For The Most Flavorful, Tender Pot Roast, Marinate Your Beef Overnight

There's nothing quite like coming home at the end of the day and being hit with the cozy, comforting smell of a pot roast that's been cooking for hours. It turns out that your pot roast can actually start the process of maxing out its deliciousness long before it even hits the pot. James Beard Award-winning chef and Food Network star Andrew Zimmern spoke exclusively with Chowhound at the New York City Wine & Food Festival, where he shared his tips for creating a showstopping pot roast. One of his go-to tips requires you to play a bit of the long game, as he recommends marinating your roast overnight for maximum flavor.

What, exactly, does Zimmern say should go into your marinade? He keeps it pretty simple by combining red wine with garlic and onions. You can also throw in your favorite herbs. "Maybe some fresh thyme in there, drain it, save the wine because you can actually use that again to braise in," said Zimmern. (You can safely reuse your meat marinade to braise your roast as long as you bring it up to a boil before using.) After your roast has finished marinating, Zimmern recommends patting it dry and then browning it in a large pot. "Eight quarts is usually the one that I like at a minimum, or ten quarts," he said. Dutch ovens are particularly well suited to cooking pot roast. "I like Staubs and Le Creuset and other ones that are heavily insulated," he added. Let's take a look at some of Zimmern's other tips for making an unforgettable pot roast.

You've marinated your roast, you've created a nice sear, and now you're ready to add the next component: vegetables. "The veg that's going to cook with your beef is not necessarily the veg that's going to wind up on the plate for your guests," Andrew Zimmern says. Pot roast needs plenty of time to become tender, but vegetables can become mushy and overcooked over the same time period. That's why he separately sautes the veggies that he's going to serve alongside the roast. The ones cooked with the roast, meanwhile, can be incorporated into the sauce (or you can discard them — it's your call).

After sauteing the vegetables, Zimmern recommends mixing them in with your roast before serving. Carrots, pearl onions, and mushrooms are classics for a reason, and other options like peas, parsnips, and rutabagas also give the dish an interesting texture and flavor. While starting your pot roast the night before takes a little bit of advance planning, following the overnight marinade tip and Zimmern's other recommendations can set you up for an unforgettably cozy meal.