How Long to Cook Chuck Roast in Oven at 350
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Learn how long to cook chuck roast in the oven at 350 so it comes out juicy and flavorful! Just follow our tips on how to cook a chuck roast in the oven for the best results every time!
Chuck roasts are a fairly inexpensive cut of beef coming from the shoulder, which is very flavorful due to the exercise it gets. At the same time, it’s a tough cut that requires hours or braising to become tender. That means cooking in the oven as a pot roast with liquid in a Dutch oven or a similar pot.
Cooking it at 350 is on the high end of the temperature range for pot roasts, making it faster but also easier to overcook. Follow our tips and tricks below to determine how to get it just right!
How Long to Cook Chuck Roast in Oven Per Pound
The rule of thumb is one hour per pound for a pot roast. However, this assumes a middle-of-the-road oven temperature of 300°F (150°C).
If you want to simmer at a low temp like 225°F (105°C), then add up to an hour more to the total above. For example, a 4-pound roast would take 4 1/2 to 5 hours.
If you want to simmer at a high temp like 350°F (175°C), then subtract up to an hour from the total. For example, a 4-pound roast would take 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
How Long to Cook a Chuck Roast in Oven
Sometimes a pot roast is sharing an oven with dishes requiring a different temperature. In those cases, here are cooking times for various sizes of chuck roasts at several oven temperatures:
| Chuck Roast Cook Times | 250°F | 300°F | 350°F |
| 2 pounds | 3 hours | 2 1/2 hours | 2 hours |
| 3 pounds | 3 1/2 hours | 3 hours | 2 1/2 hours |
| 4 pounds | 4 1/2 hours | 3 1/2 hours | 3 hours |
| 6 pounds | 5 hours | 4 1/2 hours | 3 1/2 hours |
| 8 pounds+ | 6 hours+ | 5 hours+ | 4 hours+ |
When you look at how long to cook chuck roast in oven at 350, you can see the times are an hour less on average.
How to Cook Chuck Roast in the Oven
Cooking your chuck roast in the oven is pretty straightforward. Start by patting the meat dry with paper towel and rubbing with canola oil and some seasonings.
Place in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over high temperature. Using kitchen tongs, place the roast in the hot pan and turn every minutes or so to let it brown on all sides. While this step is optional, the browning brings out more flavor in the final dish.
Next, remove the meat to a Dutch oven or enamelled pot. Add onions and garlic back to the skillet and sauté with a wooden spoon for a minute or two with to soften slightly. Pour in the chicken broth and red wine. This deglazes all the delectable browned bits of beef from the skillet.
Now, put the meat, vegetables and liquid into the Dutch oven. Cover and place in a preheated oven. When it’s done, the chuck roast will shred easily and have reached an internal temperature of at least 202°F in the center.
Tips for the Perfect Chuck Roast:
- Select the Right Roast: Get a boneless chuck roast with lots of fat marbling for maximum juiciness and flavor. Note that chuck roast is sometimes labelled blade roast or shoulder roast. If you can’t find it, you can use tri tip, top round, bottom round or eye of round instead.
- Sear for Extra Flavor: Sear the meat on the stovetop to brown the outside for extra flavor before cooking. Doing this extra step helps to keep the roast juicy.
- Add Wine and Broth: While you can use many liquids, red wine and broth are a classic combination to maximize flavor while helping to tenderize the meat as it cooks.
- Make Gravy with the Juices: It only takes a few minutes to transform the cooking liquid into a delicious gravy for serving.
FAQ
At 350°F, a 2 pound chuck roast will need 2 hours of braising time in a Dutch oven.
There is unfortunately no easy way to cook a chuck roast fast, as it’s a tough cut of beef that requires hours of braising to become tender. However, you can cut a large chuck roast into 2 to 3 smaller pieces and cook it at 350°F to save an hour or two.
When using a Crock Pot or slow cooker, it’s best to use the Low setting. It will take 8 hours to cook a 4 pound chuck roast in the slow cooker before it’s tender. If you are in a hurry, you can try using a High setting for 4 to 5 hours, but the meat will be less tender.
More Roast Recipes:
How to Cook a Chuck Roast in the Oven
Ingredients
- 1 boneless chuck roast, 3 to 4 pounds approx.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped, or two small onions
- 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cups beef broth, or as needed to fill halfway
Vegetables (optional)
- 4 large carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 pound baby potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F, placing the rack in the lower middle position with enough height for your Dutch oven.
- Place the chuck roast on a work surface. Pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place a Dutch oven or enamelled pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil and chuck roast using kitchen tongs. Sear for 2 to 3 minutes per side until browned all over (see note).
- Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf. Pour the wine and broth over the meat.
- Cover the Dutch oven and place in the oven. Bake for one hour.
- Add the optional carrots, celery and potatoes to the pot. Cook until the meat is tender enough to shred easily with two forks, about 2 hours more.
- Remove from the oven. Discard the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Slice to serve if desired.
Gravy (optional)
- Place a large sieve over a medium saucepan (or fat separator – see note). Pour the cooking liquid including vegetables through the sieve. Arrange the vegetables around the meat.
- Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat, adding an extra cup of liquid if needed.
- Mix together 2 tablespoons cornstarch (or flour) with 2 tablespoons water in a teacup. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the hot liquid to thicken for up to 30 seconds or so.
- Remove the gravy from the heat and transfer to a gravy boat for serving.
Notes
- If you’re in a hurry, you can skip the browning step to save time.
- Dutch Oven: A 6-quart pot will work for most roasts up to 6 pounds, but you’ll need larger ones (9-quart, 13-quart etc.) for larger roasts. In a pinch, you can use a regular stainless steel pot that’s ovenproof with a tight-fitting lid and metal handle.
- Do not let the pot roast sit in the Dutch oven after cooking if not serving right away, as it may dry out from the residual heat. Instead, remove it to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Fat Separator: This is a useful tool for quickly removing fat from the cooking liquid. The marbling in chuck roast will release fat into the juices, and this is the best way to get it out for a healthier meal.
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Great recipe. Followed it exactly, just no vegetables, baked in a cast iron pan covered tight with tinfoil. I loved it, my husband loved it, kids loved it. Will definitely make it again. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jean, Thanks so much for your feedback and glad you enjoyed it!
This is my go to recipe! Always delicious.
Hi Bonnie, Thanks and so glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent recipe. Tender roast. Added can of mushroom soup to provide a nice gravy.
Hi Thomas, Thanks for your feedback and suggestion. Glad you enjoyed!
Yummy! I made this with a 1.12 lb roast. The meat was tender and the vegetables were tasty. I used 1 can of beef broth and 1 can of French Onion Soup.
Hi Skeeter, Thanks so much for your feedback. Sounds like a success!
I made a chuck roast turned out perfect