How to Make Pot Roast in Slow Cooker
Here's how to make pot roast in a slow cooker with my foolproof recipe. Tender beef chuck roast, vegetables, and savory beef broth create the perfect comfort food for busy weeknights and Sunday dinners!
Servings: 7
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt preferably coarse salt like kosher
- pepper
- 3 to 5 lb. chuck roast could also use top or bottom round roast
- 2 onions peeled and cut in half
- 6-8 medium carrots peeled and cut into 3-inch sticks
- 2 cup beef stock
- 1 teaspoon dry crushed rosemary or 3-4 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2-3 fresh thyme sprigs
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over high heat in a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. Salt and pepper all sides of the roast well. When the oil is shimmering, add the roast and sear it well on all sides (about a minute per side). Remove the roast from the skillet and place it in the bottom of your slow cooker.2-3 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, 3 to 5 lb. chuck roast
- Add the two onions to the same skillet that the roast cooked in and sear them for one minute, cut side down. Add them to the slow cooker.2 onions
- Place the carrots in the skillet and sear them for another minute, stirring often. Add 2 cups of beef stock to the hot skillet to deglaze the pan (the liquid will help remove all the little cooked on bits of vegetable and beef from the pan which adds tons of flavor). Pour the carrots and the broth from the skillet into the slow cooker.6-8 medium carrots, 2 cup beef stock
- Add more beef stock until the roast is half covered in stock (this might be up to another 4 cups of stock). Sprinkle herbs over the contents of the slow cooker.2 cup beef stock, 1 teaspoon dry crushed rosemary or 3-4 fresh rosemary sprigs, 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2-3 fresh thyme sprigs
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for about 4-6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours (may need a little more time if you're using a 5-lb. roast). You'll know your roast is done if you can break off pieces of meat with your fork.
- Serve the meat with the carrots and onion slices over some steaming mashed potatoes with gravy on the top.6-8 medium carrots, 2 onions
Notes
Dutch Oven Method: To make this recipe in the oven, you can sear everything up in a large Dutch oven (6-7 quart) with a tight fitting lid. So follow the directions and instead of placing everything in the slow cooker, just place it on a cookie sheet and then when you are finished deglazing the pan with the broth, add the roast back to the pan and the onions and adjust the broth as needed. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and bake at 250 degrees F. for 3-6 hours depending on your oven and your roast.
Making Gravy from Drippings: You can use the leftover broth and juices from the roast to make gravy! You can use this recipe and just use the juices in place of the broth (and add additional broth as needed to get the amount needed in the recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 of 7 servings | Calories: 431kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 134mg | Sodium: 331mg | Potassium: 987mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 8775IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 5mg
QR code
Scan this QR code with your phone's camera to view this recipe on your mobile device.
