This Christmas Beef Chuck Roast Recipe is different from any other recipe because of how we cook it. This unique cooking method, in combination with the dry rub and gravy from the drippings, creates the most juicy, flavorful roast.
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You’ll love this Recipe for Chuck Tender Roast
Make this Oven Baked Roast Recipe for Christmas dinner to enjoy a special dinner your whole family will love without taking a lot of time to prepare it.
The secret to this juicy roast is in the rub and the cooking process. Everyone who tries this recipe agrees this roast is a flavor explosion in your mouth when you try it!
After preheating the oven to a high temperature, you will turn the oven off and let the roast cook in the preheated oven. This method creates a perfectly tender roast everyone raves about. cooking in the oven for a few hours, the roast comes out so juicy and tender.
It is definitely the perfect meal for Christmas dinner. However, this beef chuck recipe is one we serve throughout the year for Sunday dinner with the family.
Beef Chuck Roast Recipe Ingredients and Estimated Cost:
This time of the year, there are usually really great deals on beef roasts. Keep an eye out for these deals, and the recipe cost below will be substantially less!
- 5 pounds Beef Chuck Roast – $34.95
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil – $0.12
- 2 teaspoons salt – $0.02
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar – $0.03
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper – $0.03
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary – $0.06
- 1/4 cup beef drippings from the roasting pan – $0
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder – $0.04
- 2 cups beef broth – $0.84
- 1 Tablespoon paprika – $0.11
- 1/4 cup flour – $0.02
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce – $0.02
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil – $0.04
The recipe cost is calculated by the amounts needed for the recipe. To find out more about how we price our recipes, check out Budget Recipes Explained. The pricing for this recipe was updated in November 2024.
What is the best roast?
The tougher meats make for the best roasts because they get very tender the longer they cook (on a lower heat, of course). Three main cuts will make the best roast. The three cuts are chuck, brisket, and round.
Beef Chuck Tender Roast cook’s tools
- prep bowl
- roasting pan
- large cast-iron skillet
- tongs
- instant-read thermometer
- medium saucepan
- whisk
How to make this Oven Baked Chuck Roast Recipe Without Vegetables
- First, use paper towels to pat dry the roast.
- Then, using a small bowl, whisk together the rub ingredients.
- Next, completely cover the roast with the dry rub and let the roast sit at room temperature for twenty to thirty minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and spray a roasting pan rack with nonstick cooking spray.
- Then, place one tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large cast-iron skillet and preheat over medium-high temperature until the oil begins to simmer.
- Add the roast to the pan and use tongs to sear the roast on all sides for about two minutes per side.
- Set the roast on the roasting pan rack and place the pan in the 500 degrees F oven.
- Turn the oven off and let the roast cook for two to two and a half hours or until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees F.
- After removing the roast from the oven, loosely cover it with foil.
- Then, add the beef drippings to a medium saucepan on medium-high heat.
- Next, whisk in the flour and stir for three minutes.
- Slowly pour in the beef broth and whisk continually until the gravy has thickened. Season the gravy to taste with salt and pepper.
- Finally, slice and serve the chuck roast with the gravy.
Chuck Tender Roast Recipe variations
- With this recipe, the type of cut of meat is extremely important as different cuts cook differently.
- It is also important to know your oven and if it holds heat well or not. All ovens are different, and not all ovens retain heat as well as others do. If your oven does not retain heat well, then you may need to leave the oven on at 500 degrees F and cook until it reaches the internal temperature of 130 degrees F. We recommend checking the temperature every 20 minutes.
- Instead of a beef chuck roast, you can use a more expensive cut of meat like a prime beef eye round roast.
How to get kids involved in making this recipe for Chuck Tender Roast
- Ages 2-3: Let them help you pat dry the roast and rub the dry rub on all sides of the roast. This is a great opportunity to teach young kids kitchen safety when handling raw meat. Teach concepts such as not eating raw meat and washing your hands really well before and after handling raw meat.
- Ages 4-5: Let them help measure and stir together the dry rub ingredients. They can also help with rubbing the mix on the roast.
- Ages 6-8: Let them help whisk the gravy until it has thickened. You can also have your child help you plan the rest of the menu. Our kiddos love to be involved in menu planning.
- Ages 9-11: Supervise them while they prepare the entire recipe. Remember to have them read it twice before beginning the recipe.
- Ages 12+: Let them prepare the entire recipe unsupervised while you do the happy dance in the corner!
How to store Chuck Tender Roast
- Serve: You can keep the meat at room temperature for no longer than 2 hours before it will need to be refrigerated.
- Store: Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: I like to freeze leftover pieces of meat with a little bit of brown gravy. That way, the meat is less likely to dry out in the freezer. You can freeze the meat for up to 3 months.
Recipe for Chuck Tender Roast FAQs
The most tender cut of the roast is the cut with the fattest marbling. This type of meat typically comes from the least-exercised parts of the cow. The roasts that are tender and moist are usually the least healthy and the most expensive. That’s negative in our book!
In this case, less is more. You do not need to add liquid to this chuck roast. A chuck roast is not a lean cut of meat, which means it releases more fat and moisture while cooking. Therefore, no additional liquid is needed as it may actually delude the overall flavor of the roast.
Salt helps to tenderize the meat, and that is exactly why we add some to the dry rub. No additional salt is needed outside of what is listed in the dry rub ingredient list.
A chuck roast is a tough cut of meat, and so the longer it cooks, the more tender it becomes. Our unique cooking method allows the roast to become perfectly juicy and tender.
What to serve with this Beef Chuck Roast Recipe
- Pomegranate Salad
- Jenna’s Naughty Mashed Potatoes (these are shown in some of the pictures)
- Green Beans Almondine
- Orange Cranberry Sauce
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Yorkshire Pudding
- French-Bread Stuffing
- Green Bean Casserole
- Mom’s Broccoli Casserole
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
How to Make Christmas Roast Recipe:
Beef Chuck Tender Roast
Recipe Cost 36.28 Serving Cost 4.54Equipment
- Prep bowl
- Roasting pan
- Large cast-iron skillet
- tongs
- instant-read thermometer
- medium saucepan
- whisk
Ingredients
ROAST:
- 5 pounds center-cut boneless beef chuck-eye roast
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
RUB:
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
BROWN GRAVY:
- 1/4 cup beef drippings from the roasting pan
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
PREP THE ROAST:
- Use paper towels to pat the defrosted roast dry.
MAKE RUB & RUB ROAST:
- Whisk together all of the rub ingredients in a small prep bowl.
- Rub the roast all over with the rub, and then let the roast sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
PREPARE OVEN & PAN:
- Move the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- Prepare a roasting pan by spraying the rack with nonstick cooking spray.
SEAR ROAST:
- Once the roast has sat at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, place 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large cast-iron skillet and preheat over medium-high temperature until the oil begins to simmer. Add the roast to the pan and use tongs to sear the roast on all sides for 2 minutes each side.
ROAST IN OVEN:
- Place the roast on the prepared roasting pan and put it in the preheated 500 degrees F oven. Turn the oven off completely and let it cook for about 2-2 ½ hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
- Loosely cover the top and sides of the roast with aluminum foil while you make the brown gravy.
MAKE BROWN GRAVY:
- Add the beef dripping to a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and continue to stir for 3 minutes.
- Slowly pour in the beef broth while you continue to whisk. Keep whisking until the gravy has thickened a little, about 1-2 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and season the gravy to taste with salt and pepper (the gravy will thicken as it cools). Transfer the gravy to a gravy boat
SLICE AND SERVE:
- Slice the roast and serve the brown gravy.
Notes
- In our experience, we rarely see large chuck roasts like this one in the supermarket’s refrigerator section. We almost always have to ask the butcher at the meat counter to cut us a 5-6 pound center-cut boneless beef chuck-eye roast.
- We have seen this cut of chuck roast at Costco around the holidays.
- This recipe will also work for other beef roasts like a beef bottom round roast, eye round roast, New York strip roast, or a ribeye roast.
- With this recipe, the type of cut of meat is extremely important as different cuts cook differently.
- It is also important to know your oven and if it holds heat well or not. All ovens are different and not all ovens retain heat, as well as others, do. If your oven does not retain heat well, then you may need to leave the oven on at 500 degrees F and cook until it reaches the internal temperature of 130 degrees F. We recommend checking the temperature every 20 minutes.
Nutrition
This Christmas Beef Chuck Roast Recipe is juicy, tender, and packed with great flavor thanks to the rub and brown gravy made with the pan drippings.
Michelle U says
This roast is delicious. Yes, cook it exactly like it says.
Jess Jankowski says
It’s so important to follow the recipe exactly as it says. Thanks so much for your feedback!
Reeses says
To start with the positive, we greatly enjoyed the rub and the gravy. However the cooking method for the meat itself did not work out.
By the time 2 hours passed after heating to 500, I opened the oven and found it almost as cold as outside temps, and the roast was only at 105. I tried turning the heat in the oven on for another half an hour, but it still only tempted to 115. Had to slice it and finish each piece off in a pan on the stove. Was tough and chewy at the end.
(TLDR) Spices are excellent, but Recipe does not work well for ovens that rapidly cool.
Belinda V Wood says
I made this yesterday, mostly because I was intrigued by the cooking method. Oh my gosh, it was delicious. Thank you.
For the record it was a tad tough but that didn’t bother the taste explosion in my mouth. Thank you again.
Jess Jankowski says
Love that you enjoyed the taste explosion in your mouth!
Stephanie says
I attempted this recipe with 3 lbs of roast. Unfortunately, it was completely raw inside when we cut into it for Christmas dinner. I don’t think this method of cooking works with every oven. We have a gas oven. Maybe it is best with an electric oven?
The rub was great though.
Meghan says
This roast was absolutely delicious. I had a 3 pound chuck eye roast and it came out a perfect medium after an hour and 45 min in the oven. My husband usually eats what he was served and not a bite more, but this time he asked for seconds! Best Christmas present I could have asked for 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!
Jess Jankowski says
Meghan, we are thrilled to hear this! Thank you for letting us know the timing of your 3-pound roast. So happy your husband asked for seconds!
Matthew says
Should the roast be covered or uncovered in the oven? Thanks.
Jess Jankowski says
Hi Matthew, the roast should be uncovered in the oven. Thanks!
Tiffany says
I saw your response about cooking approximately 15-17 minutes per pound, for those trying to make a smaller roast. I’m making a 3.5 lb roast and don’t want to open the door too often to check. Just wondering if that’s accurate because your instructions for a 5 lb roast at 2- 2.5 hours works out to be about 24-30 minutes per pound?
Thanks!
Jess Jankowski says
Hi Tiffany, because we have not made that size yet it was just a guesstimate. Would love to know what timing worked for you!
Angela Katsavavakis says
Hi, I tried this recipe as it looked so good, plus it seemed so interesting and such a different method. I used a Boneless Beef Chuck Roast from a farm around my house. I followed all the instructions exactly, and the end result looked identical to yours, and tasted delicious. However, it was tough. Any idea why? Thank you.
Jess Jankowski says
Hi Angela, we are sorry this happened. Without being there in person it is hard to say exactly what happened but our guess is the cut of meat you had may have had an excessive amount of connective tissue or it could have been a really muscular piece of meat that would have caused this.
Lynn Ackerson says
Will this recipe work for a smaller Chuck Roast?
Jess Jankowski says
Hi Lynn, if you are using a 2 1/2- 3 pound roast we recommend checking it 30 minutes before the recommended cook time is up. But move quickly with an instant-read thermometer to check it, as the beauty of this recipe is that it cooks while the oven is cooling down so each time you open the oven you will be letting out the heat that is still cooking the roast.
Sarah says
Hi! Sorry for the potentially silly question (new cook here, cooking her first Christmas dinner for her parents and in-laws–eek). I bought a roasting pan for Thanksgiving and it came with a handy roasting rack (I noticed the one you linked in this article also has a rack). But I also noticed you spray the pan with non-stick spray…should I be cooking this on the rack? Or let it touch the pan? Thank you for your help!!!
Jess Jankowski says
Hi Sarah, you should spray the rack that sits inside the pan. We have corrected this typo, thank you for bringing it to our attention. Enjoy your Christmas dinner!
Kathy Widowski says
Loved the recipe. Made extra rub to have on hand next time. While I appreciate your desire to involve your children, 2-3 years old is really too young to give them a raw meat chore. Let them measure and mix the rub instead.
Jess Jankowski says
Hi Kathy, we are thrilled you love this recipe as much as we do! We so appreciate your feedback. We believe this is a great opportunity to teach our kids kitchen and food safety at a young age. We stress to them washing their hands after handling meat and other tips to help them be self-sufficient in the kitchen as they grow. If you are not comfortable with it, we suggest using plastic food gloves. Thanks for stopping by and Merry Christmas!
Christina Gardner says
Wondering if I could sear in my Dutch oven and then put it in the oven or do you think it might burn it? Also lid on or off in the oven?
Jess Jankowski says
Hi Christina, we have not tried this method of cooking the roast. We would recommend having the lid off if you try it. And keep a careful watch on it as you sear it as the cooking time will be less. If you try it, please let us know as we would be interested to know since as I mentioned, we have not tried it this way yet.
Tabitha says
This looks amazing! I know this is probably a silly question, but I don’t have a cast iron pan, am I able to just use a regular pan to sear the sides a little?
Jess Jankowski says
Hi Tabitha, yes you can use a regular pan. Enjoy!
Carrie Robinson says
So perfect for a holiday dinner! 🙂 Looks amazing.
Jess Jankowski says
Thanks Carrie!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
What a great recipe with clear instructions. I am all about having my boys in the kitchen and they love it. Your breakdown of cost makes it so much easier to plan for the holiday dinner.
Jess Jankowski says
Thanks for your kind words. Happy holidays!
Sharon says
Turkey is for thanksgiving so let Christmas be the dinner for beef. This roast is so easy to make and pairs perfectly ith creamy potatoes.
Jess Jankowski says
Couldn’t agree more!
Beth says
Yummy! This looks so delicious and full of flavor! I can’t wait to make this for my family!
Jess Jankowski says
Please let us know how it goes!
Andrea Metlika says
This roast looks and sounds amazing! Great idea for Christmas Dinner.
Jess Jankowski says
We love it for Christmas. Enjoy!
Megan says
Can this be made in a crock pot instead?
Jess Jankowski says
Hi Megan, because of the cooking method for this recipe with the end result of having it still be a little pink on the inside this is not one that can be adapted for the crock pot.
Kara says
You guys! I have dreaded “pot roast” my whole life. Thank you for breathing new life into this economical cut with this fabulous recipe. It was absolutely delish!!
Jess Jankowski says
Oh Kara, we are thrilled that you tried this and loved it! Thanks for sharing with us!