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
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Season beef well with salt and pepper
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Sear beef aggressively – this is KEY for flavour in the broth and the beef!
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Sauté onion and garlic, then deglaze* the skillet or pot with red wine (or water or broth);
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Tip everything into a slow cooker, instant pot / pressure cooker or casserole pot for oven along with beef broth, carrots and celery;
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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;
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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
Can I ask UK fans – what I would look for in the supermarket, as rolled chuck roast is not a thing in the UK… thanks !!
Delicious!!! I dry brined my chuck roast for 3 days, and I managed to over cook it, but it’s still the best I’ve ever made. Thank you for the recipe!!
First time making pot roast and found your recipe. It’s so good! Thank you.
This recipe makes the most flavorful gravy I have ever had!
Lovely! 🤗
I tried this yesterday and it worked beautifully. The beef was gorgeously fall-apart tender and moist and the gravy beautifully rich. I think next time I’ll put in more carrot and less potato, and possibly add some mushrooms when I add the potato. I served it with a plate of green beans just to break up the richness.
So easy & perfect every time
i cooked this i do not think slow cooker for 5 hours was long enough on low cause if came out dry as if it wasn’t cooked long enough
Hi Nancy, all up its 8 hrs on low,not 5. At 5 hours you add potatoes and cook for another 3 hrs. Hope this helps.
I’m making pot roast and I look up Nagi’s version to get some new ideas or tips. I’m 66 so I have been making pot roast since I was teen. Looks delish. I would like to say that I have never seen a tied chuck roast. Also, here in FL and VA chuck roast is now 10$. No longer a bargain ! Sirloin at Publix sirloin tip.is 5.99 roast. I’m am going to use that cut. Chuck was my favorite.just sayin. I definitely use a roux because Nagi does . lol
Pot roast is one of my favorite homey meals, this recipe replaced my long-standing recipe that I’ve been using for 10+ years! So much flavor.
Cooked this today in oven using a small one pound piece of meat…there is only two of us elderly folk with small appetites. Have meat etc left can I freeze and reheat in low oven? Anyone done this?
Yes! I make a 4 lb roast even for 2 people. I portion the sizes I want to freeze. I let the frozen portion defrost in the refrigerater and then warm up in a pot or in the oven.
Could i cook in cast iron camp oven over fire?
I wouldn’t because you can’t really control the temperature with a campfire. Happy camping 🔥🏕️😊
I forgot the rating in my last comment, oops! Here you go. 5 stars 🙂
Nagi, you’ve done it again! Like you, I’ve never been a huge fan of pot roast (didn’t love it, but didn’t dislike it), but my husband requested some for Father’s Day and this recipe turned out great! I love that the sauce is thickened for a more gravy-like consistency.
I did make a few small adjustments. I added a bay leaf and 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and subbed 3 tsp of fresh rosemary. I also used baby red potatoes with the skin on, halved. I roasted the potatoes with salt, pepper, and a few sprigs of rosemary for about 10 mins to get them a bit crispy and then placed them in the slow cooker with about 2.5 hours left. I already had the baby potatoes on hand and figured roasting would be less effort as trying to skin the tiny potatoes, haha. The meal was perfect and the beef was so tender and flavorful. Thank you!
The whole family enjoyed this. I didn’t have rosemary or thyme, so it would have been even better.
I pressure-cooked this recipe and added carrots and potatoes for the last 10-15 and I would not have wanted them any softer.
Have to say, this is the first very ‘meh’ meal I’ve cooked from Nagi’s website I feel the gravy needed a lot more oomph or spice (enough S+P). And like she said, the veg component was very mushy…doubtful I’d make this again.
I made this in the instant pot. I cut the chuck roast in half and seared the meat very well in a cast iron on the stove, sautéed the onion and garlic in the Instapot, then added the meat and pan juices. I added a big splash of Worcestershire and soy sauce, plus a crumbled oxo cube to the liquid. I pressure cooked for 45mins in high, then added the potatoes and carrots for 20mins, leaving an extra five mins for natural release. I thought the gravy was going to be too watery but actually it thickened perfectly. A good, filling family dinner for a cold night. Economical too, I got a 1.6kg chuck roast on special from Harris Farm for $20.
Who would think your recipe from across the globe would end up being enjoyed for dinner in my table in San José Costa Rica? Made it tonight following exactly the recipe and it turned out amazing. We don’t do a lot of stews in our regular costarrican cuisine but had the opportunity to have ZHARKOYE some time ago and wanted my family to try something similar. Yours was better. When I want to surprise my family and brag about my culinary skills I will always come to your blog to find inspiration and it always surpasses my expectations. Thank you for sharing with the world
This is the BEST pot roast we’ve ever had. Smells so good while it’s cooking, too. I used 1 1/2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes and it worked beautifully. Really good sauce.
This was dinner tonight and it was amazing! I used a Dutch oven to make it in the oven with great results. Left the carrots a little large so they wouldn’t get too soft and after I removed the roast potatoes and carrots used my immersion blender to blend in the celery and onion to help thicken the gravy. Leftover gravy has been saved for poutine later this week 😉
Turned out awesome. I followed the recipe except for adding a cup of brewed coffee in place of some of the broth.