Pot roast is a meal that almost everyone loves. This slow cooker pot roast is fast, easy, and only requires a few minutes of prep time in the morning. Come home later to a delicious and healthy meal waiting for you.
It’s getting colder here in the Pacific Northwest and the rains are starting to move in. The transition from our hot, dry summers to our cold, wet winters means heartier meals, soups and stews find their way back onto the menu.
When it gets cold outside I love to cozy up with some comfort food and dog cuddles. Two of the best things ever…unless you’re not a dog person then you’re probably cringing right now. But I swear, dog cuddles really are the best!
When trying to figure out what to make for dinner, the season we’re in really has an impact in what I choose. This week we’ve finally been seeing 50ºF (10º C) temperatures with overnight lows getting dangerously close to freezing. I’ve pulled my tomatoes in, ready or not, and am already planning what winter projects I’m going to take on when the weather is so wet being outside will feel like jumping into a cold pond.
Pot Roast Is Perfect On Cold And Busy Days.
Fall in our home also marks the beginning of hunting season. My husband has been out deer hunting for the past few days and this morning he sent me a picture of the buck he was bringing home. I knew he’d be tired and cold by the time he got home so a heartier meal was called for.
A few days ago I had taken out a chuck roast to thaw, and this was the perfect moment to use it. A delicious, warm, slow cooked pot roast sounded perfect. Some comfort food for me, and a hot hearty meal to warm the hubby up. Even the dogs seemed to approve of the decision. Much to their disappointment, though, they did not get to taste test it.
The slow cooker is the perfect choice for a pot roast. You could cook it on the stove top or in the oven, but I think the slow cooker really brings out the flavors and makes it melt in your mouth tender.
This recipe is very adaptable and can be halved or doubled very easily, depending on the size of your family.
How To Prepare the Pot Roast and Vegetables
You’ll need is a chuck roast, carrots, onion, potatoes, garlic, worchestershire sauce (you can omit this if you don’t have it, but I recommend giving it a try), beef broth, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Chop up your veggies however you like them and add them to the slow cooker. I don’t recommend cutting the carrots or potatoes too small or they’ll be mush by the time the roast is fully cooked.
Take the roast and coat it with salt and pepper on both sides. The amount is up to you, I like a good seasoning on mine but you choose how much you’d like. One thing I do highly recommend is using a good non-iodized salt. I like to use Redmond Real Salt. It has a wonderful flavor and because it is unrefined, it retains all the trace minerals that a salt should have. This makes it much better for you. If you’d like to check out this salt, you can find it here.
Heat a skillet and place a little bit of fat in it. My preference is lard, but olive oil would work great too.
Sear all sides of the roast until it starts to brown. This step is important so don’t skip it. Searing the meat before placing it in the slow cooker will help keep it moist and tender, as well as bringing out the flavor of the meat.
Once browned, put the roast in the slow cooker on top of the chopped veggies.
Add the broth and Worchestershire sauce then top with a couple sprigs of thyme and rosemary. That’s it, you’re ready to turn it on and start cooking.
Cooking the Roast
I like to cook the roast on low for 8-10 hours. The time really depends on when I get it going and when I want to aim for dinner to be done. This time I went 8 hours so I could have dinner ready by 6PM, but 10 hours is even better.
Now, go about your day as usual. Head to work, wrangle the dogs, chase the kids, read a book, do whatever tasks a normal day brings you. This is a prep and forget about it kind of dinner, my favorite kind!
Once the slow cooker beeps letting you know the cooking time is done, it’s time to make the gravy.
Don’t Skip The Gravy!
Take a small sauce pot or skillet (I used the same skillet I browned the roast in) and put about a cup of the broth in. Add about 3 tablespoons of flour to the broth (you may end up needing more) and heat them up, whisking constantly. The goal here is to make a roux, the broth and flour should form a paste.
When you have the paste-like consistency, add another cup or so of broth and whisk. Make sure to incorporate all of the roux into the broth you’ve just added so you don’t end up with clumpy gravy. At this point you’ll want to add some salt and pepper. I added about 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, but you can adjust these to your taste.
Once the roux and broth are fully incorporated and seasonings added, turn off the heat and let it sit for a minute. This really lets the gravy get nice and thick. If it doesn’t thicken to your liking, add a bit more flour and whisk.
Dinner is now ready! I like to place some of the veggies in a bowl, place a piece of roast on top, and cover them with gravy. Sooo good! Let me know in the comments below how you like to eat roast. And if you give this a try, let me know if you liked it!
Check out some of my other recipes:
Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Gravy
This Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast is perfect for busy days. A few minutes in the morning will have dinner waiting for you in the evening.
Ingredients
- Pot Roast:
- 4 lb chuck roast
- 1 Tbs lard or olive oil
- 4 carrots
- 1/2 onion
- 5-6 medium potatoes
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- salt
- pepper
- Gravy:
- 3 Tbs flour
- 2 cups cooking broth
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Chop carrots, onions, and potatoes into desired sized pieces and place in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Season all sides of the roast with salt and pepper.
- Add the lard or oil into a skillet and heat. Once hot, place roast in the skillet and brown each side.
- Place browned roast onto the chopped veggies in the slow cooker.
- Add broth, Worchestershire sauce, thyme and rosemary.
- Turn slow cooker to low and set the time for 8-10 hours
- Take out one cup of broth from the slow cooker and place in a skillet or sauce pan.
- Add 3 Tbs flour to the broth and whisk continuously while heating over medium heat.
- When a paste consistency is formed, add the other cup of broth, salt, and pepper then continue whisking until full incorporated.
- Remove from heat and let the gravy cool and thicken.
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