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Smothered Sweet And Sour Pot Roast

This Smothered Sweet and Sour Pot Roast is sure to amp up your dinner menu with a delicious twist on a classic pot roast with gravy. When I was a child pot roast was our Sunday dinner special. After church we all sat down to a big Sunday lunch as a family.  It wasn’t unusual for there to be a few extras, around our table too.This pot roast has a bit of a twist, in that the sauce takes the flavor palette in a different direction.

Smothered Sweet And Sour Pot Roast

 Easy Smothered Sweet and Sour Pot Roast Recipe

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Season the chuck roast on all sides with garlic salt and black pepper to your taste. In a large dutch oven, sear the roast in olive oil on all sides.
  • While the roast is searing, slice the peppers into 1 inch slices and slice the onion into wedges. Set aside while you prepare the sauce.
  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk together, the tomato sauce, pineapple preserves, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, Dijon and seasonings. [Start with 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese five spice, and add up to 1 tsp to your taste.] Whisk together until well blended. Reserve the cornstarch for thickening the sauce at the end.
  • Center the chuck roast in the dutch oven, or baking dish and arrange the carrots around the edges. Drizzle the roast with 3 tablespoons of soy sauce.
  • Arrange the peppers and onions on top of the roast. Season the veggies with a sprinkle of garlic salt and black pepper to your taste.
  • Drizzle the sauce over the roast and veggies, and cover. Bake for 3 hours. Adjust the cooking time depending on the weight of the chuck roast.
  • Check the roast for tenderness with a fork. Use a slotted spoon to remove the roast and vegetables from the dutch oven. Cover and keep warm while you thicken the sauce.
  • To thicken the sauce place the dutch oven back onto the stove top, and bring the liquid to a boil.
  • Dissolve 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch in a small amount of cold water and whisk this into the hot liquid. Depending on the amount of liquid, you may need more or less cornstarch. Once the liquid has thickened to your satisfaction remove from the heat.
  • To serve, carve the roast, and arrange on a platter with the carrots, peppers and onions. Drizzle with the sweet and sour sauce and serve with rice or mashed potatoes.
ingredients to make Smothered Sweet And Sour Pot Roast

How to Make the BEST Smothered Sweet and Sour Pot Roast

  • Ingredients you’ll need to make a Sweet and Sour Pot Roast: 4 pound chuck roast, garlic salt and black pepper, olive oil, baby carrots, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, purple onion and soy sauce.
  • For the Sweet and Sour Sauce: Tomato sauce, pineapple preserves (orange or apricot),  brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, onion powder, Chinese five spice powder, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes and cornstarch.
  • Kitchen tools you’ll need: Dutch oven, sharp knife and cutting board measuring cups and spoons.
  • This recipe can also be adapted to a slow cooker. Brown the roast on the stovetop then layer in a 6 quart oval slow cooker with the remaining ingredients.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
  • Pour the juices into a saucepan and thicken per the recipe instructions on the stovetop at the end of cooking and just before serving.
  • Store baked Sweet and Sour Pot Roast chilled in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
  • Reheat gently in single servings in the microwave.
plated Smothered Sweet And Sour Pot Roast

More Pot Roast Recipes to Make

There’s nothing like a hearty and filling pot roast for dinner. Other pot roast fix it and forget it recipes to try:

chuck roast on a platter with vegetables

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

Smothered Sweet And Sour Pot Roast

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time3 hours
Resting time10 minutes
Total Time3 hours 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: pot-roast-recipes, smothered-sweet-and-sour-pot-roast
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 689kcal
Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

  • 1 4 lb chuck roast
  • 1 tsp each garlic salt and black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb peeled baby carrots
  • 1 small red bell pepper thinly sliced
  • 1 small yellow bell pepper thinly sliced
  • 1 medium purple onion sliced
  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce
  • For the sauce you’ll need:
  • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup pineapple preserves may adapt with orange or apricot, if desired
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • cornstarch

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Season the chuck roast on all sides with garlic salt and black pepper to your taste. In a large dutch oven sear the roast in olive oil on all sides over medium high heat.
  • While the roast is searing slice the peppers into 1 inch slices and slice the onion into wedges. Set aside while you prepare the sauce.
  • Sauce: In a small mixing bowl,whisk together, the tomato sauce, pineapple preserves, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, Dijon and seasonings. (Start with 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese five spice, and add up to 1 tsp to your taste.) Whisk together until well blended. Reserve the cornstarch for thickening the sauce at the end.
  • Center the chuck roast in the dutch oven or transfer to a baking dish. Arrange the carrots around the edges. Drizzle the roast with 3 tablespoons of soy sauce.
  • Arrange the peppers and onions on top of the roast. Season the veggies with a sprinkle of garlic salt and black pepper to your taste.
  • Drizzle the sauce over the roast and veggies, and cover. Transfer to the oven and bake for 3 hours. Adjust the cooking time depending on the weight of the chuck roast.
  • Check the roast for tenderness with a fork. Use a slotted spoon to remove the roast and vegetables from the dutch oven. Cover and keep warm while you thicken the sauce.
  • To thicken the sauce place the dutch oven back onto the stove top and bring the liquid to a boil.
  • Dissolve 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch in a small amount of cold water and whisk this into the hot liquid. Depending on the amount of liquid, you may need more or less cornstarch. Once the liquid has thickened to your satisfaction remove from the heat.
  • Carve the roast and arrange on a platter with the carrots, peppers and onions. Drizzle with the sweet and sour sauce and serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

Notes

If you don’t have a dutch oven, you can use a heavy covered baking dish. To thicken the sauce, pour the pan juices into a stove top sauce pan and thicken to your preference.
Slow Cooker: Brown the roast and layer in an oval 6-quart slow cooker per the recipe instructions. Cook for 8-10 hours on low. Thicken the sauce on the stovetop per the recipe instructions at the end of cooking.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 689kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 211mg | Sodium: 865mg | Potassium: 623mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 6533IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

 

6 Comments

    1. Hi Julie, you sure can! Brown the pot roast per the recipe then layer per the instructions in a crock pot instead of a Dutch oven. Cook for 8-10 hours on low.

  1. Hi Holly,
    I actually share your dislike for black licorice and I enjoy 5-Spice powder. Star anise does have a licorice flavor, however, in my opinion it’s not the strongest flavor. Only you know your personal tolerance, so, if you’re concerned, you might consider using ground ginger in place of the 5-spice powder. Enjoy!

  2. Thanks for the recipe! I’ve heard the 5 spice powder smells kind of like black licorice which I hate, does the meat end up with that flavor at all?

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