Chuck roast is a humble yet delicious meat that’s a must for anyone seeking a culinary adventure with loads of flavor and palate-pleasing tenderness. This cut of beef comes from the cow’s shoulder area, so it isn’t overly exercised. What does that mean for you? It means that it has a moderate amount of fat that breaks down nicely during a slow cooking process, like oven roasting, to add flavor to and tenderize the meat.
Learn everything you need to know about how to cook chuck roast in the oven with our informative guide.
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Preparing Chuck Roast for the Oven
To prepare chuck roast for the oven, start by sprinkling salt on all sides. Then, keep it at room temperature for 45 minutes to one hour before you’re ready to start cooking.
About 15 minutes before you want to cook the roast, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Then, season the roast with the rest of your preferred seasonings. Heat a cast-iron skillet to medium-high heat with a drizzle of oil. Place the roast in the skillet and sear for 2-3 minutes. Turn the roast slightly, and sear for another 2-3 minutes. Continue this process until the full roast is seared.
Now, you can place the roast in an oven-safe roasting pan to cook in the oven. We offer a full recipe below with instructions for cooking your oven-baked chuck roast.
Tips and Tricks for the Best Oven Baked Chuck Roast
Cooking a chuck roast in the oven isn’t difficult, but having a few tips in your back pocket can ensure that you get an incredible, satisfying result. Here’s what to know:
- Don’t be in a rush: For the best results, chuck roast should be roasted on low heat (we recommend 300-325 degrees). Yes, this takes longer than it would if you cooked it on, say, 450 degrees, but it also yields a more tender texture and prevents the meat from drying out. Trust us, it’s worth it. Save your oven-baked chuck roast for a day when you have plenty of time to cook it.
- Use aromatics: Add some aromatic ingredients, like onions, garlic, or thyme, into the pan with the chuck roast. As the roast cooks in the oven, the aromatics infuse their flavors into the meat, allowing for subtle, savory tastes with each bite.
- Wait to slice: Let the meat rest for about 15 minutes after pulling it from the oven. Keep the roast loosely covered with foil to allow it to maintain its temperature and finish the cooking process outside of the oven. This time also allows the roast to reabsorb some of the juices lost during cooking. After the resting period, it’s safe to slice the meat.
Seasoning and Marinade Ideas
Practically any beef roast seasoning or marinade you’d typically use for roast beef will work well with chuck roast, but here are a few ideas to draw inspiration from:
- Roast beef rub: This simple rub recipe adds lots of flavor and helps crisp up the roast when searing. Mix together salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and olive oil, and use a brush to rub the blend on all sides of the roast.
- Sweet and savory steak marinade: This marinade blend of honey, soy sauce, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and ground black pepper hits both sweet and bold notes to wake up your taste buds.
- Chicago Steak Seasoning: This thoughtful blend of seasonings is a Chicago Steak Company original offering a unique blend of spices to bring even more flavor to your chuck roast. Sprinkle it on before searing.
Oven Baked Chuck Roast Recipe
Ready to get an oven-baked chuck roast on the dinner table? Here’s a straightforward recipe to try.
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds chuck roast
- Salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil, separated
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, chopped
Instructions
- Remove chuck roast from the refrigerator and sprinkle with salt all over. Leave at room temperature for 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Mix together 2 tbsp of olive oil, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes, and brush the mixture onto the chuck roast.
- Preheat a cast-iron skillet to medium-high with the remaining olive oil. Sear the roast on all sides; this should take about 8-10 minutes. Transfer the roast to a roasting pan.
- In the same skillet, saute onions for about 5-6 minutes until they become tender. Add in the garlic and saute for another minute until fragrant. Pour the onions and garlic over the roast.
- Loosely cover the roast with foil or a roasting pan lid. Roast for 2-3 hours, or until the inside of the roast reaches 125 degrees for a medium-rare cook.
- Let the roast rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Recipe Variations
Making this recipe your own is easy. Start by switching up the spices used or creating a marinade to add different flavor elements. You can also make mushroom gravy to pour over the top of the chuck roast when serving or add different vegetables, like carrots and celery, to the roasting pan to vary flavors and sides.
Also, remember that you can cook chuck roast on the grill, slow cook a chuck roast, or smoke a chuck roast if you want to try something new.
Wrap Up
Chuck roast opens the doors to culinary creativity, as you can experiment with the spices, marinade, or vegetables you use to create new flavors and dining experiences. Feel free to build upon our simple recipe to make your chuck roast your own. Don’t forget to visit Steak University when you need some steak-cooking inspiration.
Oven Baked Chuck Roast
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs chuck roast
- salt, to taste
- 3 tbsp olive oil, separated
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, chopped
Instructions
- Remove chuck roast from the refrigerator and sprinkle with salt all over. Leave at room temperature for 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Mix together 2 tbsp of olive oil, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes, and brush the mixture onto the chuck roast.
- Preheat a cast-iron skillet to medium-high with the remaining olive oil. Sear the roast on all sides; this should take about 8-10 minutes. Transfer the roast to a roasting pan.
- In the same skillet, saute onions for about 5-6 minutes until they become tender. Add in the garlic and saute for another minute until fragrant. Pour the onions and garlic over the roast.
- Loosely cover the roast with foil or a roasting pan lid. Roast for 2-3 hours, or until the inside of the roast reaches 125 degrees for a medium-rare cook.
- Let the roast rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.