Pot Roast – fall apart beef, tender flavour infused vegetables and potatoes smothered in a rich gravy. It’s mouthwateringly good, yet simple to make, especially if you use a slow cooker. However, this beef pot roast recipe can be made in an instant pot, oven OR crockpot – pick which method works best for you!
Pot Roast
Confession: I wasn’t a fan of pot roast for most of my life. I just didn’t get it – the beef and vegetables were fine, but typically they are braised in just liquids that aren’t thickened in any way so the end result is like a watery broth.
Plenty of flavour in it, but when you pour it over the beef and vegetables, it doesn’t cling to it at all because it’s watery.
So I decided to change it and thicken the sauce using a touch of flour. So it’s more like a gravy. Now THAT’s a pot roast worthy of company, in my humble opinion!!!
If you love meltingly tender, slow cooked roast beef and deeply flavoured gravy, this pot roast recipe is for you!
How to make Pot Roast
Season beef well with salt and pepper
Sear beef aggressively – this is KEY for flavour in the broth and the beef!
Sauté onion and garlic, then deglaze* the skillet or pot with red wine (or water or broth);
Tip everything into a slow cooker, instant pot / pressure cooker or casserole pot for oven along with beef broth, carrots and celery;
Sprinkle with dried rosemary and thyme then slow cook 8 hrs low, 55 min pressure cook on high, or oven 4 hours at 300°F/150°C;
Add the potatoes partway through cooking and by the time the potatoes are cooked, the beef will be meltingly tender!
* Means simmering liquid and scraping bottom of pan to release the flavour stuck on the bottom of the pan from searing. It adds a ton of flavour into the cooking broth!
Best cut of beef for pot roast is chuck roast
The best beef for pot roast is Beef Chuck Roast. It’s an economical cut of beef that’s marbled with fat that needs to be slow cooked to breakdown the tough connective tissues so it becomes ultra tender to eat.
Chuck roast can be purchased in large pieces that are or aren’t rolled. You want to use rolled chuck roast for this recipe, otherwise the beef ends up all warped. Supermarkets and butchers should carry chuck roast that’s already rolled, otherwise, you can roll it yourself and tie with kitchen string or ask the butcher to do it for you.
It’s essentially a slow cooked Roast Beef!
The key point of difference with this pot roast recipe is that the braising liquid is thickened so it comes out like a deeply flavoured gravy rather than a watery broth which is how most pot roasts are made.
So it’s essentially a slow cooked Roast Beef that’s fall apart tender that comes with a gravy and tender flavour infused vegetables. Complete meal in one pot!
Because the beef needs to be mostly submerged in liquid while it slow cooks, you end up with lots and lots of liquid in the finished dish.
Which means, in my Pot Roast, you end up with lots and lots of very tasty gravy.
This is a sensational “problem” to have. Keep leftovers, drown your potatoes with them, toss through pasta (oh yes!!), serve it as a sauce for tomorrow night’s dinner. – Nagi x
PS Bread to mop your bowl clean wouldn’t go astray. Try these No Knead Dinner Rolls, a quick No Yeast Irish Bread or these moreish Cheese Muffins.
Watch how to make it
Note: My slow cooker looks like a pressure cooker because it’s a multi function slow cooker (but no, it’s not an Instant Pot!).
This pot roast recipe was originally published January 2018. Updated for housekeeping matters. No change to recipe – I wouldn’t dare! 🙂
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Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 2 kg / 4 lb beef chuck roast , rolled (Note 1)
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion (large), cut into large dice
- 5 garlic cloves , peeled and smashed (Note 2a)
- 5 carrots , peeled and cut into 2.5cm/1″ pieces
- 3 celery stalks , cut into 4 cm / 1.5″ pieces
- 1 cup (250ml) dry red wine (sub with beef broth)
- 3 cups (750ml) beef broth , salt reduced
- 1/3 cup (50g) flour (plain / all purpose) (GF – Note 2b)
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 750g / 1.5 lb potatoes , peeled and cut into 2.5 cm / 1″ pieces
Instructions
- Pat beef dry with paper towels. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper all over.
- Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Brown aggressively all over – a deep dark brown crust is essential for flavour base! Should take about 7 minutes.
- Transfer beef to slow cooker.
- In the same skillet, add onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes until onion is browned.
- Add wine, reduce by half. Transfer to slow cooker.
- Mix together flour and about 1 cup of the broth. Lumps is fine. Pour into slow cooker.
- Add remaining broth, carrots, celery, rosemary and thyme into slow cooker.
- Cover and slow cook on LOW for 5 hours. (45 min pressure cook on HIGH, Note 3a for Oven and Stove)
- Add potato, slow cook on LOW for 3 hours. (10 min pressure cooker on HIGH, Note 3b)
- Remove beef. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice thickly.
- Adjust salt and pepper of Sauce to taste.
- Serve beef with vegetables and plenty of sauce! Bread also terrific for mopping up sauce – try these No Knead Dinner Rolls, No Yeast Irish Soda Bread or these fabulous Cheese Muffins.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More slow cooked beef recipes
Because nothing beats the flavour of beef cooked long and slow until it’s meltingly tender….
Life of Dozer
When the homeless man at the dog park isn’t at his car (usually off tending to the park grounds – best groundskeeper EVER!), I tie food to the boot of his van. Pot Roast, in this case!
And this is Dozer, trying to figure out if he can reach the bag. #SHAMELESS
hello Nagi my tip on the comment veggies are soft ,,so for years and years I always did it the way ya showed den this year I decided to add all those Wonderfull ingredients with a twist and wow ,,,ok so to issue the carrot sweetness I finely diced some ,same wit celery slow cooked when meat was almost tender ,I cut up my taters and carrots they are ,,,steamed or simmered them till almost tender .then added them to pot cooked nicely then added peas frozen is best but I like canned sweet, baby peas as well ,,,please try this CHEF. yes ya are . no documents needed
Sounds great Joseph!
Your sales b.steak and mushroom gravy is to die for and I will try the port roast as soon as it starts getting a bit colder I know for sure it will be just as good this is not a duplicate entry it is my first
Can i use beef brisket in this recipe? Looks so good i want to try
Sure can Joliza – N x
I have a 1.4 kg Wagyu Topside
is this an appropriate cut for this recipe .
I just finished putting this roast in the crock pot. It has to be good because you recommend it. BUT does Dozer recommend the gravy?
Of course he does 😂
Can I sear the meatvrhe night before and put it al in the slow cooker leave overnight and turn in in the morning
Hi Charleen, I wouldn’t leave meat out overnight – if you really wanted to sear the night before I would then place the meat in the fridge before putting it into a slow cooker – N x
I made this for a friend who is recuperating from surgery. I’m not sure I could’ve made them any happier. Thanks for a great recipe!
That’s awesome Kim, what a great friend you are! – N x
Thanks for the great recipe (:
You’re so welcome Carissa!
I cooked this today and seared the beef with a rosemary, salt and pepper crust. It smelled devine. I used a sweeter red as opposed to a dry red, cheated with stock cubes and added a few splashes of worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar. Still felt like it was missing some flavour profiles I was chasing, so I added abit more veg seasoning but the idea of using jam is intriguing and I will try it tonight.
Love to know what you think Melanie!
Nagi, I didn’t end up using the Jam because I forgot about it. After the cooking time and the additional seasoning, it was near perfect. It would have been perfect if I had just cooked the wine off a bit more than I did.
I have a fear of cooking large hunks of meat, and it doesn’t help that I am not a big meat eater. I’ve only ever made 3 roasts in my life – I am 39yrs. This was actually my first time cooking a slow cooker beef roast and fear now gone!
The meal was so yummy.
Leftovers: was even more flavourful the next day. I served gravy and roast over home made sweet potato gnocchi. Husband polished it off rather quickly. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful one pot recipe 🙂
I made this and it turned out beautifully! To add a bit of tang to my gravy I add a couple of teaspoons of malt vinegar and a big tablespoon of BlackBerry jam to my gravy – it’s well worth it!!! Will use again; I love all your recipes!!!
Woah, sounds delicious Alyssa!
I live in the UK. What is “Chuck”. It’s not a term we use in UK Butchers
Hi David, it’s from the neck/shoulder region, maybe you call it braising beef/steak?
One of my favorite item. Thank you for sharing this awesome stuff here.
I’m so glad you love it Emily!
I made this today and the flour/broth mixture did nothing to thicken . It was if I made it how I normally do with no flour, very watery. Any ideas what went wrong ?
The flavour was great, just disappointed the gravy was still a watery consistency after following the instructions to the letter, any ideas? Definitely would make this again. Meat was so tender.
Hi Nagi, what cook time do you recommend for 4kg blade in the oven? Thanks!
Hi Nagi, thank you so much for your delicious recipes, they are a hit in my family!! Can I use Topside instead of chuck? Will it taste the same?
HI Zena, top side would be fine in this recipe – I hope you love it!
Delicious, amazing, tasting. It’s definitely in my family top 10 list!
Sunday Roast.
I made this yesturday for our Sunday Roast. Came out superb just added som brussel sprouts.
Great way to do a roast tasted fantastic. Didn’t change anything . Next time will just add more Vegetables and add a couple of different ones.
Thanks Nagi.
I’m so glad you loved it Spencer!
Easy Peasy and delicious… A sure keeper.
Woo! Great to hear Carrie – N x
How long in a slow cooker on high? With red potatoes
Nagi, this recipe looks v. Good
But I wish you would have shown how you rolled and tied roast. Do I roll it on the long side or short side? Does this lengthen the cooking time?
Thank you, Nancy Niez
Great meal and easy to follow! Thanks Nagi as always I love all your recipes
Thanks so much for the great feedback Laura!