Steakhouse Onion Pot Roast
A Pot Roast Recipe Made For Sandwiches Or Classic Serving
This Steakhouse Onion Pot Roast was inspired by my love of both classic pot roast and Mississippi Pot Roast plus an onion-forward twist while skipping the ranch seasoning and traditional vegetables. Slow-cooked with fresh onions, A1 sauce, savory soup mixes, butter, and pepperoncini for tender shredded beef and a rich gravy that’s perfect for Sunday dinner, sandwiches, noodles, rice, or even nachos.
Mississippi Pot Roast has always sounded appealing to me, but for my personal taste there has always been something about the ranch seasoning that keeps me from fully loving it. I also adore a classic pot roast but I wanted something a little different.
This recipe is one that could be served over mashed potatoes one night and then transformed into sandwiches, nachos, or even sliders the next day.
For this recipe, I skipped the traditional carrots and celery. While they add wonderful flavor, I was craving something with a richer, beefier, onion-forward profile.
The combination of onions, A1 sauce, pepperoncini, and savory seasonings creates a roast that is flavorful without being overly “vegetable-y.”
I tested this recipe out and it was absolutely fantastic. The onions practically melt into the gravy, creating the perfect sauce to coat every bite of tender shredded beef.
The Traditional Way
I served this roast with mashed potatoes, green beans, and biscuits for a classic Sunday dinner. It was absolutely perfect.
The best part is that the leftovers are just as good, if not better. Later this week we’ll be piling the shredded beef onto buns and serving it with crispy frozen french fries for an easy weeknight meal.
If you’re looking for a simple sandwich night dinner this is it. This recipe is also a great candidate for the slow cooker since the beef becomes incredibly tender and flavorful after cooking all day.
Double The Fun
I actually doubled this recipe because I wanted plenty of leftovers. If you’re looking at the pictures and thinking that’s a lot of meat, you’re right.
I used two chuck roasts!
The good news is that this beef freezes beautifully, so it’s the perfect recipe to make a big batch. You can save some for future sandwiches, nachos, sliders, or an easy dinner on a busy night.
Very Versatile
While I served this roast with mashed potatoes, it would be equally delicious spooned over buttered egg noodles or fluffy white rice. The rich onion gravy makes it the perfect comfort food meal.
Both noodles and rice do a wonderful job of soaking up all of those savory juices. If you grew up loving beef and noodles, this recipe has a similar cozy feel with the added flavors of A1 sauce, pepperoncini, and sweet cooked onions.
Other Protein Options
Chuck roast is my favorite cut for this recipe because it becomes incredibly tender and shreds beautifully. The flavors would also work well with a beef brisket, bottom round roast, rump roast, or even a beef shoulder roast.
Keep in mind that leaner cuts like round roast won’t be quite as rich and juicy as chuck roast. They will still absorb all of the delicious onion gravy flavors.
If you’d like to switch up the protein entirely, this recipe is also wonderful made with a pork shoulder or pork butt roast. The combination of onions, A1 sauce, butter, and pepperoncini creates an incredibly flavorful shredded pork that would be fantastic on sandwiches, over rice, made into tacos, or piled onto baked potatoes.
You could even use boneless skinless chicken thighs, just throw them in the slow cooker for a lighter version. The cooking time would need to be reduced significantly.
Unfamiliar With The Peppers?
If you’ve never cooked with pepperoncini peppers before, don’t let them intimidate you. Pepperoncini are mild pickled peppers with a tangy, slightly sweet, and slightly vinegary flavor.
They do not really have a spicy flavor. While they do have a tiny bit of heat, most people would consider them very mild. In this recipe, they don’t make the roast spicy at all but instead add a brightness and acidity that helps balance the rich beef, butter, and onions.
You can usually find pepperoncini peppers in a jar in the condiment aisle of your grocery store near the pickles, olives, banana peppers, giardiniera, and other pickled vegetables. Many stores carry them under brands like Mezzetta or in their store brand line.
Since this recipe also uses some of the pepperoncini juice, you’ll want to purchase the jarred variety rather than fresh peppers.
These are the peppers I use to make my Zesty Italian Meatballs as well as my Charcuterie Nachos!
Two Soups
I chose to use both the Golden Onion Soup Mix and the Beefy Onion Soup Mix because each one brings something a little different to the finished roast.
The Golden Onion Soup Mix has a sweeter, more pronounced onion flavor. This helps create that rich onion-forward gravy I was after.
The Beefy Onion Soup Mix adds a deeper savory flavor that enhances the beef without overpowering it.
Using both mixes together creates a more layered flavor than either one would on its own. Since I intentionally left out the traditional carrots and celery found in many pot roasts, I wanted to build as much savory onion flavor as possible.
The combination of the two soup mixes, along with the fresh onions, creates a gravy that tastes like it has been simmering all day in a steakhouse kitchen.
Steakhouse Onion Pot Roast Recipe
This Steakhouse Onion Pot Roast combines the rich flavors of A1 sauce, buttery onions, savory soup mixes, and tangy pepperoncini for a roast that's somewhere between a Mississippi Pot Roast, French Onion Soup, and a classic steakhouse dinner. Slow-cooked until fork tender and smothered in a rich onion gravy, it's the ultimate comfort food for serving over mashed potatoes, noodles, or crusty bread.
Ingredients
- 1 large chuck roast (3 to 5 pounds, thawed, partially frozen, or frozen)
- 2 to 3 large onions, sliced
- 1 packet Golden Onion Soup Mix
- 1 packet Beefy Onion Soup Mix
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 cup A1 Sauce
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup pepperoncini juice
- 6 pepperoncini peppers (optional, but recommended)
- 1 stick butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F.
- Spread the sliced onions in the bottom of a covered roasting pan or black speckled roaster.
- Place the chuck roast on top of the onions.
- In a measuring cup, combine the A1 Sauce, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and pepperoncini juice. Pour around the roast.
- Sprinkle the Golden Onion Soup Mix, Beefy Onion Soup Mix, and onion powder evenly over the roast.
- Place the stick of butter on top of the roast. Add the pepperoncini peppers around the roast.
- Cover tightly and roast until the meat is fork tender and easily shreds.
- Remove the roast from the pan and shred the meat. Return the shredded beef to the onion gravy and stir to combine.
- Let the meat soak in the gravy for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
- Serve over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, rice, or on toasted rolls with melted provolone, Swiss, or white American cheese.
Notes
- I made this roast in my favorite black speckled covered roaster. These roasters retain heat extremely well and create a moist cooking environment that can reduce cooking time compared to other covered roasting pans.
- My very large semi-frozen chuck roast was fork tender after approximately 4 1/2 hours at 325°F. Cooking times will vary depending on the size of your roast, how frozen it is when it goes into the oven, and the type of pan you use. Always cook until the roast easily pulls apart with a fork rather than relying strictly on the clock.
- For a slow cooker version, place the onions in the bottom of a 6 to 8 quart slow cooker. Add the roast and remaining ingredients. Cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or HIGH for 5 to 6 hours, then shred the meat and return it to the gravy before serving.