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
After 5 hours in a crockpot on high, the sauce is still watery. I followed the original recipe using flour. Should it already have thickened?
Hi Cristina – it should definitely have thickened by now! Just mix a splash of the broth with 1 tbsp flour, then pour in a bring to simmer, it should thicken 🙂
How long do I cook it if I have it on high in the crock pot?
Hmm, guessing 5 hours 🙂
Bless you for putting in the different cooking methods!!! When possible, I love to use my pressure cooker, but I’m always afraid to “translate” other methods, on my own, to the pressure cooker, lol 🙂
Flour in a pressure cooker can be problematic and sometimes dangerous.
You might want to consider obtaining guidance elsewhere for pressure cooker instructions, or refer to your manufacturer’s instructions. For a few reasons – placing flour in a pressure cooker is discouraged by the manufacturers of pressure cookers and by most reputable cooks / chefs / sites that have experience with pressure cookers.
There is the risk that flour encourages pockets of pressure that retain a level of pressure after the cooker has itself depressurised. When those steams pockets are disturbed (when mixed after the cooker is open) they can jump / explode and scald those nearby. This risk increases when flour has not been thoroughly mixed through and unfortunately the above recipe says “lumps are ok”.
Flour in this style of cooking is acting as a thickener, which leads to other pressure cooker issues including the inability or extended delays in the cooker reaching pressure / generating steam, with flour impacting boiling / steam characteristics required for a pressure cooker. Depending on the style and quality of the cooker – flour can also cause damage to the cooker’s valve or trigger the need for unnecessary time consuming maintenance of the valve.
Some would say this is one the basic pressure cooking rules.
The site was informed of scalding dangers to those following the instructions over 10 days ago. Don’t want anyone to hurt themselves – so providing this comment as a courtesy as the site hasn’t responded or updated the instructions.
Mr. C, thank you so much for your reply and for sharing your information—it was very helpful and I appreciate it!
Sure, no problem. Don’t let this scare you off using your pressure cooker. Best to add flour as a thickener after it has been opened. Recipe also seems to be calling for a lot of liquid for 1 – 2kg of beef plus the veg. In a pressure cooker – thinking 1 to 1 1/2 cups combined wine + stock should be more than enough, but again check your manufacturer’s instructions. Good luck with it.
Hi Mr C! This recipe is intended to have plenty of liquid so the beef is mostly submerged so it absorbs the flavour 🙂 I have never had a problem using flour as a thickener in a pressure cooker and in fact, I made this twice written as is in my pressure cooker (picture – it’s a slow cooker and pressure cooker in one). 🙂 Hope that helps!
Good morning Nagi.
I just made this recipe using the pressure cooker and it came out great even though I am sure I didn’t use the pressure cooker correctly, first time playing with it, lol. I have the fagor lux multicooker and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to let the pressure release naturally or quickly so I just quick released it. Even with my lack of knowledge, it still came out good. I will try slow cooking it next time though. Thanks for the recipe!
Love hearing that Alexandria! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it! N xx
I just put this together and it already smells delicious!!! Looking forward to dinner tonight:)
Hope you LOVE IT Mary!! N xx
Very good recipe for pot roast. We wanted thicker gravy and I didn’t have cornstarch on hand to thicken it as your recipe suggests. Can I just double the amount of flour next time and then cook?
Thanks Nagi!
-Barbara
Hi Barbara! Yep you sure can! The sauce for this is definitely not as thick as your usual gravy for pour over roasts etc, so definitely add more flour if you want it thicker! N x
Nagi, you’re the best! Husband LOVES his beef and gravy. Now I have a question: Do you have a recipe for stuffed peppers. I think you call them capsicum?
Hi Nagi, I wasn’t too sure on how long to cook this when I commented to Eija, but I knew it had to be on quite a low heat. Glad you came to my rescue and didn’t let Eija’s roast burn dry . Thank you, you’re so precious.
And YOU are an absolutely sweetheart, you are so kind to help other readers! N xx
This really turned out delicious. But, how could it not if it is your recipe. I also made the garlic prawns yesterday. What a happy week for our tummies. Sammie, included! (German Short Hair Pointer.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Mary! Give Sammie a big hug from me! 🙂 N xx
Hey Nagi & family – Happy 2018 to all!
MOTH made this yesterday and when I walked in after work, big fist pumps!
We’re in beautiful Brisbane so we’ve been into the salads whilst wiping away sweat from the brows but there comes a time when you know you’ve won a meat tray or two that you need to start using up the meat.
During our summer, slow cooking is a great alternative to BBQ as the house doesn’t heat up like the oven does.
This is a typical Nagi meal. Simplistic and totally delish. We were amazed that the carrots and celery didn’t fall too pieces after 5 hours, they were perfect. As much as I love cooking, it’s really great when someone else does the cooking, following a recipe that I’d make, fair dinkum, I nearly licked the plate.
We’re having leftovers tonight after pilates and I will ensure there is bread to slurp up the gravy.
Thanks again Nagi – this one is soooooooooo dam good!
Oh BARB!!!! I LOVE HEARING THAT, thank you! N xx
Hi Nagi,
So, this recipe looked & sounded so good, and for Arizona it’s cold (but not really cold as compared to the rest of the U.S.), I decided to make this for my boyfriend. It was amazing. We absolutely loved it!
I love hearing that Deborah!! Thanks for letting me know – N x ❤️
Looks delish! Do you think i could adapt this for a 2 pound brisket that i have in the freezer?
Hi Chele, you sure can, I specifically recommend it in the notes! 🙂 N x
I love pot roast it’s quite a Canadian thing..easy peasy ☺
Dozer I think you are related to luca it’s just the type of thing he would do if he sniffed FOOD..he is presently trying to counter surf the bread that’s drying for crumbs🐕👍
Clever Luca…. 😜
Hi Nagi! This will be Sunday dinner for the meat eaters in my family, and I’m sure they will love it, as everyone does all of your recipes that I’ve made. By tomorrow morning it’s supposed to be minus 23 degrees Celsius here, so a good hot dinner will be much appreciated. Since we also use the metric system in Canada, I will go by your metric weights for the quantity of beef and potatoes, but I just wanted to point out that the conversion to pounds is off. 1 to 2 kilos of beef should be 2.2 to 4.4 pounds, rather than 4 to 6 pounds and 750 grams to 1 kilo of potatoes should be about 1 1/2 to 2.2 pounds of potatoes, rather than 3 to 4. Thanks as always for your great recipes, and the charming Dozer pics!
GAHH!!! thank you!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Nagi, Happy New Year! I’m so excited to see what recipes you have in store for your loyal followers in 2018. I’ve made so many of you recipes last year with such an incredible response from family and friends who all happen to be foodies. The weather in sunny California is starting to feel like winter finally, so this recipe is at the top of my list. Thanks again!
Happy 2018 to you too Kim! Thank you for trying my recipes, and I’m so glad you’re enjoying them. STAY WARM!! (Though really, does it ever get truly cold in California??!) N x
Hello again you beautiful woman.
I couldn’t resist this recipe. I’m a big fan of slow cooker recipes.
I made this to-day. In Australia butchers have no idea what a “beef chuck roast ” is. I settled for a 2KG ” Australian Topside Beef Roast”. Enormous!
I followed your instructions. Must say the initial browning is essential.
I should have made more flour and broth and I will next time considering the size of the meat.
The result was photogenic and my wife and son were very pleased with the result.
Photographs to follow
Butcher has no idea what beef chuck is??? But I am SO GLAD you enjoyed this with topside!!!!!! N xx
Happy new year Nagi and thank you so much for the new ebook.
So much work has gone into this and I really like the layout. Can’t wait to try them all.
You’re so welcome Ruth! N x
The temperature here in Massachusetts is 8 degrees but with our windchill, feels like -18 … Mighty cold , coldest temps I’ve ever experienced! And in my fridge is a beef chuck roast waiting to be made tomorrow, another stay at home day! Perfect timing with your recipe post … I will make this tomorrow and I’m sure it will be just as tasty as your other recipes I have made. Thanks so much Nagi, enjoy your summer, I’m jealous 🙂 !!!
And that’s in FAHRENHEIT??!!!
Yes it is! However, the thick ice coating on streets and walkways is beginning to melt slowly. Waiting for a sunny day for the sun’s rays to do its job! We are warming up to 36 degrees (F) today🤗! The pot roast was excellent…I added mushrooms and brussels sprouts …yummy! Downloaded your cookbook, thanks so much for sharing!
Hello Nagi, we’re not far away from each other. Am from the top south of New Zealand.
We got similar recipe of slow cooking pot roast. I used bolar roast beef instead and dust with salt/pepper and flour and brown it. I used the same ingredients you have and also add some parsnip. Turned out so yummy and my husband loving it with lots of gravy.
Wishing you all the best for New Year 2018 and more new recipes for us subscribers.
Cheers
I’m visiting your beautiful country in early March! Hollyford Track. Can’t WAIT!! N xx
I must admit that since I basically like my beef saying ‘moo’ I have never been a big friend of pot roast either. Remember visiting lots of old schoolfriends from Europe when in the USA and so oft being presented with the dish . . . well, perchance I just thought it a wee bit boring . . . . But must admit yours looks succulent! Since this weekend the temps are meant to climb to 44 C methinks we’ll try it a wee bit later, but make it we shall 😉 ! Being IT-wise – huh!!!! First WordPress stopped all my blog deliveries a few weeks back and I had to go ‘fishing’ every morning – today it will not even allow me that privilege and the ‘help’ people will not be on till Monday! Boo!!!!!
OMG Eha!!! You have me sniggering like a teenager reading your messages!!!!