Perhaps the best beef choice that meets top-quality conditions is a beef chuck roast, which is cut from the shoulder above the short rib, which braises into a perfectly tender pot roast. This tender cut is often sold as chuck shoulder pot roast, chuck roast, beef chuck arm, shoulder steak, chuck seven-bone pot roast, beef chuck, or boneless chuck roast.

Brisket is a wonderful choice for pot roast, and if cut from the chest, or the lower, front portion of the animal, brisket has quite a bit of fat. The fat breaks down in a braise and enriches the sauce the pot roast cooks in, creating a flavor bomb you can soak up with thick-cut bread or buttery mashed potatoes.

While roast beef is cooked dry, the bottom round roast takes very well to the moist, slow-cooked braising method used to make pot roast. This is a very lean cut of meat that might require some extra fat to remain tender while braising in order to prevent chewy braised beef.