When trying new recipes, I love taking a classic favorite and weaving its flavors into a different dish. I love basil beef stir-fry, and this pot roast came out of having all the ingredients for the sauce, and a chuck roast in the freezer.
One of the most important parts of this dish is the basil. You can use Italian basil, but if you’re able to pick up some holy basil, that will totally make it. They have the same general flavor, but holy basil is just kicked up 5 steps. And when you add the holy basil to the sauce just before serving – the flavor is out of this world.
For the end gravy, I use a cornstarch slurry but this can easily be done by doubling the onion and adding a large, diced carrot. I suggest passing the gravy through a sieve after it’s put through the blender.
Basil Beef Pot Roast
Ingredients
- olive oil
- salt
- black pepper coarse ground
- 1 3 lb chuck roast
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves large, peeled, smashed
- 3 slices fresh ginger large - 2in long, quarter inch thick
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 cup Tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1/4 cup honey or 1/3 cup, depending on preference
- 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 1 handful holy basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Lightly season the chuck roast with salt and pepper, and heat the dutch oven over medium high heat. Sear the chuck roast on all sides. Remove from pot.
- Add the onions, garlic, and ginger and cook until the fond comes off the bottom of the pan and the vegetables begin to appear translucent.
- Add the Tamari, lemon juice, beef stock, and honey. Stir, and place the chuck roast in the liquid. Cover with lid and place in the oven for 3 hours. At that point, remove the lid and let cooking another 45-60 minutes.
- After 4 hours, remove the chuck roast from the pot and set aside, covered with foil. Remove the slices of ginger from the cooking liquid and discard. Add all the liquid and vegetables to the blender and blend until smooth (careful to go slow at first so it doesn't explode out and burn anyone). Add the liquid back to the pot and bring to a simmer.
- Taste the sauce, add more honey if desired, and let reduce for 5-10 minutes. Combine the corn starch and water in a small cup and stir together well. Add to the gravy and whisk until thickened. Turn off the heat, add the holy basil and stir.
- Break the pot roast into smallish pieces and ladle as much of the gravy over top as you want. Serve more on the side. This roast is great served on top of your favorite mash, or even rice or wide egg noodles.
What do you think?
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I just made this in an instant pot tonight. It was great! I followed the directions but i just seared the roast in my skillet on high heat to brown it… then put it on manual for 90 minutes. Everything else i followed directions as written.
I made this the night it was posted and it was the most delicious dinner we’ve had ever. Amazing!! So tonight I thought I’d make it again BUT I forgot how long it has to roast for and I didn’t start until 5:30pm. I was already searing when I read the rest of the recipe and realized how long it takes 😫. Any tips for how to cook this in shorter time?? *slightly urgent lol
This had no right being as delicious as it was. Wow. Every element of this hit.
I don’t usually leave comments but I feel compelled to do so here because this is by far the BEST pot roast I have ever had/made! Based on previous reviews, I decreased the soy sauce to 1/2 cup and added 1/2 cup water. I think that did the trick. I also splurged and purchased a grass-fed chuck roast that didn’t have much fat.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe – I will definitely make it again.
I just wanted to share that I made this for our belated Christmas celebration yesterday and it got rave reviews! Absolutely delicious, unique, and special enough for a holiday meal. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
The flavor profile for this is amazing! Beef is tender and the sauce has a lot of depth. However, I used full sodium Tamari and beef broth and found the sauce to be extremely salty. I had to add some water and a little more citrus juice (fresh squeezed orange) to try to dilute it a bit. In the future I’d opt for low-sodium Tamari and broth. Overall, this was yummy!
I made this tonight and it was beyond delicious!!!
Made it! The final result was so beautiful. I even plated it in one of our fancy “party only” dishes. It turned out so well, was a bit salty, added more honey to balance it. We had Avocado Blossom honey that was not sweet, more molasses(y), and was perfect for this dish. Will make again! Served it over Mashed potatoes. And, I can’t wait to eat the leftovers today.
I always try to zoom in on photos like this to see what books are in the background. Does that make me a stalker? 😬 Anyway, does Chris have any tried and true, or new favorites, as far as cookbooks?
Oooo! We’ll have to do a post on that!
Has anyone converted this to instant pot? Tips on how to do that?
I just made this in an instant pot tonight. It was great! I followed the directions but i just seared the roast in my skillet on high heat to brown it… then put it on manual for 90 minutes. Everything else i followed directions as written.
Very excited to try this! My husband’s favorite is basil beef stir fry. I’m nervous about using a full cup of Tamari. I find it very salty. It doesn’t make the final dish too salty? Thanks for this one.
Hi Chris. Where do you buy the holy basil?
He got it from a local Asian market–if you see Thai basil, it’s the same thing!
Any tips for finding basil locally in Cary/Apex area? Looks delish!
Check the asian market!