Pot Roast Is More Affordable When You Swap Beef Chuck For This Cut Of Meat — Your Family Will Never Know The Difference!

A pot roast, in all its warm, hearty glory, is the perfect comfort food to make for a crowd. Whether you have family in town or are meal prepping for two, this dish is a crowd-pleasing favorite thanks in large part to its customizability. There's a reason most pot roast recipes list vague ingredients like stewing meat — what you add to the pot is totally up to you. While beef chuck is a standard choice, you shouldn't be afraid to deviate from the script, because there are ways to make pot roast more affordable without sacrificing flavor. If you're ready to swap out the beef chuck, try using pork shoulder instead. 

Once cooked low and slow, the ever-versatile pork shoulder becomes mouth-wateringly tender, just like beef chuck. There's a reason this is the go-to cut for pulled pork! It's a juicy, flavorful cut of pork that is perfect for barbecue beginners. However, pork shoulder is usually way more affordable than beef. For reference, beef chuck can sell for a little over $9 a pound at Walmart, while pork shoulder retails for less than $2 a pound. All of this makes pork shoulder one of the perfect cuts of meat for a stew. If you're ready to buy, remember that this cut goes by many names. You might see shoulder labeled as pork butt, Boston butt, or picnic roast, among other things.

Pork shoulder is a great alternative to beef in a pot roast. Still, for the best of flavors, you can't just set it and forget it. Pork is usually leaner than beef, which means it might not lend the same deliciously rich, fatty flavors as beef. While beef tends to lend a general savory essence, pork also has a sweet, mild flavor. To help balance out the flavors in your pot roast, you might need to add more seasonings than the recipe calls for. You could also experiment with adding different aromatics, such as peppers and onions, that might be a better match for pork's natural flavors.

Still, know that pork shoulder does have one of the highest fat levels of any cut of pork. You might not have to adjust your ratios at all. Still, we suggest you plan on adding some extra seasoning to taste, just in case. Then, for even better flavors on a budget, employ any of these nine other tips you need when cooking pot roast.