What Seasonings Belong In A Pot Roast?

A pot roast is one of those cozy comfort foods that is ever-popular in the chilly winter months. It's simple to prepare, with a cut of meat that often takes several hours to heat in either a slow cooker or a Dutch oven. But, to give this dish some added flavor, various herbs and seasonings are often added into the mix to infuse into the meat while it cooks. When it comes to cooking a pot roast, you can infuse flavors in a number of ways, but some of the most common herbs to use are thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, and onion powder.

The first step to building flavor in a pot roast is to add the ultimate seasoning: salt. You can use kosher or sea salt, but season the roast generously, even before it goes into the slow cooker or whatever cooking vessel you're using. You can season the roast two ways. First, you can make a rub from dried herbs — which includes salt — and rub it all over the pot roast. Or, you can salt the roast, then cook it in broth that's seasoned with fresh or dried herbs. If you're going the latter route, beef broth is best here. Wine or beer would work, too.

Pot roast is commonly made with chuck roast, which is a tough cut of meat that needs several hours to properly cook; it's lengthy cooking process is what turns that tough meat into a melt-in-your-mouth dish. Aromatic herbs such as thyme and rosemary are great here because they infuse flavor over time. Bay leaves are a good choice as well. If you're adding the seasoning through a rub, searing the pot roast before letting it cook is a great way to lock in that flavor. Then, add broth around the meat rather than pouring it on top to make sure the dry rub doesn't come off.

Ultimately, the seasoning combination depends on your personal palate. Home cooks on Reddit use a number of different seasoning combinations. Some suggest only using salt and pepper paired with aromatic vegetables, such as carrots and onions, as opposed to other herbs. "Aromatics like onion, carrot, garlic, bay leaf, etc. will impart tons of flavor to the meat as it cooks," one user wrote. Another user has a more unconventional method, suggesting "a packet of Italian seasoning and giardiniera, including the vinegar." As long as you cook it low and slow with anything from herbs to veggies — and pair it with some delicious sides – it's a hard dish to mess up.