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braised beef in cast iron with tongs pulling apart the beef
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Simple Braised Beef Recipe

prep 15 minutes
cook 5 hours
30 minutes
total 5 hours 45 minutes
Serves 8 servings
This simple braised beef is a staple meal prep recipe made with grass-fed beef, broth, vegetables, and seasoning, then baked low and slow until perfectly tender. Use it for tacos, sandwiches, bowls, or serve it over mashed potatoes.
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs grass-fed chuck roast*
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp fine sea salt, plus more as needed
  • 1-2 Tbsp olive oil, or avocado oil or tallow from last time
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, smashed or 2 tsp minced or garlic powder
  • 2 carrots, cut into large pieces
  • 2 cups beef broth or bone broth*
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 2-3 sprig of thyme, or 1/2-1 tsp dried
  • 1 sprig of rosemary , or 1/2-1 tsp dried

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 300F (149C).
  2. Pat the beef dry so the seasoning sticks and season all over with salt, black pepper, paprika and chili powder (and garlic powder if using that).
  3. Heat a large dutch-oven (cast iron skillet or other oven-safe braising dish) over medium-high heat.
  4. Add the oil and sear the beef on all sides until deeply browned, about 2 minutes on each side.
  5. Pour in half of the broth to deglaze a pot a bit.
  6. Add the onion, carrots and garlic around the beef.
  7. Pour in the remaining broth, having it come only halfway up the sides of the beef. You may not need all the broth or you may need a smidge more depending on the width of you pot.
  8. Place the sprigs of thyme and rosemary on top (or stir in the dried seasonings if using).
  9. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and transfer to the oven.
  10. Bake for 4 to 5 hours, or until the beef is very tender and easily shreds with a fork.
  11. Let the beef rest for 15-30 minutes in the braising liquid, then shred or slice as desired.
  12. Strain and save the broth. Chill it if you want to separate and save the tallow from the top.
  13. Serve as desired!

Notes

*you can buy chuck roast in packs that are anywhere from 1.5 lbs - 4 lbs. I usually make two 2 lb packs in the same pot (because my pot is wide) but in a standard 5qt dutch oven, you can fit one 3-4 lb roast. I keep all the rest of the ingredients the same regardless of the size. 
  • Store the meat in some of the broth to keep it juicy.
  • Serve as tacos, sandwiches, bowls, or over mashed potatoes.
  • Freeze leftover broth in ice cube molds for next time.
  • Use tallow for cooking throughout the week. 
  • Nutrition section is based of conventional chuck roast - grass-fed will be higher protein, lower fat content. 

Nutrition

Calories: 341kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 34gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 961mgPotassium: 685mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 2769IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 4mg