Crock Pot Roast Slow Cooker Pot Roast
This crock pot roast is the classic slow cooker pot roast: a chuck roast, potatoes, carrots and a deeply beefy gravy. Seven to eight hours on low turns a tough cut into tender slices that fall apart at the touch of a fork.
8
servings20
minutes8
hoursA seared chuck roast cooks on a bed of onions with potatoes and carrots in beef broth and herbs. The juices become a thick, rich gravy.
Ingredients
3.5 lb boneless beef chuck roast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 large yellow onion, cut in thick wedges
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1.5 lb baby potatoes, halved
5 carrots, cut in 2-inch pieces
1.5 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Directions
- Pat the chuck roast dry and season all over with the salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the roast for 4 minutes per side until deeply browned. Move it to a plate.
- Put the onion and garlic on the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Whisk the beef broth, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl and pour it in.
- Set the roast on top of the onions. Tuck the thyme and bay leaves around it.
- Arrange the potatoes and carrots around the roast, not on top of it.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours or on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours. The roast should reach about 200°F and shred with a fork.
- Move the roast and vegetables to a platter and tent with foil. Remove the herbs.
- Skim fat from the juices. Whisk the cornstarch and water together, stir it into the juices on HIGH, and cook 10 minutes until thick.
- Slice or shred the roast and serve with the gravy.
Notes
- Do not trim all the fat, it keeps the meat moist. A 3 to 4 pound roast is the right size for a 6-quart cooker. Swap the potatoes for parsnips or turnips. Keeps 4 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer, without the potatoes.
Why chuck roast and the slow cooker are made for each other
Chuck roast comes from the shoulder of the cow, a muscle that works hard and carries a lot of connective tissue. That is what makes it chewy when cooked quickly, and what makes it wonderful when cooked slowly. Over many hours at a low temperature, the collagen melts into gelatin and the beef turns silky and moist.
The slow cooker is the easiest way to hold that low heat. It stays steady, it traps moisture, and it frees your oven. You put it on in the morning and dinner is ready when you come home.
Size matters too. A roast of three to four pounds fits a 6-quart cooker with room for vegetables and liquid. A bigger piece cooks unevenly, so cut a very large roast in two.
Buying the roast and the vegetables
Chuck roast: Look for good marbling, white streaks of fat running through the meat. Lean cuts like round roast get dry and stringy.
Potatoes: Baby or Yukon Gold potatoes hold their shape. Large russets break down and cloud the gravy.
Carrots: Cut them in thick two inch pieces. Thin slices melt into the broth.
Beef broth: Use low-sodium, because the juices concentrate as they cook.
Tomato paste and Worcestershire: They are the quiet flavor boosters. They give the gravy a deep, roasted taste without tasting like tomato.
Tips for a tender, not stringy, roast
Sear it first: Browning takes ten minutes and builds flavor you cannot get any other way. Do not skip it if you want a real roast taste.
Use less liquid than you think: The most common mistake is drowning the roast. The beef and vegetables release a lot of juice. The broth should come about a third of the way up the meat, no more.
Cook it until it is done, not until the timer says so: If the roast still resists a fork, give it another hour. Undercooked chuck is tough, and it softens quickly once it passes about 195°F.
Rest it before shredding: A 15 minute rest under foil lets the juices settle back into the meat.
Swaps and variations
Add a splash of red wine in place of some of the broth for a deeper gravy, or stir in a spoonful of horseradish at the end for bite. Use a bone-in roast and add an hour. Swap in sweet potatoes if you like, but add them halfway through so they do not collapse. Do not use a frozen roast. It stays in the unsafe temperature range too long, so thaw it first.
For extra rich gravy, strain the juices into a saucepan and simmer them for 10 minutes before thickening. Reduced juices taste more concentrated and need less seasoning.
What to serve with it
The potatoes and carrots make this a full meal. Serve it with warm dinner rolls, buttered green beans or a simple salad. Spoon extra gravy on everything, and put the rest in a pitcher on the table.
Storing and reheating
Refrigerate leftover roast in the gravy for up to 4 days. Slice the meat cold and warm it in the gravy so it does not dry out.
Freeze the beef and gravy for up to 3 months. Potatoes freeze poorly, so leave them out. Reheat in a saucepan over low heat, covered, until hot all the way through. Leftover roast makes great sandwiches and hash.
Crock Pot Roast Slow Cooker Pot Roast at a glance
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cooking time: 8 hours
- Servings: 8 servings
- Ingredients: 15, led by boneless beef chuck roast, olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper
Tips for Crock Pot Roast Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Do not trim all the fat, it keeps the meat moist. A 3 to 4 pound roast is the right size for a 6-quart cooker. Swap the potatoes for parsnips or turnips. Keeps 4 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer, without the potatoes.
Crock Pot Roast Slow Cooker Pot Roast FAQ
How long does Crock Pot Roast Slow Cooker Pot Roast take?
Crock Pot Roast Slow Cooker Pot Roast takes 8 hours of cooking after 20 minutes of prep.
How many people does Crock Pot Roast Slow Cooker Pot Roast serve?
This recipe makes 8 servings.
What do I need to make Crock Pot Roast Slow Cooker Pot Roast?
15 ingredients, led by boneless beef chuck roast, olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper. Amounts are in the recipe card above.
