Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Gravy (Printable)
Tender beef roast with root vegetables and savory gravy, slow-cooked until fork-tender for ultimate comfort food.
# What You Need:
→ Beef
01 - 3 lb chuck roast, trimmed
→ Vegetables
02 - 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
03 - 3 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
04 - 2 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
05 - 1 large yellow onion, cut into wedges
06 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
→ Gravy & Seasonings
07 - 2 cups beef broth
08 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
09 - 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
10 - 2 teaspoons kosher salt
11 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
13 - 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
14 - 2 bay leaves
→ For Thickening
15 - 3 tablespoons cornstarch or gluten-free flour
16 - 3 tablespoons cold water
→ Optional Garnish
17 - Chopped fresh parsley
# Steps:
01 - Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper.
02 - In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Sear the roast on all sides until browned, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to the slow cooker.
03 - Scatter the carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, and garlic around and under the roast in the slow cooker.
04 - In a bowl, whisk together the beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Pour over the roast and vegetables.
05 - Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender and vegetables are soft.
06 - Remove the roast and vegetables to a platter. Discard bay leaves.
07 - Pour the cooking liquid into a saucepan. Skim excess fat if desired. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch with cold water until smooth. Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer over medium heat, then whisk in the slurry. Cook until thickened, 3-5 minutes.
08 - Slice or shred the roast. Serve with vegetables and gravy ladled over the top. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The hands-off cooking approach lets you throw everything together in the morning, forget about it, and come home to a meal that tastes like youve been fussing in the kitchen all day.
- Those melt-in-your-mouth tender chunks of beef swimming in rich gravy will make you look like a culinary genius, even if you cant boil water without a timer.
02 -
- After making this dozens of times, I discovered that placing the onions on the very bottom of the pot creates a sweeter, more complex flavor base as they slowly caramelize.
- Dont lift that slow cooker lid during cooking, no matter how tempting it is to peek—each time you do, youre adding 20-30 minutes to the cooking time as all that precious heat escapes.
03 -
- For a silkier, more professional-quality gravy, strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve before thickening it to remove any bits of herbs or vegetable fragments.
- When choosing your chuck roast, look for one with plenty of white marbling throughout—that fat equals flavor and will slowly render during cooking to keep everything moist.