
That’s because I took out the mustard after making it several more times… I found it didn’t enhance the flavor as much as I would have liked, removing it yielded a better result. Going to check the post now to remove references, thank you for the heads up… glad you enjoyed!
Jake says
This is a fantastic recipe where all of the ingredients meld together to provide amazing flavor! The other secret is an enameled, cast iron Dutch Oven combined with low temps. Thanks for posting this awesome recipe!
Tori Avey says
Glad to hear you liked it Jake!
Cathy Dolata Diaz says
I made this last night and it was wonderful. I followed directions exactly as written. The only cut of meat I could find was a rump roast. I cut off most of the fat pad and placed that side down in the pot for the first 2 hours. Then I flipped it and cooked for 2 1/4 hours more after adding the vegetables. The remaining fat (now on top) was easily removed. I served it with a big, crusty bread warmed in the oven. My entire family loved it!
Morgan says
I’m excited to try this recipe! But I’m wondering where the mustard comes in? The title and description at the beginning mention mustard, but I don’t see it anywhere in the recipe. Am I just missing it?
Tori Avey says
Hi Morgan, after several months of making this recipe I removed the mustard, I felt the flavor was better without it. I’m always working to improve my recipes 🙂 I will remove it from the description, thanks for the heads up!
Becky Mosgofian says
Such a delicious roast! Great flavor and heat. I omitted green beans and potatoes and served over a small portion of gluten-free gnocchi and a side of steamed broccoli (which we dipped in the broth-gravy). YUM!!!
Katherine (Chava) Reeves says
Tori, you have out done yourself! The pot roast was an enormous hit with my husband and stated it was the best roast he has ever had in his life and he is 69 years old and we are world travelers! I reserved the green beans (haricot verts) as a separate side dish for color. The spices and a good cut of beef make the whole dish! The compliments I received from my husband were so appreciative. I owe them all to you. Thank you!
Tori Avey says
Fabulous Katherine! We love this one, too. So comforting on a cold afternoon!
Abby says
Can this be made on the stove top instead of in the oven?
Tori Avey says
Yes it can. Simmer over medium low heat for 2 hours, then add veggies and finish cooking on a medium low simmer until both meat and vegetables are tender.
Patricia Loewy says
Tori, how many people is this for? I am looking to cook for three adults and three kids who are not big eaters. Will the recipe be enough as is?
Ashley at ToriAvey.com says
Hi Patricia, Tori’s assistant Ashley here! This roast shrinks up quite a bit as it cooks, so I’d say it saves about 4-6 people. I’d go with the 5 lb roast and you should be fine.
Cindy says
I rate this recipe 5 star. I used vegetable bouillon instead of beef and fresh turmeric root. It was so tasty and delicious. The left overs were even better!! I am making it again this weekend for a dinner party. I know my guests will be asking for the recipe. Thanks for sharing a simply delicious treat!
Alison says
Tender and delious! I used all ingredients except cayenne and water, and I used corn starch instead of potato. I didn’t follow the directions because I used my electric pressure cooker. I set it for slow cook for 2 hours, added potatoes and carrots then set on high pressure for 13 minutes. It easily feel apart with a fork and just about melted in your mouth and the gravy was fantastic.
I’ll definitely make this recipe again.
Bill says
I switched to grass fed beef a year ago and have had great success with quick sear cuts like steaks and burgers. But I still can’t manage to get a pot roast or stew to come out tender (fall apart tender like I’ve done for years with corn-fed beef) Tonight I slow braised boneless chuck roast with my usual recipe,at 325 for 4 hours and it still came out extremely tough and chewy. Am I cooking it too long or not long enough?
Tori Avey says
Try cooking at 300 or even 275 degrees for a longer period of time. Different ovens run slightly hot or cool, yours may run hotter than normal. Either way 325 is too high for grass fed. Low and slow is key. If you follow this recipe to the letter it should produce a tender result for a pot roast cut, I’ve made it many times with grass fed meat and it always comes out tender and delicious. Good luck!
Amy P. says
Thank you for posting this recipe! I also have changed my meat purchases to grass fed. I made a stew a few weeks back and felt I was cooking it forever, 8 hrs in the crock pot. It still was slightly tough. I will now try your pot roast knowing ahead of time to give a 10 hrs in the crock pot.
Marcia Minsky says
Just wondering. Can this be made in a crockpot, and how long would you have to cook it for?
Tori Avey says
It will work great in a slow cooker. Do the browning and deglazing steps in a skillet or sauté pan, then combine the ingredients in the slow cooker and set heat to Low for 8 hours. Check at 8 hours, and if it’s still not tender you may need 1-2 hours more on low (grass fed can take a bit longer to become tender than regular roasts). For me it’s usually an 8-10 hour process. Enjoy!
Blair D. Fire says
Being cooked in a Dutch oven really makes a difference here. Wonderful recipe, Tori Avey.
Valentina says
Tori, this sounds and looks delicious! I’m all about this sort of one pot, comfort food meal this time of year. And I’m loving the spice combination — I’m also a huge turmeric fan. Thanks for linking to my Cuban Style Stew! XO
Liz says
What cut of beef do you use?
Tori Avey says
Hi Liz, I usually ask the butcher what they have on any particular day that would be good for pot roast. Generally chuck roast is an affordable option, but brisket will also work.
heywally says
Looks like a good recipe, thanks!
I’d like to add that “grass fed” beef (and anit-biotic free) means that the cattle were allowed more pasture roaming time and freedom, along with not being penned up so closely in quarters. They are much more humanely raised. Buying this beef, while more expensive, also supports putting pressure on the larger ops to change their treatment of these animals.
You could even make an argument that eating pasture raised beef can do more to change the inhumane treatment of these animals by the larger processors, than being a vegetarian does.
Thanks for this and your other great recipes!
Tori Avey says
Agreed Heywally! Another great reason to go grass fed.
cm says
very true, and in the end we save on our health care cost