The reason they call it Yankee Pot Roast is because of New England's Frugality.
Yankee Pot Roast got it's name because it's a frugal dish with added vegetables to make the meat go much further and fill you up.
Yankee has many different meanings and in New England Yankee can refer to being frugal and thrifty while in the USA it refers to a person living in the USA.
Pot Roast and Yankee Pot Roast are similar but the difference is in the ingredients and the way it's cooked.
Regular Pot Roast is braised in liquid while Yankee Pot Roast is cooked and served with root vegetables including carrots, turnips, parsnip and potatoes.
The regular pot roast and Yankee Pot Roast are the same Pot Roast but just cooked differently and served with different ingredients.
When making Yankee Pot Roast the best cut of meat for Yankee Pot Roast is Beef Chuck which is also known as Chuck Steak.
Chuck Steak or Beef Chuck Roast is what is commonly used in making the perfect Yankee Pot Roast.
You can use other cuts of steak to make Yankee Pot Roast but commonly Beef Chuck or Chuck Steak is the cut of meat used.
I always used Chuck Steak when making Yankee Pot Roast or just standard Pot Roast.
Roast Beef also makes good pot roast.
But if you order Yankee Pot Roast or just plain Pot Roast then it will be made using Chuck Steak.
Chuck Steak can be found in almost any Grocery Store including Walmart but if you cannot find it there then check around for a local meat butcher as they may have it.