Sunday Pot Roast
From Dutch Traders to the American Table: The Slow-Braised Tradition
Documented historical recipes with historically inspired adaptations
The Sabbath Roast: A Working Family's Reward
Long before the term "pot roast" appeared in American cookbooks, the method was already old. The French called it braiser, from braise -- live coals piled beneath and atop a covered pot. The technique transformed tough cuts into tender meat through patient heat and trapped moisture. By the time Abraham Darby patented his sand-cast iron cooking vessels in 1707, the Dutch oven was ready to cross the Atlantic.
Colonial American cooks prized cast iron for its durability and even heat. Wills from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries frequently specified the inheritor of "iron kitchen furniture" -- George Washington's mother, Mary Ball Washington, divided her Dutch ovens between family members in her 1788 will. The pots traveled west with Lewis and Clark, rode in Mormon handcarts to Utah, and hung from the backs of chuckwagons on cattle drives. Utah would eventually name the Dutch oven its official state cooking pot.
The Sunday roast tradition itself emerged from practical necessity. During the Industrial Revolution, British families placed meat in the oven before church, adding root vegetables -- potatoes, turnips, parsnips -- just before leaving. The meal cooked slowly during the service, ready to eat upon their return. In America, this became the Sunday pot roast: a working family's reward for six days of labor, a meal that required time rather than money, transforming the cheapest cuts of beef into the centerpiece of a weekly gathering.
The Original Form: Alamode Beef
American Cookery, published in 1796, was the first cookbook written by an American for American kitchens. Amelia Simmons, who identified herself only as "an American Orphan," included a recipe for "alamode beef" -- the direct ancestor of our pot roast. The dish had crossed from France to England in the seventeenth century, appearing in Hannah Glasse's The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy (1747) before Simmons adapted it for the new republic.
"To alamode a round of beef. To a 14 or 16 pound round of beef, put one ounce salt-petre, 48 hours after stuff it with the following: one and half pound beef, one pound salt pork, two pound grated bread, chop all fine and rub in half pound butter, salt, pepper and cayenne, summer savory, thyme; lay it on skewers in a large pot, over 3 pints hot water (which it must occasionally be supplied with,) the steam of which in 4 or 5 hours will render the round tender if over a moderate fire; when tender, take away the gravy and thicken with flour and butter, and boil, brown the round with butter and flour, adding ketchup and wine to your taste."
-- Amelia Simmons, American Cookery (1796)
The method is recognizable: a large cut of beef, slowly cooked in a covered pot with liquid, finished with a thickened gravy. The stuffing and wine reflect the dish's French origins; the practical American kitchen would simplify the technique over the following century.
Yankee Pot Roast: New England Practicality
By the nineteenth century, the elaborate alamode had given way to what New England cooks called Yankee pot roast -- a dish defined by its no-nonsense simplicity. Where French boeuf bourguignon called for wine and Italian stracotto for tomatoes, the Yankee version asked only for what the root cellar and pasture could provide: tough beef, onions, carrots, potatoes, maybe turnips or parsnips if feeling extravagant. Broth or water for braising. Perhaps a splash of cider or Worcestershire if the cook was feeling bold.
The thrifty New England housewife understood that chuck roast and brisket -- cuts too tough for quick cooking -- became silk when braised for hours. The collagen in the connective tissue broke down into gelatin, creating both tender meat and a rich, unctuously thick sauce. The technique asked nothing but time and a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid.
Pot roast's popularity surged during the Depression and World War II, when stretching a tough cut to feed a family was not nostalgia but necessity. The dish became synonymous with Sunday supper -- a meal the whole family could gather around after church, the aroma filling the house all morning.
Recommended Cast Iron
A proper pot roast requires a proper vessel. The cast iron Dutch oven remains the ideal choice after three centuries for the same reasons that made it valuable to colonial cooks: even heat distribution, superior heat retention, and a tight-fitting lid that traps moisture and flavor.
Sizing Guide
5-6 quart Dutch oven: Adequate for a 2-3 pound roast feeding 4-6 people. The most common size found in home kitchens. Look for vintage pieces from Griswold, Wagner, or Lodge -- a gate-marked Dutch oven from any Ohio heritage foundry will serve you well.
7-8 quart Dutch oven: The workhorse size for pot roast. Accommodates a 3-4 pound chuck roast with ample room for potatoes, carrots, and onions. This is the Sunday dinner size -- enough to feed the family with leftovers for Monday sandwiches.
10-12 quart Dutch oven: Company's coming. A roast this size feeds a crowd and benefits from the longer cooking time a larger cut requires. Vintage pieces in this size command premium prices at auction -- if you find one at an estate sale, buy it.
Collector's Note: Dutch ovens with three legs and a flanged lid designed to hold coals are "camp" or "cowboy" ovens, intended for outdoor use over an open fire. For kitchen use, look for flat-bottomed Dutch ovens without legs. Paul Revere is credited with the innovation of the flanged lid; the flat bottom came later as cooking moved from hearth to stovetop.
Classic Sunday Pot Roast
Category: Historically inspired reconstruction based on 19th and early 20th century American methods
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
• 3-4 pounds beef chuck roast
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons beef drippings, lard, or bacon fat
• 2 large yellow onions, peeled and quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 cups beef broth (homemade if possible)
• 2 bay leaves
• 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 6 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1.5 pounds potatoes (Yukon Gold hold their shape well), quartered
• 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces (optional, but traditional)
Method
Remove the roast from the refrigerator 30-45 minutes before cooking. Pat thoroughly dry with paper towels -- moisture is the enemy of a good sear. Season generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
Preheat your oven to 275-300 degrees Fahrenheit. The low temperature ensures the meat becomes tender rather than tough.
Set your Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the fat and let it shimmer. When wisps of smoke appear, lay the roast in the pot. Do not move it. Let it sear undisturbed for 4-5 minutes until a deep brown crust forms. Turn and repeat on all sides. This browning creates the fond -- those caramelized bits on the bottom of the pot -- that will become the foundation of your gravy. Remove the roast to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the onions and cook until softened and beginning to brown, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one minute more. If the fond threatens to burn, add a splash of broth and scrape it up with a wooden spoon.
Pour in the beef broth. Use your spoon to scrape every bit of fond from the bottom of the pot -- this is flavor you paid for with patience. Add the bay leaves and thyme. Return the roast to the pot. The liquid should come about halfway up the meat; add more broth or water if needed.
Cover tightly and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours.
Remove the pot from the oven. Nestle the carrots, potatoes, and parsnips around and beneath the roast. Cover and return to the oven for another 1-1.5 hours, until the vegetables are tender and the meat pulls apart easily with a fork. The internal temperature of the beef should register 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit -- this is not a typo. At this temperature, the collagen has fully converted to gelatin, and the meat will be silky rather than tough.
Transfer the roast and vegetables to a warm platter. Tent with foil. Set the Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium heat. Taste the cooking liquid and adjust seasoning. If you prefer a thicker gravy, mix 2 tablespoons flour with 2 tablespoons soft butter to form a paste, then whisk it into the simmering liquid bit by bit until the gravy coats a spoon.
Slice or pull the roast into portions. Serve with vegetables and gravy ladled generously over all.
Cast Iron Notes
The long braise benefits your seasoning. The rendered fat and slow heat burnish the iron's patina. After cooking, pour out any remaining liquid and wipe the pot clean with a paper towel while still warm. If fond stubbornly clings to the bottom, add a cup of water and bring to a boil, scraping gently with a wooden spoon. Wipe dry, apply a thin coat of oil, and heat briefly before storing.
Acidic ingredients -- tomatoes, wine, vinegar -- can strip seasoning if braised for long periods. This recipe uses only broth, which is gentle on seasoned iron. If you wish to add wine or tomato paste (both legitimate variations), consider limiting the quantity or using an enameled Dutch oven for that batch.
Historical Variations
Sauerbraten-Style Pot Roast
Category: Historically inspired reconstruction reflecting German-American traditions
German immigrants brought their own braising tradition. Marinate the roast 3-5 days in a mixture of equal parts red wine vinegar and water with sliced onion, bay leaves, juniper berries, peppercorns, and cloves. Pat dry before searing. Braise as above, using the strained marinade as part of the cooking liquid. Finish the gravy with crushed gingersnaps for the characteristic sweet-sour tang.
Italian-American Pot Roast
Category: Historically inspired reconstruction reflecting Italian-American traditions
Italian stracotto ("overcooked") adds tomatoes to the braise. After searing, add a 28-ounce can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes along with the broth. Include a sprig of rosemary with the thyme. Some cooks add a cup of red wine; let it reduce by half after adding the onions before proceeding. Serve over polenta or with crusty bread to soak up the sauce. Note: use an enameled Dutch oven if cooking with tomatoes regularly, as the acid can affect bare cast iron seasoning over time.
Tips from the Old Ways
On the cut: Chuck roast is the workhorse of pot roast for good reason. The shoulder muscles are laced with collagen that converts to gelatin during braising. Brisket works too but runs leaner; compensate with additional fat in the pot. Avoid round roast and other lean cuts -- they lack the marbling needed for this method.
On the sear: Patience. Let the pot get properly hot before adding the meat. Do not crowd the pot. Do not move the meat until it releases easily from the iron. A proper sear takes 4-5 minutes per side. This step is not optional.
On the vegetables: Root vegetables are traditional because they hold up to long cooking. Add them partway through so they finish tender but not mushy. Cut them large -- the smaller the piece, the faster it will disintegrate.
On the day after: Pot roast improves overnight. The meat reabsorbs flavor from the gravy as it cools, and the flavors meld. Many cooks deliberately make pot roast on Saturday for Sunday dinner. Slice or shred the cold meat, return it to the gravy, and reheat gently in a covered pot.
On sandwiches: Leftover pot roast was never a problem in an American kitchen. Pile shredded meat on crusty bread, spoon gravy over the top, and call it a hot beef sandwich. Some add a slice of sharp cheddar; others prefer it plain with a cold pickle on the side.
Historical Sources
• Simmons, Amelia. American Cookery, 1796. First American cookbook; contains the "alamode beef" recipe.
• Glasse, Hannah. The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, 1747. English source for earlier alamode traditions.
• La Varenne, Francois-Pierre. Le Nouveau Cuisinier Francois, 1651. First appearance of boeuf a la mode.
• Wilcox, Estelle W. The Dixie Cook-Book, 1883. Documents Southern affection for Dutch oven cooking.
• McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking, 1984. Etymology of "braising" and scientific explanation of collagen conversion.