Crockpot Chuck Roast

A crockpot chuck roast is the easiest way to get a real Sunday pot roast on the table. You brown the beef, set it in the slow cooker with potatoes, carrots and onion, and walk away for eight hours. By dinner the meat falls apart under a fork, the vegetables have soaked up all that beefy flavor, and the liquid in the pot becomes the gravy.

A lot of crockpot pot roast recipes lean on a packet of onion soup mix, ranch seasoning or au jus. This one doesn’t. Tomato paste, beef broth, Worcestershire, garlic and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme give it a deeper, homemade flavor, and you control the salt.

Why chuck roast?

Seared chuck roast with red potatoes, carrots, onion wedges and fresh herbs in a slow cooker before cooking

Chuck comes from the shoulder, and it is the best cut for a slow cooker. It is marbled with fat and full of connective tissue. That makes it tough if you cook it quickly, but over a long, low cook the tissue melts into gelatin, which keeps the meat moist and gives the gravy body.

Look for a roast labeled chuck roast, chuck shoulder roast or chuck eye roast, about 3 to 4 pounds, with visible streaks of fat running through it. Leaner roasts like bottom round or eye of round can come out dry and stringy after this long.

Do you need liquid for a chuck roast in a crockpot?

Yes, but less than you think. The roast and vegetables release a lot of juice as they cook, so 1 1/2 cups of beef broth is plenty for a 6 quart slow cooker. The liquid should come partway up the roast, not cover it. Too much liquid boils the meat instead of braising it and leaves you with thin, watery gravy.

Is it better to cook a chuck roast on high or low?

Low. Eight to ten hours on low gives the connective tissue time to break down slowly, and the meat comes out more tender. High works when you are short on time, about 5 to 6 hours, but the meat can be a little firmer.

Go by the fork, not the clock. The roast is done when a fork slides in and twists easily and the meat starts to pull apart. If it still feels tight, it needs more time, not less. Chuck that is “tough” after six hours usually just isn’t finished yet.

Do you have to sear a chuck roast first?

It isn’t required, and the roast will still be tender without it. But the 10 minutes it takes is the single biggest flavor boost in this recipe. The browned crust adds a rich, roasted taste, and the browned bits left in the skillet go into the gravy when you deglaze the pan with broth.

A few things that help

Pat the roast dry before searing. A wet surface steams instead of browning.
Cut the potatoes and carrots big. Halved small red potatoes and 2 inch carrot pieces hold their shape over eight hours. Small pieces turn to mush.
Keep the lid on. Each peek lets out heat and adds time to the cook.
Thicken the gravy in the pot. Once the roast and vegetables come out, turn the slow cooker to high, whisk in a cornstarch slurry and let it bubble for 15 minutes. No extra pan to wash.

Questions people ask

What temperature should a chuck roast reach?
The USDA’s safe minimum for beef roasts is 145F with a 3 minute rest, but chuck is still tough at that point. It turns fork tender closer to 200F, once the connective tissue has melted, which is why it cooks so long.

Can I put a frozen roast in the slow cooker?
No. Thaw it in the fridge first. The USDA advises against slow cooking frozen meat, because it spends too long warming through the unsafe temperature range.

Can I cook it without vegetables?
Yes. Set the roast on a bed of sliced onion, use the same amount of broth, and serve it with mashed potatoes. The cooking time stays the same.

How long do leftovers keep?
Three to four days in a covered container in the fridge. Store the beef in some of the gravy so it stays moist. Leftover pot roast also makes great sandwiches and hash.

More recipes you’ll love: Crockpot Beef Stew, Crockpot Beef and Noodles,Slow Cooker Short Ribs, Instant Pot Pot Roast, and our full Easy Crockpot Dinner Recipes roundup.