Roast beef dinner is a timeless comfort meal: tender roast beef with creamy mashed potatoes, rich gravy, sweet corn, glazed carrots and warm crusty rolls. It’s easy to prepare well, scales up for a crowd, and makes fantastic leftovers. Below you’ll find a clear shopping list, step-by-step instructions, gravy tips, serving ideas and storage advice so you can make a classic roast beef dinner with confidence.
Roast Beef Dinner
A roast beef dinner—sometimes called hot roast beef—pairs slow-braised beef with hearty sides for a satisfying main course. With basic pantry staples and a good chuck roast, you can produce a tender, flavorful meal that’s perfect for family dinners or weekend gatherings.
This recipe highlights classic, home-style flavors: searing to build browning, slow braising in red wine and beef broth, and finishing with a gravy made from the pan drippings. Serve with mashed potatoes, buttered corn, and carrots for a traditional plate everyone will love.
Roast Beef Dinner — Shopping List
Before you start, gather the main ingredients below. For exact amounts and full recipe details, see the ingredient list in the recipe card section.
- Canola or neutral oil
- 3–4 pound chuck roast (shoulder roast with good marbling)
- Carrots
- Onion
- Dry red wine
- Beef broth
- Seasoning salt
- Garlic powder or garlic salt
- Black pepper
Consider serving with creamy mashed potatoes and crusty bread for a complete meal.
How to Make Roast Beef and Gravy — Overview
Here’s a high-level view of the process. Scroll down to the full recipe card for precise timings and quantities. The method covers searing, braising, and making a pan gravy from the drippings.
- Choose the right roast. Opt for a chuck roast in the 3–4 pound range with good marbling. That connective tissue breaks down during slow cooking to yield tender, shreddable beef.
- Sear vegetables and roast. Brown carrots and onions, then sear the seasoned roast to develop color and flavor. Transfer everything to a roasting dish and add wine and beef broth.
- Braise low and slow. Cook covered in the oven at about 275°F (or in a slow cooker) for 3–4 hours until fork-tender. If cooking uncovered (for example on a pellet grill), monitor and add broth as needed to replace evaporation.
- Make the gravy. Separate the fat from the braising liquid, make a roux from the fat and flour, then whisk the roux into the simmering braising liquid until the gravy reaches your preferred thickness.
- Serve and enjoy. Shred or slice the beef and serve with mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots, corn, and rolls. Leftovers work well in sandwiches or tacos.
Use leftover roast for sandwiches, tacos, stroganoff, or enchiladas.
How to Make the Best Gravy from Beef Drippings
Using the beef fat and pan drippings yields the most flavorful gravy. Below is a straightforward method for turning those drippings into a smooth, rich sauce.
- After braising, pour the pan juices into a heatproof container and separate the fat from the liquid. A fat separator is easiest; chilling the juices briefly also helps the fat rise and solidify.
- Heat the fat in a saucepan over medium-low heat to cook off any remaining water.
- Whisk in an equal weight of flour to make a smooth paste (a roux). Cook, stirring, for 2–4 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Bring the reserved braising liquid or beef broth to a simmer. Whisk in the roux gradually until the gravy thickens to your desired consistency.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. If the gravy becomes too thick, thin with additional beef broth; if it’s too thin, make a small slurry of flour or cornstarch and cold water and whisk it in, cooking until thickened.
Serve the gravy hot over sliced or shredded roast and mashed potatoes.
More Ideas for Chuck Roast
- Shredded beef sandwiches with au jus-style gravy
- Beef stroganoff using shredded roast and a creamy mushroom sauce
- Hearty beef soup or beef enchiladas made from leftover roast
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Roast Beef Dinner
Homestyle roast beef dinner made by searing and slow-braising a chuck roast, finished with a rich gravy from the pan drippings. A classic cold-weather favorite that’s simple to prepare.
15 minutes
4 hours
4 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 3–4 pound chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt or garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into large diagonal chunks
- 1 large onion, peeled and halved and sliced
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2 cups beef broth (more as needed)
Instructions
- Preheat oven or pellet grill to 275°F (135°C).
- Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large cast-iron skillet or on a griddle over medium-high heat.
- Add carrots and onion and brown them lightly on all sides; remove and set aside.
- Add more oil if needed. Season the roast evenly with seasoning salt, garlic salt, and pepper. Sear the roast on all sides until well browned.
- Pour 1 cup of dry red wine into the hot pan and scrape the browned bits from the bottom (deglaze). Transfer the roast, vegetables, pan juices and beef broth to a roasting pan.
- Cover and place in the oven for about 3 hours. If using a pellet grill, cook uncovered and monitor liquid levels.
- Check doneness by inserting a fork: the roast should be fork-tender and easy to shred. Add more beef broth if the liquid gets too low.
- When cooked, strain the pan juices and separate off the fat. Reserve both the defatted liquid and the fat for gravy.
- Heat the fat in a saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk in enough flour to form a smooth roux. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring.
- Bring the defatted pan liquid (and extra beef broth if needed) to a simmer. Whisk in the roux until the gravy thickens. Adjust seasoning and consistency as needed.
- Shred or slice the roast and serve topped with gravy alongside mashed potatoes, carrots, corn and rolls.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving (estimate):
Calories: 649
Total Fat: 42g
Saturated Fat: 15g
Trans Fat: 2g
Unsaturated Fat: 24g
Cholesterol: 188mg
Sodium: 818mg
Carbohydrates: 7g
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 3g
Protein: 57g
Nutrition data provided here is an estimate.
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