Cider-Braised Campfire Dutch Oven Pot Roast

A thick chuck roast seared hard over coals, then braised for hours in apple cider with onions, garlic, and herbs in a 12-inch camp Dutch oven. Root vegetables go in halfway, apples go in at the end, and the braising liquid turns into a sweet, savory cider gravy.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword beef, Pot roast

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 30

Calories 650kcal

Equipment

12-inch camp Dutch oven (6 qt), charcoal chimney starter, Dutch oven lid lifter, heat-resistant gloves, instant-read meat thermometer

Ingredients

For the roast

1 boneless beef chuck roast 3½–4 lb
2 tsp kosher salt
1½ tsp coarse black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp neutral oil or bacon fat

For the braise

2 yellow onions cut into thick wedges
6 cloves garlic smashed
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups fresh apple cider unfiltered cider, not vinegar
1 cup beef broth
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves

Vegetables and apples

1½ lb baby gold potatoes halved if large
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
2 parsnips cut into 2-inch chunks
2 firm apples Honeycrisp or Braeburn, cored and quartered

For the gravy and finish

2 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp cold water
salt and pepper to taste
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

Light the coals
Light a full charcoal chimney of about 40 briquettes. They're ready when the tops are covered in gray ash, about 15–20 minutes.
Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels. Mix the salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder, then rub it into every side of the roast. Let it sit while the coals finish lighting.
Sear and build the base
Pack 25–30 lit coals in a tight bed and set the Dutch oven on top, lid off. Add the oil and heat until it shimmers.
Lay the roast in and leave it alone for 4–5 minutes, until it releases on its own with a deep brown crust. Sear every side, including the edges, 15–20 minutes total. Move the roast to a plate.
Add the onion wedges to the drippings and stir for 3–4 minutes, until they soften and pick up color. Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for about 1 minute, until the paste darkens and smells sweet.
Pour in the cider and scrape up every browned bit from the bottom. Stir in the broth, vinegar, Worcestershire, and Dijon. Tuck in the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves.

Braise

Nestle the roast back in with any juices from the plate. The liquid should come about halfway up the meat. Put the lid on and switch to braising heat: 12 coals in a ring underneath and 10 on the lid (about 325°F). You want a lazy simmer, not a rolling boil.
Braise for 1½ hours. Rotate the oven a quarter turn and the lid a quarter turn the other way every 15–20 minutes. Light a half chimney (about 20 briquettes) at the 45-minute mark and swap in fresh coals top and bottom as the old ones fade. If the liquid drops below a third of the way up the roast, add a splash of broth or cider.
Add the potatoes, carrots, and parsnips around the roast and push them down into the liquid. Flip the roast. Cover and braise for 1 hour more, keeping the coals fresh.
Tuck the apple quarters in on top of the vegetables. Cover and braise another 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Check for doneness. A fork should slide in and twist easily, and the meat should pull apart in thick pieces, about 195–205°F inside. The potatoes and carrots should be tender all the way through. If the roast still fights the fork, give it another 20–30 minutes.
Make the gravy and serve
Move the roast, vegetables, and apples to a platter and tent with foil. Remove the herb stems and bay leaves.
Take the coals off the lid and set the uncovered oven over about 15 fresh coals. Skim off extra fat and bring the liquid to a simmer. Stir the cornstarch into the cold water, then whisk it into the pot. Simmer for 3–5 minutes, until the gravy coats a spoon. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Pull the roast into big pieces, return it to the pot with the vegetables and apples, and ladle the gravy over the top. Finish with parsley and serve straight from the cast iron.

Notes

Coal rule of thumb: double your Dutch oven's diameter for the total briquette count at about 350°F (24 for a 12-inch oven). Each 2 briquettes added or removed changes the temperature about 25°F.
Wind eats coals fast and makes one side run hot. Use a windbreak or refresh coals more often on breezy days.
If the braise is boiling hard, pull 2–3 coals from the bottom. Too much heat makes chuck tough and stringy.
Cider sweetness varies. If the gravy tastes too sweet, add another splash of apple cider vinegar or a little more Dijon.
Brush ash off the lid before lifting it so none falls into the pot.
Hard cider variation: swap half the fresh cider for a dry hard cider for a deeper, less sweet gravy.
Bacon variation: cook 4 slices of chopped thick-cut bacon in the oven first, sear the roast in the bacon fat, and stir the bacon back in with the onions.
Harvest variation: trade the potatoes for 1½ lb peeled butternut squash chunks, added with the apples.