The Secret To Nailing Perkins' Beloved Pot Roast Breakfast Skillet...

The Secret To Nailing Perkins' Beloved Pot Roast Breakfast Skillet At Home

scrambled eggs, meat, vegetables, and cheese in a white bowl

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

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Perkins opened up in 1958 as a pancake house, but over the years has expanded its menu to include all three meals. The chain is all about those comfort food classics like pot roast, something recipe developer Julianne De Witt says it's been known to repurpose. As she told us, "Their skillet dishes use dinner meat leftovers [as] filling breakfast or brunch menu items." One such breakfast item to follow this format is the pot roast breakfast skillet, which joined the Perkins lineup as part of a limited fall 2025 menu run. So, while you may not be able to find Perkins' pot roast breakfast skillet in stores after the fall season, you can luckily still enjoy it at home thanks to this recipe recreation.

"This copycat Perkins breakfast skillet is hearty and satisfying," De Witt says. "The roast is simply seasoned and cooked slowly until tender." She notes that you can cook the meat in a Crockpot if that's more convenient, and adds that the skillet can be made with leftover pot roast if you have any on hand. She also says that while she cooked her hash browns in an air fryer and pan-fried the other vegetables, you can choose to bake them all together in the oven. You can also broil the cheese if you wish, although this step isn't necessary since it'll melt in the residual heat from the other ingredients.

Gather the ingredients for this copycat Perkins pot roast breakfast skillet

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

For the pot roast itself, you'll be using chuck roast, although beef brisket or bottom round will also work. You'll also need salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, beef stock, carrots, onion, and garlic to cook it with. For the breakfast skillet itself you'll need frozen hash browns, a red bell pepper, eggs, and cheddar, and parsley for garnish.

Step 1: Preheat the oven

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Preheat the oven to 300 F.

Step 2: Season the meat

string-wrapped raw chuck roast on a wooden board next to a bowl of seasonings

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Season the roast on all sides with the kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.

Step 3: Grease and heat the pan

hand holding a spray can over a black frying pan

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Spritz a frying pan with cooking spray and place it over medium-high heat.

Step 4: Sear the roast

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Place the roast in the pan and sear it on all sides.

Step 5: Transfer the roast to a Dutch oven

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Once seared, add the roast and beef stock to a Dutch oven.

Step 6: Braise the meat and vegetables

meat, vegetables, and liquid in a white pot

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Add the carrots, onion, and garlic cloves. Cover and cook in the oven for 2 to 3 hours or until the meat is tender.

Step 7: Cook the hash browns

hand holding a green pepper grinder over an air fryer full of potato cubes

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Once the roast is close to being done, prepare the rest of the skillet components. Season the hash browns to taste with salt and pepper and cook according to the instructions on the package, either in the air fryer or oven.

Step 8: Fry the onions and peppers

hand holding a wooden spoon in a pan of vegetables

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Spritz a small pan with cooking spray and saute the sliced peppers and onions. Keep warm.

Step 9: Beat the eggs

hand holding a green pepper grinder over a bowl of raw eggs

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Whisk the eggs and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Step 10: Cook the eggs

hand holding a rubber spatula in a pan of raw beaten eggs

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Scramble the eggs in a small pan. Keep warm.

Step 11: Shred the beef

partially shredded beef on a wooden board

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Using two forks, shred the beef into bite sized pieces.

Step 12: Begin building the breakfast bowls

potatoes, peppers, and onions in two white bowls

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Divide the hash browns between two bowls, then top with the peppers and onions.

Step 13: Put the beef and eggs in the bowls

scrambled eggs, meat, and vegetables in two white bowls

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Add the shredded beef and eggs.

Step 14: Garnish and serve the pot roast breakfast skillets

scrambled eggs, meat, vegetables, and cheese in two white bowls

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Top with the cheese and finish with the parsley.

What to serve with pot roast breakfast skillets

This hearty copycat Perkins pot roast breakfast skillet features slow-cooked chuck roast, scrambled eggs, sauteed peppers and onion, and hash browns.

scrambled eggs, meat, vegetables, and cheese in a white bowl

Total time: 2 hours, 25 minutes

1 pound chuck roast
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
4 cups beef stock
2 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
½ onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
4 cups frozen diced hash browns
1 red pepper, sliced
½ onion, sliced
6 eggs
½ cup grated cheddar
1 tablespoon minced parsley

Preheat the oven to 300 F.
Season the roast on all sides with the kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
Spritz a frying pan with cooking spray and place it over medium-high heat.
Place the roast in the pan and sear it on all sides.
Once seared, add the roast and beef stock to a Dutch oven.
Add the carrots, onion, and garlic cloves. Cover and cook in the oven for 2 to 3 hours or until the meat is tender.
Once the roast is close to being done, prepare the rest of the skillet components. Season the hash browns to taste with salt and pepper and cook according to the instructions on the package, either in the air fryer or oven.
Spritz a small pan with cooking spray and saute the sliced peppers and onions. Keep warm.
Whisk the eggs and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Scramble the eggs in a small pan. Keep warm.
Using two forks, shred the beef into bite sized pieces.
Divide the hash browns between two bowls, then top with the peppers and onions.
Add the shredded beef and eggs.
Top with the cheese and finish with the parsley.

What is chuck roast and how should it be cooked?

seasoned and string-wrapped raw chuck roast on a wooden board

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Chuck roast is a relatively inexpensive cut of beef that comes from the shoulder of a cow, a muscle that gets quite a workout as its bovine host moves around. As such, it's very lean and can easily become tough if cooked too quickly. Low and slow cooking, however, suits it very well, and it's considered to be one of the best types of meat to use for pot roast.

Typically, chuck roast is oven-braised or cooked in a Crockpot, which breaks down the muscle tissues and tenderizes the meat. It can also be slow-smoked — in fact, some call it "poor man's brisket." Other unique ways to cook chuck roast include sous videing it, reverse searing it, velveting it for use in a stir-fry, or slicing it into strips and drying it out to make DIY beef jerky. It can also be added to slow-simmered stews or chilis, or even spit-roasted if you happen to own a rotisserie grill.

What can I do with leftover pot roast?

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

If you're cooking a chuck roast weighing a pound or more, you will have leftover meat after you're done making this breakfast skillet, so only shred what you need. The rest of the roast will last for up to four days in the refrigerator, and can be reheated either sliced or shredded in a frying pan greased with butter or oil.

Of course, you can also take those leftovers and use them to make a variety of other dishes. One place to start would be by recreating some of Perkins' other about-to-be-discontinued pot roast dishes, including a barbecue pot roast burger, a cheese-smothered pot roast sandwich melt, and loaded pot roast tot-chos. Shredded pot roast can also be used to top the more standard variety of nachos or fill tacos, burritos, or quesadillas. Other ideas include adding leftover pot roast to a soup or pasta sauce, making a french dip sandwich, folding it into an omelet, slicing it over a ramen or rice bowl, or shredding it to make shepherd's pie or beef stroganoff.