Consistently rated the BEST slow cooker pot roast recipe EVER! The depth of flavor is simply phenomenal and is guaranteed to get rave reviews from around the whole dinner table! Make it in your slow cooker or on the stove top – either way you’ll be sitting down to a truly memorable, mouthwateringly delicious meal!
I can’t think of anything better than coming home to the smell of a roast wafting through the house, beckoning “it’s dinner time.” And this one is exceptionally flavorful and delicious.
The smell of a cooking roast is nostalgic to me. It’s said that smell is more closely linked to memory than any of the other five senses. The smell of freshly baked bread might trigger memories of grandma’s kitchen; the scent of cologne or perfume, a romantic encounter; the odor of mothballs, a great aunt’s house; the stench of stale carpet, those penny-pinching college dorm days. Whatever the association might be, smell is a powerful thing. And not that this has anything to do with pot roast, but I thought it was interesting so I’ll throw it in here anyway. From Psychology Today:
The actual ability to smell is highly linked to memory. Research has shown that when areas of the brain connected to memory are damaged, the ability to identify smells is actually impaired. In order to identify a scent, you must remember when you have smelled it before and then connect it to visual information that occurred at the same time. According to some research, studying information in the presence of an odor actually increases the vividness and intensity of that remembered information when you smell that odor again.
I may have to rethink how I approach my children’s learning. Instead of Mozart, Bach, or Beethoven in the background while they’re studying, I may instead need to place some fragrant flowers, a jar of cinnamon – or a Pot Roast next to them! ;)
Okay, back to the Pot Roast. For eating purposes, that is.
For me, roasts are associated with Sunday. Growing up at home (and still in my own home today) roasts were always ideal to serve on Sundays. A couple of hours at church, including travel, meant just the right amount of time to be able to place everything in a timed oven or a slow cooker before leaving, and then come home to a ready meal. My mom would often already have the potatoes peeled in advance and covered with water in a stock pot, so when we got home – starving and ready to eat! – all she had to do was boil the potatoes, prepare another vegetable, and thicken the gravy. And before long we were seated at the table as a family enjoying great food and family bonding time.
What to Serve With Pot Roast
Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe
I know your tummies are rumbling, so let’s get that roast a-cookin’!
But before we do, let me stress one thing I learned from my mom about cooking roasts: Probably THE single most important factor to the flavor of the finished roast is to fry it until it’s very browned on all sides before cooking it. That is the KEY to a deliciously flavorful roast so whatever you do, don’t skip that step! And don’t be afraid to get it good and browned. Not only will it greatly enhance the flavor of the roast itself, but all those burnt bits on the bottom of the pan is what will give the gravy that irresistibly wonderful flavor.
Okay, let’s get started!
First prepare the rub by combining all of the pot roast seasoning spices/herbs together.
Rub, rub, rub that roast down on all sides using every last bit of that spice rub.
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven (I use and love Lodge) or heavy skillet and liberally brown the roast on all sides.
Remove the roast and place it in the slow cooker. I use and love my Hamilton Beach Stay or Go 7 Qt Slow Cooker. I’ve been using it regularly for the past 8 years and it’s still working as good as new.
Add the broth to the Dutch oven and bring it to a boil, scraping up the burnt bits on the bottom of the pan (that’s called “deglazing” for those of you who don’t know). Add the tomato paste, red wine (if using), and salt and return it to a boil for a couple of minutes, stirring to combine.
Place the carrots, celery, onions, and garlic around the sides and on top of the roast in the slow cooker.
Add the bay leavers and place the strips of bacon on top. I don’t usually add bacon, but I did this time. I thought, “why not?” As the ancient Chinese proverb goes, “There isn’t anything so good that bacon won’t make it even better.”
Pour the beef broth mixture over the pot roast.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 8-9 hours.
If you have the time I highly recommend cooking it on low for 8-9 hours for an ultra flavorful, tender roast.
Pour the liquid from the slow cooker into a medium stock pot, leaving the roast and vegetables in the warm slow cooker.
To make the gravy:
Bring the liquid from the slow cooker to a gentle boil.
Make the flour slurry to thicken the gravy by whisking the flour in the extra beef broth until it’s dissolved. Whisk flour slurry into the simmering gravy and continue whisking constantly until the gravy is thickened.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Place the roast on a serving platter and spoon the vegetables around it. Discard the bay leaves and bacon. Pour a little of the gravy over the roast (it looks nicer that way) and serve the pot roast with the extra gravy, some potatoes, and veggies of your choice.
Enjoy!
For another delicious roast, check out our German Senfbraten (Pork Roast with Mustard Gravy)!
For more delicious beef dishes be sure to try our:
- Old Fashioned Beef Stew
- Guinness Stew
- Beef Bourgignon
- Sega Wat (Ethiopian Beef Stew)
- Beef and Pepper Stew
- Hachee (Dutch Beef and Onion Stew)
- Pörkölt (Hungarian Beef and Onion Stew)
- Domoda (Gambian Peanut Stew)
BEST Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 4 pound beef round roast or chuck (depending on how lean you prefer it)
- 2 tablespoons oil (use one with a high smoke point - I use avocado oil)
- 2 carrots , roughly chopped
- 2 ribs celery , roughly chopped
- 1 yellow onion , diced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 strips bacon , cut in half
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup dry red wine (optional but highly recommended; can substitute more beef broth)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 bay leaves
- For the Dry Rub:
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon basil
- 1/4 teaspoon parsley
- For the Gravy Slurry:
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour mixed into a slurry with 1/2 cup beef broth
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the dry rub together in a bowl. Rub down the roast on all sides with the dry rub. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot over high heat and liberally brown the roast on all sides. Place the roast in the slow cooker.
- Add the broth to the pot, return to a boil, and whisk to loosen up the browned bits. Add the tomato paste, wine, and salt and whisk to combine.
- Place the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and bay leaves in the slow cooker around and on top of the roast. Lay the strips of bacon alongside and on top of the roast. Pour the beef broth/tomato paste mixture over everything.Cook on low setting for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours (or until the beef is fork tender). If you have the time we recommend the low setting for the most flavorful and tender beef.
- Pour the liquid from the slow cooker into a medium stock pot, leaving the roast and vegetables in the warm slow cooker. Bring to a boil and whisk in the gravy slurry and continue whisking until the gravy is thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place the pot roast on a serving platter and spoon the vegetables around it. Discard the bay leaves and bacon (or chop up the bacon and return it to the veggies) . Pour a little gravy over it and serve with gravy on the side along with potatoes and your choice of sides.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet Oct 24, 2013
Brook says
I am very unfamiliar with cooking meat (not my forte). But my siblings and I wanted home cooked pot roast and mashed potatoes for Sunday dinner, a family favorite. So I took on the task. Glad I found this recipe (so many good reviews). I just finished putting the potroast in the crockpot a 1/2 hour ago, I will let you know how it taste. Can’t wait! I did not use red wine, and I did not have any celery or carrots. But I am not to worried about that. Sounds like a wonderful recipe, excited to try it :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Brook, let us know how it went!
Brook says
This made the best gravy I have ever had! It was full of flavor and went really well with the roast. So yummy, everyone loved it! The roast turned out delicious. I cooked it a little to long but you live and learn. Thank you for this recipe, I will definitely be making it again and again :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Brook, thanks so much!
Shemiya says
Hi Kimberly! This looks AMAZING and I will definitely be making it this week. I just had one question.. do you know if I could season and brown the roast the night before, put it in the crockpot with everything and keep it in the fridge. And then take it out and turn it on in the morning?? Thanks in advance for your help!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Shemiya, yes, you sure can!
Dave Moyer says
Kimberly, my wife asked me to make something with a 2 lb. eye round roast she bought. I found your recipe via Google search. I got it going this morning and set the crock-pot and we left to go grocery shopping. We got home about 2 1/2 hours later and discovered I had accidentally set the crockpot on high instead of low. I changed the setting to low and set it for 3 1/2 hours and threw in some quartered potatoes at that time. Considering my errors, it was questionable how it was going to turn out, but… we just finished dinner and personally, I think this pot roast turned out the best I’ve ever made in all my many years of cooking. Thank you so much for the great recipe and be assured that your recipe is the one I’ll be using from now on for the BEST pot roast ever!
Dave Moyer says
Oh yes … my wife raved about how good it was all during dinner. :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I am so thrilled to hear that, Dave, thanks so much!
Debra says
Kimberly can cook! Love, love this recipe! Where can I find more of yours?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Debra! :) All the recipes on this site are mine and you can browse them via the “recipes” tab on the top menu bar. Happy Cooking! :)
Sherrie Street says
Can I brown the roast the night before.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Sherrie, yes you can.
Julie Collins says
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve made “Yankee Pot Roast” my grandmother’s way for years. (browned meat, carrots, onions, potatoes, Lipton Beefy Onion soup mix, and a can of Creme of Mushroom.) I wanted to make this from scratch as I was selling pot roast dinners to as a fundraiser to send my girls and me to Baja Mexico on a mission trip. Since I’m a New Englander and I married a Texan, I’ve learned the lesson of rubs! So, I googled “rub for roasts” and came to your site. I made this recipe (although I add a little smoked paprika to the mix for enhanced flavor and minced onion to the rub) for my pastor’s family for Easter. It was SOOOOO good! Fast forward a few months and I’d lost the recipe! We are making the roast for a farming family of 10 that helped support our trip financially and I was so lost without the recipe! I finally woke up this morning and googled “rub for roast” again and here is the recipe! YAY!!! It’s now in the crockpots!
Thanks for this recipe. I’m going to search for more ideas as my Texan husband only seems to like BBQ, Brisket, and TexMex. :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Julie, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you! :)
Jennifer Salvate says
After reading all of the comments, I just have to try this pot roast for sure. I’ve always made a pretty tasty one, but this one is different and I just have to taste after reading all of the great reviews.
I am so happy to have stumbled upon your site!
I am especially excited to make some of your German dishes as well! Take care and Happy Cooking!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Jennifer, I’m so glad you stumbled upon us too! Happy cooking! :)
Alicia says
I Cooked this for dinner tonight and it was incredible! Big thumbs up from my family and I. Thank you!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Alicia, thank you!
Petra Holt says
an absolute HOME RUN!!! finally a perfectly done meat, yummy sauce (trust me, many crockpot sauces are not in favor in our house). all I want to say is THANK YOU and give you a hug. this one will be a staple and I will not bother with any other beef roast recipe. we have to watch flour intake so I just used not even a tablespoon of cornstarch and made a gravy that way – it was great! (I made your recipe with 1/2 portions as I only had a pound and something of roast). I also didnt use red wine, just water instead. 💞👏🏻👏🏻
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Petra, I’m so happy to hear that, yay!! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Gudrun says
This is an awesome recipe; thanks so much for sharing. I have made this and we all love it. You know, if you want just a little bit of kick (on a snowy, windy night) you can add a can of Rotel original at the start. Yowza!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Gudrun, thanks so much!
Shannon says
Oh no! Step 3 did not say to boil like it did in the picture captions? I hope this won’t make a huge difference?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Shannon, thanks for catching that but no worries, it won’t make a difference.
Anonymous says
Thank you for this recipe, it did turn out great!
Michelle says
Tried this after making (and loving) your cream of celery soup recipe and it was a hit! My family wanted more of the veggies so next time I’ll double those portions, but otherwise, the pot roast recipe is a definite keeper and I will be making it again to serve up for Easter! Thanks again for another tried and true recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Michelle, thanks so much!
Cindy says
Made this last night, added mushrooms to it!
I was looking for a great recipe. The one I tried
previously was not good.
This is the best absolute best! Thank you for this.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Cindy, I’m so glad to hear that – thank you!
Rachel says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I just put it in the slow cooker and am excited for dinner :) I am out of sweet paprika, so I used 1T of chipotle pepper instead, and I’m out of rosemary and basil so I used 1/2t herbes de Provence…the rub smelled good, but I’m crossing my fingers it won’t be too spicy or weird tasting! In hindsight, I should have used regular chili powder. Haha! I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Rachel, awesome, let us know how it turned out!
Valerie says
I would like to make this when we are camping. How can I adjust the cooking time and I will be cooking it in a Dutch Oven on an open fire.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Valerie, I don’t have a lot of experience with campfire cooking. Generally though specific times often aren’t provided for campfire recipes because the temperature will vary depending on the coals, and how many coals you’re using, so it’s usually just a “cook until the beef is tender” guideline. I would aim for a minimum of 90 minutes and up to three hours, checking the beef for tenderness after 90 minutes.
Valerie says
Thank you for your suggestions. I will attempt this at Easter time and will let you know the results. It sounds delicious and I am sure everyone will enjoy.