Description
Tender, fall-apart crock pot pot roast with carrots and potatoes. Slow-cooked for hours in savory gravy until melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3–4 lbs Chuck roast
- 1.5 lbs, quartered Yellow potatoes
- 4 large, cut in chunks Carrots
- 1 large, quartered Yellow onion
- 3 stalks, chopped Celery
- 6, smashed Garlic cloves
- 2 cups Beef broth
- 1 packet (1 oz) Onion soup mix
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 4 sprigs Fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs Fresh rosemary
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
Instructions
- Sear the Roast (5 Minutes) — Pat the chuck roast completely dry with paper towels — moisture is the enemy of a good sear. Season generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over high heat until smoking. Sear the roast 2–3 minutes per side until a deep brown crust forms. Don’t move it — let the Maillard reaction do its work. This step is optional but adds enormous flavor depth to the finished dish.
- Build the Flavor Base (3 Minutes) — Place quartered onion, smashed garlic, and celery in the bottom of the slow cooker — they become the aromatic bed the roast sits on. Stir tomato paste into the beef broth along with the onion soup mix. Pour into the slow cooker. Nestle in the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Place the seared roast on top of the vegetables. The liquid should come about halfway up the roast — don’t submerge it.
- Slow Cook on LOW (8 Hours) — Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 5–6 hours. LOW is strongly recommended — the slow, gentle heat gives collagen time to fully convert to gelatin, producing the most tender result. Resist the urge to lift the lid — every peek adds 15–20 minutes to the cooking time because you lose heat and steam. The roast is done when it easily shreds with two forks.
- Add Root Vegetables (Last 3–4 Hours) — Add quartered potatoes and carrot chunks during the last 3–4 hours of cooking. Adding them too early turns them to mush. Nestle them around (not on top of) the roast so they sit in the cooking liquid. If cooking on HIGH, add vegetables for the last 2 hours. They should be fork-tender but still hold their shape.
- Make the Gravy (5 Minutes) — Remove the roast and vegetables to a platter. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan. In a small bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water. Bring the liquid to a simmer and whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Cook 2–3 minutes until the gravy thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the shredded roast and vegetables.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 445
- Sodium: 580mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 42g