No....that's called "boiled beef."
For a 2 1/2 pound hunk of meat ( what kind of meat by the way?"
Brown the meat on all sides....slowly...in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot....use a little oil or Crisco or a bit of the fat from the meat....when the meat is almost all browned, add a small onion chopped and brown that too....and after the onion is nearly browned add a couple of chopped or sliced or grated cloves of garlic.
When all is nicely browned, add about 1 inch of liquid to the pot. ( can't say an amount because it depends on the suze of the pot)...liquid could be wine, water, beer, broth. or apple or cranberry juice.
Add a bay leaf and perhaps a teaspoon fo worchestershire sauce, some parsley if you like it....and maybe 1/2 tsp fo chili powder for a little heat and depth of flavor.
Cover tightly and cook over VERY LOW heat for about 2 hours, turning the meat every 30 minutes or so and adding more liquid as some boils away.
Then add your veggies...potato, carrot, parsnip...
Cover and continue to cook until veggies are tender....maybe 45 minutes to an hour.
Remove meat and veggies to platter, thicken your gravy with a slurry of flour and wine...boil 5 minutes and serve.

Okay - that sounds better - an inch. It sounds like the method you're describing is stovetop. Is the amount of liquid the same if it's cooked in a dutch oven - in the oven?

I cook chuck roasts in a crock pot without any liquid at all. I brown it without oil in a cast iron pan, salt it, place it in a crock pot and let it cook all day long. It produces a couple cups of delicious broth all by itself and is tender and delicious. I don't know why you couldn't do the same thing in a dutch oven at 250o for four or five hours, and serve it with mashed potatoes or noodles. Yum

Ya, I've been reading all kinds of different recipes - oven, stovetop, slow cooker. They range from tons of liquid to none. I think I'll use minimal liquid since I don't care for boiled meat. Mine is a boneless chuck roast by the way.

The recipe I posted is browned on the cook top and then can go into a 225 oven or stay on the stove top.

Thanks Linda - going with an inch then - red wine and beef broth I think.

I made one yesterday for Dads birthday dinner and this is the one I have made several times now. The guest loved it. My only change was from a chuck roast to a sirloin tip and it was fantastic.

Yes, it makes a ton of gravy but you can serve it over noodles or rice later in the week it is so good. Or you can freeze it. I even sent some home withone of the guests.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ina's Company Pot Roast

This is somewhat inaccurate, but think of the liquid as either a flavor 'donor' or a flavor 'receiver'--if you use water as a liquid, flavor from the meat ends up in the liquid. You end up with watery sauce and flavorless meat.

I find that some commercial beef broth isn't that good; you can use chicken stock instead. Works fine. BTW most commercial broths are too salty IMHO; I always use the reduced salt version. I almost never use bullion cubes--WAY too salty.

My MIL makes a great 'pot roast' by browning a chuck roast in a skillet then wrapping it with onion soup mix and a few other items in aluminum foil, leaving it in a very slow oven for hours. Alton Brown does something similar--see the link.

Whatever recipe or technique you choose, remember the essence of a braise (which is what a pot roast is) is slow, moist cooking which gently tenderizes the meat. Rapid boiling is a no-no. Braising takes time, but it is very unfussy and forgiving.

Here is a link that might be useful: alton brown pot roast

Here is my favorite recipe that I posted on All Recipes. You need a heavy pot with a heavy lid for the best success making this recipe. A Le Creuset French oven is what I use. Make sure you sear the meat the full times mentioned and *do not* add any liquid.

Beef Pot Roast
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 2 Hours

Servings: 8

"This is the best and easiest recipe for pot roast I have ever tried. It is best to make it a day ahead. Serve with oven roasted vegetables, potatoes, carrots, onions, or your favorite side dish." ~ Teresa

Beef Pot Roast

2 teaspoons olive oil
4 pounds boneless chuck roast
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Heat a heavy Dutch oven on top of the stove over medium high heat. Add oil, and sear meat in the center of the pan for 4 minutes. Turn meat over with tongs; sear all sides for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove meat from pan. Arrange onion, garlic, and 1 bay leaf in the bottom of the pan, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Return meat to pan, place remaining bay leaf on top of meat, and cover.
3. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Reduce the heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove roast to a platter to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice, and top with onions and gravy.

Okay Theresa, now I'm thinking NO liquid. I bought this roast at Costco and there are two equal pieces in the package and I'm only cooking one at a time so I can try two options. If I'm putting the vegetables in with the roast during the last part of the cooking time does that typically require more liquid where cooking only the meat does not?

I am cooking this in a dutch/french oven. I have a medium sized round Le Creuset - originally I wanted an oval but could not find one in the discontinued color I really wanted. Well, yesterday I could not resist buying a nice red 6 qt. oval one at Costco - their Kirkland brand. It was only $49.99 so if I end up not liking it as well as Le Creuset it won't be a huge loss. It seems pretty nice though.

You will have some juice in the bottom of the pan if you don't add liquid, but remember all that juice came from the meat.
I have had it both ways, I really prefer a true braise for a chuck roast...moist heat, very slow cooking.
Gibby if you have a Le Cruset dutch oven....that's perfect! It's just made for a pot roast.
And apologies to Ina and Peppi, but that sort of a recipe is not a true yankee potroast...I can feel the earth rumble from Grandmother Prescott turning in her grave! LOL!
Not that it's not delicious...I wouldn't turn it down, but a true yankee potroast doesn't have carrots in the gravy....and frankly I don't even want carrots cooked in the same pot...that makes it more of a stew to me. I prefer just onion, garlic..herbs and possibly some mushrooms.
Yeah...I'm a purist! LOL!
Linda C

Pot roast is one of my favorites. I usually use a 3lb chuck roast. I season it and brown it in a little oil and then remove it and saute 2 onions and a little garlic. I add the meat back and add about 3 cups of beef broth. I simmer it on low for about 2 1/2 hours. It makes a lot of gravy but I usually make it with egg noodles and plan for leftovers so I am happy with all that extra gravy. It isn't boiled at all, just fork tender pot roast. I never add veggies to my pot so I can't comment on that but a low simmer won't boil the meat.

Personally I never add veggies to my pot roasts. It would alter the flavor of the juices.

Moni

I don't brown mine -- just put a trimmed chuck roast in the slow cooker. Mix 2 cups water with a packet of dry onion soup mix and pour over. Cook on low all day long. Thicken the "gravy" or don't -- either way it is delish!

Now I want pot roast but Alice has decided she doesn't like red meat!

Gibby, with this recipe, I don't put the vegetables in with the pot roast. They could be cooked on top of the stove or roasted in the oven along side the roast but in another covered dish. Again, a heavy lid on the pot while cooking is essential to having a moist roast and sufficient gravy when done. Remember, this cooks slow and low, giving the onions plenty of time to render their natural juice too.

Onion soup mix and most canned broths (except for Trader Joe's low sodium varieties) are way too salty for us.

I thinly slice an onion or two, add several cloves of crushed garlic. Sometimes I flour and brown the meat, sometimes not, and add that to the crock pot with a cup of red wine. 6 hours or so on a medium setting.

Too easy for words. Too good, too!