Brazilian

Serving

Carne de Panela (Brazilian Pot Roast)

Name: Carne de Panela (Brazilian Pot Roast)
Total time: 165 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Brazilian
Ingredients: 3 lbs beef chuck roast, tied; 1 tbsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 onion, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 3 tomatoes, diced; 2 tbsp cachaça (or dry red wine); 1 bay leaf; 3 cups beef broth; 4 carrots, cut into chunks; 4 potatoes, cut into chunks; 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

A homestyle Sunday pot roast, beef chuck braised low and slow with carrots and potatoes in a rich tomato and cachaça-spiked gravy.

165 minutes

Serves 6

Dinner

58 min prep

91 min cook

No common allergens detected

Based on this recipe's ingredient list. Always verify with your own brands and labels.

Good to know

One-pot

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: one-pot dinners

Instructions

7 steps

1
Season the beef chuck roast all over with salt and pepper.
2
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot and sear the roast on all sides until deeply browned, about 10 minutes; remove and set aside.
3
In the same pot, sauté the onion and garlic until fragrant, then add the tomatoes and cook until softened.
4
Deglaze with cachaça, scraping up any browned bits, then add the bay leaf, beef broth, and return the roast to the pot.
5
Cover and simmer over low heat for 1.5 hours, turning occasionally.
6
Add the carrots and potatoes and continue simmering for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables and beef are fork-tender.
7
Discard the bay leaf, slice the roast, and serve with the vegetables and gravy, garnished with parsley.

Carne de Panela (Brazilian Pot Roast) — plated and served — Serving moment. How Carne de Panela (Brazilian Pot Roast) looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

70/100

Good fit for most families

Allergen-friendly 100

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 51

Budget-friendly 80

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 30

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

770

Calories

65 g

Protein

30 g

Carbs

42 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Carne de panela, meat from the pot, is the everyday Sunday roast of Brazilian home cooking, built on the same slow-braise logic found in pot roasts worldwide but finished with a splash of cachaca, Brazil's sugarcane spirit, deglazing the pan instead of red wine. It is comfort food meant to feed a family gathered around the table for hours.

Listahan note

This version deglazes with cachaca rather than wine, which is the detail that makes it distinctly Brazilian, and adds the carrots and potatoes only in the last 30-40 minutes so they finish tender rather than disintegrating into the gravy.

Technique cues

Searing the roast on all sides before braising builds a deep fond in the pot, which becomes the foundation of the gravy once the aromatics and broth go in.
Deglazing with cachaca rather than wine or water lifts the browned bits with a slightly sweeter, more herbal edge that is characteristic of Brazilian braises.
Adding the carrots and potatoes only for the last 30-40 minutes, rather than the full simmer, keeps them from turning mushy while the tougher beef still needs the full 1.5 hours to break down.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Cut the carrots and potatoes while the beef sears and starts its initial simmer, so they're ready to go in exactly when needed.
Make-ahead: The roast can be seared and braised for the first hour a day ahead, refrigerated, then finished with the vegetables when reheating.
Leftover move: Shred leftover roast into the leftover gravy and serve over rice or in a sandwich roll the next day.
Cleanup rhythm: Deglaze the pot with a little water while it's still warm right after serving, before the reduced gravy has a chance to dry onto the sides.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

beef chuck roast, tied

main protein

Purpose: chuck has enough connective tissue and marbling to turn fork-tender over a long, slow braise without drying out

Handling: season generously and sear on all sides until deeply browned before braising

Adaptation: beef brisket works similarly, though it may need a touch longer in the pot to reach the same tenderness

cachaca (or dry red wine)

deglazing liquid

Purpose: cachaca's slightly sweet, grassy character lifts the browned fond from the pot and gives the braise a distinctly Brazilian flavor base

Handling: pour in right after sauteing the tomatoes and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot before adding broth

Adaptation: a dry red wine is the recipe's own suggested substitute, and works well if cachaca isn't on hand

carrots, cut into chunks

braised vegetable

Purpose: carrots hold their shape through the last 30-40 minutes of simmering and add natural sweetness to balance the savory braise

Handling: cut into chunks similar in size to the potatoes so both finish tender at the same time

Adaptation: parsnips add a similar sweetness with a slightly more peppery note

potatoes, cut into chunks

braised vegetable and gravy thickener

Purpose: the potatoes soak up the beefy braising liquid and their starch helps thicken the gravy slightly as they cook

Handling: cut into chunks and add along with the carrots only in the last 30-40 minutes of simmering

Adaptation: waxy Yukon gold potatoes hold their shape a bit better than starchy russets in a long braise

Technique notes

Sear the roast on all sides, including the ends, rather than just the top and bottom - an even sear builds fond across more of the pot's surface for a deeper gravy.
Keep the braise at a gentle simmer, not a boil, for the full 1.5 hours before the vegetables go in, since a hard boil toughens the beef instead of breaking it down.
Check the vegetables at the 30-minute mark rather than assuming the full 40 minutes is needed - potatoes especially can go from tender to falling apart quickly.

Ingredient swaps

Gluten-free direction: Naturally gluten-free as written; just check the beef broth for any wheat-based additives.
Dairy-free option: Wherever dairy shows up here, a neutral dairy-free butter or oil and a full-fat plant milk (oat or coconut work best for body) is the straightforward stand-in. This one leans on the beef chuck roast.
Lower-sodium direction: Use a low-sodium beef broth and cut the added salt by about a third, adjusting to taste once the gravy has reduced.
Weeknight shortcut: Use a pressure cooker to braise the beef in about 45 minutes instead of 1.5 hours, then add the vegetables and finish on the stovetop.

Serve alongside

White rice
Farofa
Sauteed collard greens
Crusty bread
Medium-bodied red wine
Cold lager
Sparkling water with lime

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days
Reheat gently over low heat with a splash of broth to loosen the gravy
Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating

Equipment

Large heavy pot or Dutch oven
Kitchen twine (for tying the roast)
Sharp carving knife
Ladle

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