VIRAL CHUCK ROAST
on Apr 07, 2023, Updated Oct 29, 2025
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This Viral Chuck Roast is my most popular recipe to date! It’s one of the simplest meals you can whip up with literally only three ingredients.
This chuck roast recipe is incredibly versatile and is just as good for a weeknight when you’re looking for something low-maintenance, as it is for a gathering or even a holiday dinner!
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Pin ItIn the Wild West of social media algorithms, we can’t control what goes viral, but out of all of my recipes, I’m so glad this easy chuck roast recipe took the bait!
It’s literally only 3 ingredients: chuck roast, salt, and pepper.
So many of you have fallen in love with this meal and I’ve received hundreds of messages and photos of how you enjoy it with your family and friends!
It’s become a weekly staple for so many people!
If you’re intimidated by cooking a roast, give this one a try! The technique couldn’t be easier and it requires zero prep. Can’t wait to see what you make out of it!
Ingredients for This Viral Easy Chuck Roast Recipe
- 1 boneless beef chuck roast, about 4 pounds
- Salt
- Pepper
How to Make Tender Chuck Roast In The Oven
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Season the chuck roast generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Be generous here!
Add the roast to a Dutch Oven or baking dish with a lid. (Alternatively, you can use aluminum foil if you don’t have a baking dish with a lid).
Bake for 1 hour per pound of meat, so a 4 pound chuck roast will bake for around 4 hours.
When the roast is done, remove it from the oven and shred into large chunks using two forks. If the roast isn’t literally falling apart, put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes or so.
Increase the oven temperature to 425°F.
Toss the shredded pieces in the rendered fat and place back in the oven, uncovered for about 25 minutes. This will crisp up the edges and make it truly irresistible. Serve and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions For Making the Easiest Chuck Roast Recipe
Now, as this is one of my most popular recipes you can imagine that I’m asked a lot of questions about it. Thankfully, cooking a chuck roast is really forgiving so there really isn’t much that can go wrong!
If you have a Dutch Oven (I love my Le Creuset Heritage Rectangular Casserole), definitely use that. If not, you can absolutely use a baking dish with a lid. Or, use a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Others have found success making this in a crockpot. Just cook it on high heat for 6 hours or on low heat for 8 hours. You won’t get the crispy bits like you do in the oven, but the flavor will still be amazing!
You don’t have to take the extra step to brown the meat. That said, if you want to sear it ahead of time you certainly can. Because a chuck roast is a nice fatty cut of meat, there’s no need to add any additional oil, broth, or water to the pan either. The meat will roast slowly in the oven and all those delicious juices will help keep the meat tender and moist.
A 4-pound roast will typically serve 6 to 7 people. I typically account for 1/2 pounds of meat per person. So even if you’re not hosting people, you’ll have plenty of leftovers throughout the week for easy lunches and dinners.
When picking a roast I like to look for a fatty cut with a lot of marbling. I don’t always have the best of luck with grass-fed roasts — most are just too lean and tough. The important thing is using a nice fatty roast or else it will never get to the point where it shreds easily. If you’re finding that it isn’t shredding as easily as you’d like, it’s likely a tougher cut of meat. Next time, just look for something that is more on the fattier side.
Try This Chuck Roast With:
- Viral Chuck Roast Tacos
- Honey Glazed Carrots
- Herb and Maple Roasted Cauliflower
- Crispy Baked Salt and Vinegar Potatoes
- Homemade Baked Beans (Refined Sugar-Free)
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VIRAL CHUCK ROAST
Ingredients
- 1 boneless beef chuck roast, about 4 pounds (see note 1)
- Salt and pepper, to generously season
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Season your roast generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Add to a baking dish, cover, and bake for 1 hour per pound of meat.
- Remove the roast from the oven and shred it into large chunks using two forks. If the roast is not pulling apart easily, put it back in the oven for 30 min.
- Raise the oven heat to 425° F.
- Toss the shredded pieces of roast around in the rendered fat and place it back in the oven, uncovered, for 25 minutes until you see some nice crispy caramelized ends.
- Serve and ENJOY!!
Notes
- Pick a nice fatty roast otherwise it won’t shred easily.
- While this recipe only requires salt and pepper, I make different versions depending on what else I’m serving. Taco seasoning, for example, is a great addition especially if you’re planning to make my Viral Chuck Roast Tacos. Season however you like — the important thing here is the cooking technique.
- I like to cook my roast in an enameled cast iron that has a fitted lid but you are welcome to use a glass baking dish and can cover with aluminum foil.
- I like to serve this with roasted potatoes and carrots. Just cube them up, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and roast at 425°F for 45 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a go to my house several nights some weeks. It’s so easy. so versatile. So inexpensive and very yummy.
Thank you so much, Nikki! So glad it’s a favorite for you!
Wow, This is so simple and delicious! I only had a bone in roast, but this still worked very well with it. Thank you so much for sharing such an easy recipe. My husband absolutely loved it!
Thank you, Tammy! I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed this one!
This was such a simple recipe and so delicious. It was my first time making a roast and I was scared it would be dry but it was absolutely perfect. Only change I made was added a tiny bit of olive oil to my Dutch oven + half an onion.
Hi, Fay! I’m so glad it was a success! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and a review.
This is exactly the way my mother made Chuck roast many years ago. It was a cheap cut of meat, though not any longer, and how she fed five kids and a meat and potatoes eating husband. She put the roast in a cast iron skillet with an envelope of Lipton Onion soup sprinkled on top. The skillet did not have a lid, so she put an inverted cake pan on top. Crazy looking but it was by far the best meal ever. Nice to see you don’t add liquid or sear first! Mom knows best!!
Love that, Joyce! Thank you for sharing!
Absolutely incredible! We make bbq beef bowls with this, coleslaw, roasted sweet potatoes, pickles, and a drizzled bbq sauce.
That sounds amazing! Thank you so much for sharing, DK!
Household staple! So delicious and versatile. Bonus: this is one of my favorite baby-led-weaning recipes. My baby has had this on his monthly meal rotation since 6months old.
So glad this is a family (and baby) favorite! 🙂 Thank you for leaving a comment and a review, Abigail!!
HI Olivia, I am so excited serving this tonight for a dinner party. Unfortunately I may cooked it too long all of the juices are gone. what would you suggest adding when I put it in the over for the crisping up part? Thank you Jen
Hi Jennifer! Next time, you can add some ghee or avocado oil to the pan to help with crisping it if all of the juice is gone. Next time too, try to look for a fattier piece of meat at the store. I haven’t had much luck with any grass-fed chuck roast cuts as I find them too lean for this recipe.
Some recipes are more than worth remembering, especially those that are so fundamentally simple but yields a finished product that no one can turn down. I love my slow cooker, but this is by far the best way to cook a Chuck roast. i have alternated seasonings (salt and pepper, garlic salt, dry ranch mixture, etc) and all add a bit of different flavor to an already excellent dish. Kudos for sharing!
So so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing, James!
A carnivore staple in this house!!! The only thing my kids ask for on repeat! Thank you!
Thank you, Samantha! That makes me so happy to hear! So glad you and your kids love it.
Made this in my oven and it turned out perfect. Have you ever tried doing it in a slow cooker? Would love to just be able to just cook it all day.
So glad to hear you love it, Diana! I haven’t personally tried the crockpot but some members of my community have and they said it turned out great. You just won’t get that same crisp at the end!