Slow Cooker Beef Roast (Printable)

Slow-cooked beef chuck with carrots, potatoes, and herbs yields a comforting and hearty main dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beef

01 - 1 (3.5–4 lb) beef chuck roast

→ Vegetables

02 - 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
03 - 3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
04 - 2 stalks celery, sliced
05 - 1 large onion, chopped

→ Aromatics & Herbs

06 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried
08 - 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
09 - 2 bay leaves

→ Liquids

10 - 2 cups beef broth
11 - 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

→ Seasonings

12 - 1½ tsp salt
13 - 1 tsp black pepper
14 - 2 tbsp olive oil

# How to Make It:

01 - Pat the beef chuck roast dry with paper towels. Season all sides evenly with salt and black pepper.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the roast for 3–4 minutes on each side until evenly browned.
03 - Place the carrots, potatoes, celery, and chopped onion in the base of the slow cooker.
04 - Lay the seared beef roast atop the vegetable bed in the slow cooker.
05 - Add minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves over and around the roast.
06 - Pour beef broth and Worcestershire sauce evenly over the roast and vegetables.
07 - Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or until the beef achieves a fork-tender texture.
08 - Remove bay leaves and herb stems. Slice or shred the beef and plate with the cooked vegetables and juices.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The meat becomes so tender it falls apart without effort, and nobody has to know you spent just 15 minutes in the kitchen.
  • Your house smells incredible for hours, and the vegetables absorb all those deep, savory flavors so you don't need much else on the plate.
  • It's genuinely hard to mess up once the roast hits the slow cooker, making it perfect for days when life is too full for cooking drama.
  • The leftovers (if there are any) make the best sandwiches the next day.
02 -
  • Don't skip the searing step; it's only 10 extra minutes and it builds flavor that slow cooking alone can never achieve, no matter how long you wait.
  • If your slow cooker runs hot, start checking tenderness around hour 6—some cookers finish the job faster, and overcooked beef becomes mushy rather than tender.
  • The vegetables at the bottom will soften more than those piled higher; stir gently halfway through if you want everything to cook evenly, but it's not required.
03 -
  • If your beef roast is on the smaller side, start checking tenderness at hour 6 instead of waiting the full 8—every slow cooker has its own personality and temperature quirks.
  • Brown the roast the night before, wrap it, and refrigerate; it actually improves the flavors and saves you time the next morning when you just need to dump everything into the cooker.

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