Grass-fed Pot Roast w/ Apple Juice, Honey & Herbs

This is one of my favorite versions of Pot Roast.  The apple juice is the star and makes the meat sweet and tender.  The fresh thyme and rosemary add another wonderful level of flavor.  This truly is the perfect comfort food yet it’s elegant enough to serve to company. 

Grass-fed Pot Roast w/ Apple Juice, Honey & Herbs

Easy to make, inexpensive and absolutely mouth-watering. 

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Equipment: 9x13 casserole dish or large Dutch Oven, Large Saucepan, Unbleached Parchment Paper, Foil

Cook Time: About 2 ½ hours

• 1 grass-fed bone-in chuck roast, about 3 ½ to 4 pounds
• 2 tablespoons pasture butter or fat of choice (See Resources)
• Celtic sea salt (See Resources)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 small sprig fresh rosemary
• 3-4 cloves garlic, lightly smashed, peeled
• 1 strip kombu, optional (See Resources)
• 1 strip wakame, optional (See Resources)
• ½ teaspoon kelp granules, optional (See Resources)
• 5 cups fresh organic apple juice, about 12-14 apples juiced
• 1 tablespoon raw or biodynamic honey

1.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

2.    If you’re making your own apple juice, make sure to juice the apples first so it’s ready when you need it. 

Washing the Apples

Beautiful Gravenstein Apples

Fresh Organic Gravenstein Apple Juice

3.    Melt pasture butter in large saucepan or Dutch Oven over medium-high heat, about 1 minute until the pan is hot. 

4.    Season meat with sea salt and freshly ground pepper (you can also do this once it’s in the saucepan, I normally do).

5.     Add meat to saucepan.  Brown meat for about 5 minutes, until meat starts to get a golden brown crust. 

6.    Flip meat and brown for another 5 minutes until golden brown.

7.     Remove meat from saucepan.  Set meat in 9x13 casserole dish or on a plate if using a Dutch oven.  Add thyme, rosemary, garlic cloves, kombu, wakame and kelp granules to the casserole dish.

8.    Lower stovetop to medium heat.  Add apple juice to pan making sure to scrape all of the meat drippings off of the bottom of the pan.  The apple juice will help release the drippings when scraped with a wooden spatula.  These bits hold lots of flavor, so make sure to scrape them all off.

9.    Add honey to apple juice, stir to dissolve. 

10.  Pour apple juice over the meat in the casserole dish or Dutch Oven.  The meat should almost be covered with liquid.  If you don’t have enough apple juice, just add a little water to increase the liquid amount.

11.     Cover meat with parchment paper, then cover with foil.  If you have a Dutch Oven, just cover with lid. 

12.    Bake the meat for 2 hours, turning the meat once at the 1 hour mark.

13.    Remove parchment paper and foil or lid, flip meat again and cook uncovered for another 30-45 minutes until meat is fork-tender.  Check at 30 minutes, reset timer for another 15 minutes if needed.

14.    Serve with reduced sauce. 

Yield: Makes about 6 servings. 

Tip: This is even better the next day!  It’s great to make in advance if needed.  Stores great in the refrigerator.  When ready to eat, scrape off the fat that solidifies at the top, pull off meat portions and heat. 

Serving Suggestion: Reduce the sauce and serve with the meat.  Once reduced, the sauce becomes thick, super sweet and delicious.

Looking for another version of Pot Roast?

Check out my Grass-fed Pot Roast w/ Red Wine Herbs & Honey recipe. 

This post is part of Freaky Friday @ Real Food Freaks, Living Well Blog Hop @ Jo's Health Corner, Tasty Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations, and Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager.  

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