There is nothing that quite compares to coming home to a rich, savory aroma of a slow cooker beef roast simmering away all day. This classic comfort food is tender, hearty, and smothered in a silky, flavorful gravy that’s perfect for spooning over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles. Best of all, this roast also includes potatoes. If you’ve been searching for a chuck roast that results in tender beef, this pot roast is one you’ll definitely want to save.
Using a well-marbled chuck roast ensures melt-in-your-mouth results after hours of slow cooking. For slow cooker beef, this one takes the cake. As the beef gently cooks alongside carrots, onions, and potatoes, it releases deep, savory flavors that blend perfectly with beef broth and herbs. This recipe is always a hit in my house. Both my husband and kids are always asking for seconds. So much so that I often find myself making this recipe at least once or twice a month. By the time dinner time rolls around, the roast is fork-tender and the veggies are perfectly soft.
The best part of this slow cooker beef is that the slow cooker does most of the work for you. It’s a “set and forget” recipe that provides one of the heartiest, filling, most decadent dishes I can think of. Just a few minutes of prep time and you’re on your way.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you’re a lover of traditional pot roast, you’re gonna love this recipe. Here’s why:
Fork-tender: This pot roast is melt-in-your-mouth delicious and provides a tender beef gravy roast that’s difficult to compare.
Comforting: The rich homemade gravy that coats this chuck roast is just right in the slow cooker.
Minimal prep: This recipe only requires a few minutes of preparation before it’s placed in the slow cooker to cook all day.
Family-friendly: It’s perfect for families of all sizes, especially with heaping amounts of protein and healthy fats. I swear, this is one of the most kid-friendly roasts I’ve ever made.
Gatherings: This is a recipe that’s ideal for weeknights, weekends, and even holiday gatherings. It’s sure to impress a crowd, no matter where you’re serving it at.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Red potatoes: While I recommend red potatoes with this recipe, you can implement your favorite types of potatoes instead. You can also turn to use Russet (brown) or Yukon gold potatoes. One of my favorite ways to put this recipe together is to do so with a combination of various potatoes at once.
Chuck roast: When searching for a chuck roast, seek out slow cooker beef that’s well-marbled. This will help the beef remain soft while preserving it’s melt-in-your-mouth texture once it’s cooked (on low and slow).
Onions: I recommend sweet onions with this recipe. However, if you’re not a fan of onion texture, you can swap it for onion powder or minced onion in a jar. You can omit onion altogether, but it will remove a bit of the flavor from this recipe.
Red wine: If you do not have any red wine in the home, you can omit it entirely. Some also swap the red wine for apple cider vinegar or soy sauce, depending on your taste preferences.
Tips for Success
I highly recommend leaving your chuck roast out on the counter until it reaches close to room temperature (before searing). This will make the meat easier to work with as it breaks down and apart while it sears. This will help bring the melt-in-your-mouth texture to fruition once it has been cooking for some time in your slow cooker.
Storage & Reheating
One of the perks of this recipe is that it can be stored, saved, and reheated later if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers! When I store this pot roast, I typically do so with the use of airtight containers, designed for freezing and refrigeration. You can store this roast in your refrigerator for 3-4 days in the proper storage container. You can also freeze your delicious pot roast for up to 3-4 months with proper labels and containers.
To reheat, remove the pot roast from your fridge or freezer and allow it to come closer to room temperature. You can then reheat on the stove over medium-heat for 10-15 minutes, per serving (in a pot). You can also microwave this roast for 2-3 minutes, per serving, or until warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
If you’re not cooking your roast with potatoes included, you might want to consider making homemade mashed potatoes on the side! This roast pairs perfectly with mashed potatoes. If you want to include a veggie, you can do so by incorporating Mexican street corn into the mix! For a sweet touch, try our Mexican cornbread to serve on the side of this roast!
Notes
We always recommend searing the roast before placing it into the slow cooker. However, if you’re short for time, you can also just place the beef into the slow cooker and skip the searing if you don’t mind missing out on plenty of flavor.
Melt-in-Your-Mouth Roast
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 lbs. Beef chuck roast
- 2 tbsp. Olive oil
- 1 Large yellow onion cut into thick wedges
- 4 Medium carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 lb. Baby red potatoes halved
- 3 Cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup Low-sodium beef broth
- 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp. Tomato paste
- 1 tsp. Dried thyme
- 1 tsp. Dried rosemary
- 2 dried Bay leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup Rendered beef fat skimmed from the slow cooker broth or unsalted butter
- ¼ cup All-purpose flour
- 2 cups Reserved warm cooking liquid from the slow cooker
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Use paper towels to thoroughly pat the entire surface of the chuck roast completely dry. Season the meat generously on all sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, pressing the seasoning firmly into the tissue so it adheres securely.
- Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, lay the roast in the pan and sear undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes until a deep, mahogany brown crust locks onto the surface; flip and repeat on all sides, including the edges, then transfer the meat into the ceramic basin of your slow cooker.
- Reduce the skillet heat to medium and scatter the thick onion wedges into the hot pan drippings. Sauté for 3 minutes, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the dark, caramelized beef bits anchored to the bottom of the pan, then stir in the minced garlic and tomato paste for exactly 60 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, and dried rosemary directly into the warm skillet, stirring to combine the elements into a unified liquid baseline, then remove from the heat.
- Arrange the chunks of carrots and halved baby red potatoes snugly around the seared chuck roast inside the slow cooker basin, tucking the two bay leaves beneath the liquid line. Pour the warm herbed broth from your skillet directly over the beef and vegetables.
- Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook on Low for 8 to 9 hours (or on High for 5 to 6 hours). Avoid lifting the lid during the cycle; maintaining constant, uninterrupted ambient heat is essential for the tough collagen chains to completely unravel into a meltingly tender state.
- Once the timer finishes, carefully lift the pot roast and vegetables out of the liquid using a slotted spoon and place them onto a warm serving platter, covering loosely with aluminum foil to trap the moisture.
- Pour the remaining warm cooking juices through a fine mesh strainer into a large glass measuring cup, letting it sit undisturbed for 3 minutes so the clear lipid fats naturally float to the very top.
- Skim exactly a quarter-cup of that hot beef fat from the surface and drop it into a medium saucepan over medium heat (supplement with unsalted butter if you run short). Whisk in the quarter-cup of all-purpose flour continuously for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour flavor and toast the roux into a golden-brown paste.
- Slowly stream 2 cups of the warm, defatted cooking juices into the saucepan while whisking rapidly to prevent lumps from forming. Bring the gravy to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until it transforms into a thick, glossy, and velvety sauce. Adjust seasonings to taste, shred the tender beef into thick chunks, and ladle the rich gravy generously over the roast and root vegetables.
