Cross Rib Roast

This cross rib roast recipe results in a perfectly tender flavourful beef pot roast that can easily be cut with a fork. Oh, and I'll share my awesome gravy recipe too!

Cooking is so cool. Like not so much the act of doing it, but when you really think about cooking, it's really fascinating.

It's taking raw ingredients and turning them into something that's more than the sum of their parts. And the coolest part, for me, is that we're really connecting over it.

Cooking is not innate, it's all learned, taught, and handed down in some way or another. And as someone who loves vintage and heirlooms, this is just so cool to me.

This cross rib roast recipe is dedicated to all things learned, taught and handed down.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Recipe:
• Tips + Tricks
• What Is A Cross Rib Roast?
• How Big A Roast Should You Buy?
• Key Ingredients
• How To Cook A Cross Rib Roast
• How To Make Gravy From A Roux
• Batch + Storage:
• How To Reheat Pot Roast
• What to serve with cross-rib roast:
• 📖 Printable Recipe
• Pin This Cross Rib Roast Recipe!

Why You'll Love This Recipe:

• This is hands down, my favorite cut for roast beef. It's not Prime Rib, and it doesn't pretend to be.
• It's tender, delicious, and perfect for Sunday Pot Roast Dinners.
• The cooking time is mostly hands-off, and you'll love how the oven does the heavy lifting for you in this recipe.
• The gravy is easy, and I've included a hack handed down from my dear Grandma to ensure the silkiest gravy you'll ever make!
• A high-temperature sear at the beginning of the cooking time helps to lock in moisture and create tons of flavor due to browning.

Tips + Tricks

No. 1 --> Browning flour for the gravy is a trick I learned from my Grandma! It speeds up the cooking time of your roux-based gravy substantially, and it's so easy. Browning the flour also takes out the "raw" flavor flour can have and it doesn't clump the same as unbrowned flour would.

No. 2 --> Don't skip the sear! I say this with every single recipe that requires a sear, and I mean it sincerely. Searing a roast at a high temperature and then reducing the temperature for the remainder of the cooking time greatly improves the outcome by locking in moisture and slowly allowing the entire cut to come to cooked temperature, you're reducing evaporation and dryness.

No. 3 --> This recipe is a combination of both dry roasting and braising and the results are epic, but to ensure even more tenderness when your yummy roast hits your plate, ensure that you rest it for at least 10 minutes before slicing, and as always, slice against the grain of the meat for the most tender, melt in your mouth bite.

No. 4 --> It's scary, but don't rely solely on internal temperature when you're cooking a tough roast filled with connective tissue. Think of a tough roast like you would a brisket or pork butt, both are absolutely delicious when cooked properly, but if undercooked, they can be tough and unpalatable. See the recipe below for information on doneness.

What Is A Cross Rib Roast?

The cross rib roast hails from the chuck primal cut. This primal is located beneath the neck, between the shoulder and the brisket.

Chuck cuts are perfect if you're looking for rich, beefy, and flavorful roasts. Like most cuts from the chuck, cross rib roasts perform best when oven roasted or braised to bring out their cut-it-with-a-fork-tenderness.

Cross rib roasts are like the man with two first names! They are also commonly called the boneless chuck roast, Boston cut, clod roast, and shoulder center roast - depending on your location and your butcher.

If you can't find a cross rib at your local butcher or grocery store, just ask, I'm sure they'd be happy to help you find one!

How Big A Roast Should You Buy?

Typically, when you're shopping for a roast, you'll budget for 1/2 lb per adult and 1/4 lb per kid for boneless cuts like the cross rib.

I have a family of 4; two adults, and two kids, and I would budget for at least 1 1/2 lb roast for us for dinner.

If you're using this recipe on another chuck roast that happens to be bone-in, account for 3/4 lb per adult and 1/2 lb per kid!

Key Ingredients

Cross rib roast: Look for a fresh roast when you're shopping - the label will tell you the package date, but the appearance of the roast will guide you as well. Look for bright red flesh that's firm to the touch.

Salt, pepper, garlic: When cooking a roast as tasty as this, we don't need to mask the flavor. A simple salt, pepper, and garlic seasoning really make the beef flavor pop and make for a tasty gravy.

Flour and butter: - Oh yeah, we're doing it! I'm gonna walk you through how to make gravy from a roux with your drippings. This will be your new favorite, I'm sure.

How To Cook A Cross Rib Roast

Prepare:

1. Preheat oven to 400f.
2. Generously apply coarse kosher salt, coarse ground black pepper, and garlic powder to the outside of your roast on all sides.

Sear:

1. Place the roast in an oven-safe dutch oven and place in the lower third of the oven, uncovered to sear.
2. Brown the roast uncovered for 15 minutes, then turn the roast, and brown again on 4 sides, 15 minutes each. For a total of 60 minutes.

Braise:

1. Add 1-2 cups water to the roaster, enough to make about 1/2" in the bottom of the pan. Then cover and return to the oven. Reduce temperature to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Roast, covered at 275f for 2-3 hours depending on the size of your roast, until the meat is tender. This usually takes 3 hours for a 4lb roast and 2 1/2 - 3 hours for a 3 lb roast. The temptation is often to cook by internal temperature, but when cooking a well-used muscle, like the cuts from the chuck, you need to rely on other methods of doneness. To test the roast for doneness, pierce it with a knife or temperature probe - a tender chuck roast is done when the probe enters the meat with little to no resistance.
3. Once tender, remove the cross rib roast from the oven, transfer the roast from the dutch oven to a plate, and tent it with tinfoil while you make gravy, if desired. If you're not making gravy, allow the roast to rest for at least 10 minutes.

How To Make Gravy From A Roux

1. Strain the liquids in the roaster into a fat separator or a pancake batter dispenser. Wipe the pot dry with a paper towel. If you do not have 2 cups of the reserved liquid, add beef broth or water and beef boullion to the reserved liquids to make 2 cups. Set aside.
2. Add 1/4 cup of flour to the bottom of the pot, heating over medium-high heat, whisking regularly until nicely caramel brown. This takes a few minutes, but once the flour begins to brown it goes quickly.
3. Add 1/4 cup of unsalted butter to the pot, and whisk until completely dissolved. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook until the roux looks like peanut butter and starts to smell nutty, about 4- 5 minutes.
4. Start adding the drippings to the roux whisking after each addition. Simmer the gravy until it thickens. Add fresh ground pepper if desired.

Batch + Storage:

Batch:

When shopping for roast beef, purchase 1/2 lb per adult and 1/4 lb per child that will be served.

A 2 lb roast is enough to feed my family of 4 with very little leftovers, but my kids are basically teenagers!

Storage:

This cross rib roast will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or sealed in a freezer friendly container for up to 2 months.

Alternatively, your leftover cross rib can be thinly sliced and used in sandwiches (with half-sour pickles, obviously!) Yum!

How To Reheat Pot Roast

In the oven:

If you're planning on reheating your roast, preheat the oven to 325f. Slice the roast into serving sized slices, like 1/2 inch or so. Place them into a baking dish and pour enough beef broth to cover the slices. Cover the dish and bake at 325f for 30-45 minutes, or until heated through.

Via sous vide:

Slice the roast into 1/2" slices, and place in a ziplock bag, Stasher bag, or vacuum seal with a few tablespoons of beef broth and place into a preheated water bath at 150f and heat 30 minutes, or until heated through.

What to serve with cross-rib roast:

If you're going big with a delicious cross rib roast, let's get some sides to match!

Pin This Cross Rib Roast Recipe!

Note:

This recipe was updated with new photos in April 2023 and extra information added. The recipe remains unchanged. The original photos can be seen below.