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! 🙂
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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
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!
Loved this. I added extra carrots with the potatoes so that there were some not so soft but loved this recipe. Lots of flavour
Great Tash!
Hi Nagi,
Can I use fresh rosemary and thyme? Also, red wine vs beef broth on taste?
This looks delicious, can’t wait to make it!
Sure can Stephanie! This still turns out fabulous if you sub the red with with beef broth – you’ll love it! – N x
Hi Nagi – this looks delicious. I use chuck to make steak pies so I thought I’d cook it like his and then cut it into small chunks. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Red or Yukon gold potatoes are better because they won’t fall apart. You don’t specify the type of potato.
Loved it!!!!
I made this for the second time yesterday and it was delicious.
I have gotten lazy with the slow cooker and broke down and bought the bags that line the crock. What a relief to just toss the bag out and find a clean cooker. Well worth the cost and they are BPA free.
That’s an awesome idea Lee, I’m all for minimal washing up 😂
Can I use minced garlic instead of garlic cloves? How much should I use if I do minced garlic?
Hi Bonnie, 1 garlic clove usually equals about 1 teaspoon of minced – N x
This looks sooooo good, I plan on making it this week. One question however. I am a bit confused on when the potatoes are to be added. Can you clarify, how long they need to be in the slow cooker? Thanks!
Hi Christine, if you’re slow cooking on low, the potatoes go in after the 5 hour mark and continue slow cooking for another 3 hours. I hope you love it – N x
I am going to make this tomorrow and I would like the gravy to be darker and thicker. Is there something I can add to get that?
Hi Terrance, sorry for the delay in replying, I would make this as per the instructions and thicken at the end with a slurry of 1 tsp corn flour and 1 tbls water. You will need to mix this in (after removing the meat) and bring to a simmer to thicken. You can add a small splash of dark soy to make the appearance darker – Love to know how it goes!
Hi! Love the recipe… currently making it now! Just wondering if you added the onion and garlic into the slow cooker after making the broth. Or did you throw that out? Just don’t want the flavour to be overpowering!! Thanks 🙂
Hi Taylor, sorry for the late reply, yes it all goes into the slow cooker ☺️
Prepared it in the morning. Didn’t take much time to prepare (a half hour, about), and very little dishes to do afterwards. Once the pot roast was ready, the meat was falling apart. The vegetables were soft and flavorful. Me and my partner loved the recipe, we will definitely be making this again!
I’m so glad you loved it Cassandra!!!