There is nothing more comforting (and incredibly delicious) than the perfect beef roast on a chilly fall day in Minnesota. That slow cooked goodness that makes your house smell…amaaaazing!
Here’s the thing though. My beef roasts were always hit or miss. They would either be sheer perfection and fall apart before you could even get it out of the pan; or they would be so dry, hard, and downright inedible. If this has ever happened to you, I am sure you felt the same frustration as I used to. Because let’s face it, a roast takes hours to make and they aren’t exactly cheap.
WELL, NO MORE!! I have found (via one of my favorite cooking shows) how to make the absolute perfect beef roast every…single…time!

Lipton dry soup mix?? THAT is what makes the beef roast fall apart into a delicious mound of stick to your belly goodness?
Heck no! BUT, it does add a ton of flavor to both your roast and your gravy! I pour 1 packet into my roasting pan, add enough water so that it will cover the bottom 1/2 inch of your roast. It is not life or death to measure. The juices from the meat will add so much more liquid so you really don’t have to worry that you don’t have enough water. And you will not use too much, as you will be taking about 4 cups of it the last hour of cooking.
Mix the soup mix and water, put in your chuck roast (or roasts), salt and pepper both sides, and cover. Sometimes I will sprinkle just a little garlic powder on one side as well for a little extra flavor.
Now, my family LOVES beef roast, so I usually make 2-3 roasts in the same pan at the same time. Each roast is about 3#. You can also buy just one big roast. For some reason though…I like the 3 smaller ones.
Put your covered roasting pan in a 220 degree oven and just chill out.

Are you ready for the big secret now? Ok!
Well, first I need to give credit where credit is due. One of my absolute favorite cooking shows is The Pioneer Woman. Ree Drummond and I would be life long friends, I just know it!
Anyway, low and SLOW! I know…nothing new with that, right? When I say slow, I mean sloooooowwwww. I used to bake my roasts for 4-6 hours. I will tell you this: 8 HOURS! Now, that time can vary a bit; but not much. Here is how Ree explained it. The connective tissue (I know…gross) HAS TO break down! If it doesn’t, you have a tough roast. You know you are almost to the end of cooking when you check it with a fork and it the teeth of the fork can start to pierce the meat without any pressure. It is my experience that once that starts happening, you have maybe an hour left of cooking time.
I know, I know, I know…8 hours! Won’t it get dry? NO! Ree used to think she was over cooking her roasts so she actually cut the time. That is exactly what I was doing. And that is exactly why my roasts were coming out feeling like a door stop.
After about 6 hours, check your roast with a fork and go from there. You know it is done when it starts to fall apart with the lightest touch of the fork.

Most often I will roast some carrots with it. But, in typical Kelly fashion, I forgot to buy them while at the grocery store. Luckily I had some Birds Eye Steamfresh green beans in the freezer. I love these veggies! The corn and peas are my favorite. Microwave for 4 1/2 minutes and voila’!
I am also very lame at making gravy. My step dad is rolling his eyes in heaven at me for saying that. He made THE BEST homemade gravy. And when I say the best, I mean the best! But, I think that even he would be quite happy with the results I get with my little packets of McCormick Brown Gravy. Instead of mixing it with water, I mix it with all of the delicious juices from the roast. So rich, so thick, and most importantly, soooo tasty!
Finish off this Minnesota fall comfort meal with a hearty helping of coarsely mashed potatoes and your belly will be happy for the rest of the evening!
Enjoy!