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One thing I have in common with Amish and Mennonites: many memories of dishes like this "Best-Ever Pot Roast." I have so many memories from my childhood of my grandma simmering a “rump roast” in the oven, or my Mom slicing potatoes and carrots and sticking a pot roast in a Dutch oven, crock pot, or deep cooking pan. The scent of simmering meat would permeate the house and hours later we’d all sit around for a hearty supper.
My grandma would use a pressure cooker all the time for roasts, but I have to admit I've never used one. I just remember it had some metal lid that would keep rattling as it did its thing.
These stove-top suppers are very popular among Amish cooks because you can pretty much put a pot roast on the stove and its on auto-pilot. A busy Amish homemaker can stick a pot roast on the stovetop and then head back to the pile of mending, canning, quilting, or anything else she has on her list. It’s almost always a “she.” Gender roles in the Amish church are still very calcified. Men will cook, but it’s usually it’s the meat on the grill. The kitchen is generally the domain of Amish women. Still, things do change and more and more Amish men are starting to do some more cooking and baking. It’s still the exception rather than the rule.
These roast cuts of beef are often carefully carved out during “butchering day” which is when most Amish people have a steer that they home-butcher. This type of cut of meat is cured and stored. Some Amish rent freezers and just freeze their meat.
This pot roast also does fine in a slow cooker. You could also add a splash of red wine to it for flavor. I rarely, however, see the Amish cooking with red wine. I saw a recipe in a Mennonite cookbook once that called for red wine as one of the ingredients. For this Best Pot Roast, though, the juices it creates negate the need, in my opinion, for too many additions.
This is a perfect pot roast for Sunday dinner and the leftovers are Monday's supper! Or have the leftovers the next day and make pot roast sandwiches. This roast is so tender that you can make melt-in-your-mouth sandwiches.
This pot roast also does fine in a slow cooker. You could also add a splash of red wine to it for flavor. I rarely, however, see the Amish cooking with red wine. I saw a recipe in a Mennonite cookbook once that called for red wine as one of the ingredients. For this Best Pot Roast, though, the juices it creates negate the need, in my opinion, for too many additions.
Coating the meat in flour allows for this to cook slowly and make it's own gravy as it cooks. This is a perfect, basic pot roast, true to Amish traditions, not a lot of spices added.
🙋 Common Pot Roast FAQ
Yes, just follow the recipe instructions, but do it in a crockpot instead and let it slowly cook for hours for the best flavor.
Best-Ever Pot Roast is a perfect pot roast for Sunday dinner and the leftovers are Monday's supper! Or have the leftovers the next day and make pot roast sandwiches. This roast is so tender that you can make melt-in-your-mouth sandwiches.
We used frozen chopped onions in this Best-Ever Pot Roast recipe, but you can use fresh just as easily. You can experiment with this by adding some merlot for it to cook in and other spices. I like these types of dishes because you can mix and match and experiment.
Chopped celery would add some crunch to this, as some fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme or some springs of parsley would be nice additions. Really, you could add vegetables of all types to this and it would still be good. This roast creates its own gravy as it cooks. Russet potatoes or regular white can be used in this recipe, either would be good.
🥩 Pot Roast Ingredients
- 3 ½ pounds rump or chuck
- 1 onion
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons fat
- ½ cup hot tomato juice
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
- 5 whole carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2- 3 potatoes, peeled and chunked
📋 Instructions
- Rub Salt brown sugar, mustard and pepper into meat and dip in flour.
- Brown meat and onion in 2 tablespoons fat until seared on all sides.
- Place meat in casserole, Dutch Oven, or electric skillet.
- Add hot tomato juice, carrots, and potatoes. Cover and bake at 350 for 3 hours.
🍖 More Amish Pot Roast Recipes
Roasts are popular feed-a-family meals on Amish farms. Here are some favorite recipes!
Rebecca Stoll's Pot Roast Recipe - a delicious twist on a classic
🖨️ Full Recipe
Best-Ever Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 3 pounds rump or chuck
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons fat
- ½ cup hot tomato juice
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
Instructions
- Rub Salt, pepper, brown sugar, and mustard into meat and dip in flour.
- Brown meat and onion in 2 tablespoons fat until seared on all sides.
- Place meat in casserole, Dutch Oven, or electric skillet.
- Add hot tomato juice carrots, and potatoes.
- Cover and bake at 350 for 3 hours.
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