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This Arm Roast Recipe is slow braised in the oven with red wine, beef stock, garlic and herbs. You’ll have a mouth watering, fall-apart tender roast meat after about 3 1/2 hours. Throw in some potatoes and carrots the last hour for a complete meal. If you’re looking for a great slow cooker version, try my Pot Roast Crock Pot Recipe.
Wait, What is Arm Roast?
Arm roast is a cut of tender beef that comes from the shoulder area of the cow. Sometimes labeled as a chuck roast, shoulder roast or arm chuck roast, this cut of meat is so flavorful and fairly inexpensive. It may have shoulder or rib bones in it, or you can sometimes find boneless arm beef roasts. It’s kind of hit and miss at my local grocery store, but if you can find the bone-in that I would recommend grabbing that one as it will yield much more flavor and you’ll get the nutritional benefits as well.
I order beef from a local farmer and always make sure I have a few arm roasts included in my cuts. It has a rich beef flavor and is tender when cooked low and slow, making it a great option for pot roasts and slow cooking methods like braising or roasting. It also is awesome for shredding so it can be used in sandwiches, enchiladas or casseroles.
Ingredients Needed For This Arm Roast Recipe
Here are the main ingredients you’ll need to cook this arm beef roast. All simple ingredients, most you likely have in your pantry already!
- arm roast– Mine was a bone-in 3 lb roast before trimmed of fat.
- salt and black pepper- for seasoning.
- olive oil + butter– for searing the roast.
- garlic cloves– peeled and smashed.
- red wine– dry red (like cabernet). Use something you would actually drink.
- beef stock– or beef broth used as a flavorful cooking liquid.
- fresh herbs– sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Dried herbs are fine too.
- bay leaves- be sure to remove when roast is done cooking.
Variations
- Use boneless chuck roast if you can’t find arm roast.
- Swap out the red wine for balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar for a different flavor profile.
- Add vegetables like russet potatoes or red potatoes, carrots, and yellow onion for a one-pot meal.
- Replace beef stock with vegetable broth for a slightly lighter gravy.
How to Cook an Arm Roast
This is one of my family’s favorite one-pot meals in the colder months! It’s the ultimate comfort food. For full recipe details, including ingredient measurements, see the printable recipe card down below. Here are step by step directions to show you what to expect when making this recipe:
1. Preheat Oven + a Large Dutch Oven
Preheat oven to 300° F. Preheat a large dutch oven or large heavy bottomed pot on medium high heat on the stovetop.
2. Sear the Roast
Liberally season roast with salt and black pepper. Add olive oil and butter to pot. Then add the arm roast, searing on both sides (about 4 minutes each side). Remove roast.
3. Add Garlic + Red Wine
Turn heat down to a low heat and add smashed garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn.
Turn heat OFF and add red wine, scraping all the delicious browned bits from bottom of pot with a wooden spoon. Turn heat back on to a medium-high heat and let wine reduce for 1-2 minutes.
Add roast back into the pot along with enough beef stock to cover, sachet of herbs and bay leaves.
4. Bake in the Oven
Place lid on pot and bake in the oven for 3-3 1/2 hours or until meat is fall-apart tender. Cook times may vary slightly depending on your oven.
Pro Tip: If you are adding potatoes, baby carrots and/or onions to your roast, place large pieces of your vegetables in the pot about 1 hour before roast is done.
Side Dishes to Serve with Pot Roast
Oh, the possibilities are endless! Here are my favorite sides to serve:
- Mashed Potatoes (obviously)
- Roasted Root Vegetables
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Roasted Cauliflower
- Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Homemade Whole Wheat Rolls
- No-Knead Crescent Rolls
Storing Leftover Pot Roast
Allow any leftover roast to cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container with the juices, in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Reheating: The best way to reheat and maintain the moisture and tenderness of the roast is to place in a baking dish with the remaining juices and bake at 325°F until just heated through. Don’t let it go too long or it’ll become dry and tough as an old shoe. You could also warm through on the stove-top if it’s still in its original pot.
To Freeze: Store in an airtight container or freezer safe, airtight bag or container with some of the roast juices (to keep it moist). Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Arm Roast Recipe FAQ
Chuck arm roast should be cooked until it is very tender. Any bones should just be pulling right on out their own. Using a meat thermometer, the internal temperature reading of 203° F is a good target. But the best test is when the meat is fork tender. You’ll easily be able to slide a fork into the meat and not feel much resistance.
Odds are if you have a tough roast it’s because you haven’t cooked it long enough. As the meat cooks, it gets tougher and tougher until it reaches its breaking point and lots of tough connective tissue and fat starts relaxing and melting away.
So if you think your meat is done but it’s still tough, give it a little more cook time. The longer you cook it, the more tender it should become. Keep at it!
Use can whisk 1 TBSP of cornstarch for every 1 cup of liquid to make a nice gravy for your roast. You can also just spoon some of the juices over your meat if you don’t want to thicken it.
More Meat and Potato Recipes to Try!
- Tri-Tip Recipe
- Beef Stew Recipe with Mashed Potatoes
- Braised Beef Short Ribs
- Garlic Pork Loin Roast with Potatoes
- Crock Pot Pork Roast
- Smoked Arm Roast
This arm roast recipe is everything you want for a comforting dinner – easy, flavorful, and great for feeding a crowd. Give it a try, and it might just become your new go-to for those chilly nights! The printable recipe card is below. Have a great day, friends!
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Arm Roast Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lb arm roast
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 6 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 1 cup red wine dry red (like cabernet)
- 32 oz beef stock
- sprigs rosemary fresh, whole
- sprigs thyme fresh, whole
- 2 bay leaves dried
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300° F. Preheat a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot on medium high heat on the stovetop.
- Liberally salt and pepper arm roast. Add olive oil and butter to pot. Then add the arm roast, searing on both sides (about 4 minutes each side). Remove.
- Turn heat down to a low heat and add smashed garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn.
- Turn heat OFF and add red wine, scraping all the good brown bits from bottom of pot with a wooden spoon. Turn heat back on to a medium high heat and let wine reduce for 1-2 minutes.
- Add arm roast back into the pot along with beef broth, sachet of herbs and bay leaves.
- Place lid on pot and bake in the oven for 3-3 1/2 hours or until meat is fall-apart tender.
Can I add mushrooms? When? Whole or sliced?
Eileen, you sure can! You should add them to the pot in the last hour whenever you add potatoes and carrots (if using).
Second time making it and family loves it!!!! Only difference is I don’t use a sachet for herbs, otherwise recipe is followed to a T. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your 5-star review Sue and so glad your family loved the arm roast. It’s soooo comforting.