Tender fall-apart crock pot roast slow cooked in a balsamic gravy with veggies is a perfect hearty weekday dinner with minimum efforts. I included crock pot, instant pot and oven methods!
This pot roast recipe guarantees great results every time! Even the pickiest of eaters will love this ultimate comfort food.
Crock pot roast
When it comes to comfort food, nothing beats a good pot roast! It is an effortless meal that is super easy to put together. Throw all the ingredients into your slow cooker and let it do the job for you. And leftovers are great for sandwiches the next day. I prefer to use a crock method for this recipe, but I also provided instant pot and oven methods. Choose the one you are comfortable with!
What is Pot Roast
Pot roast is a classic beef dish made with big tough beef cut. The beef is seasoned, seared and slow cooked in a rich balsamic gravy with veggies for 8-10 hours. Cooking at a low temperature makes the beef super tender because this method breaks the tough tissues.
To make a great pot roast, you can use chuck roast, round roast, briskets or rump roast.
Pot roast ingredients
To make this delicious pot roast you will need:
- Roast beef: Chuck roast, Brisket, Round roast and plate roast are great cuts for pot roast. When you slow cook these tougher cuts, the high amount of collagen turns into gelatine and the meat becomes really tender and braising liquid turns into a delicious rich broth.
- Onions: If you don’t like onion, cook the whole onion and later discard.
- Garlic cloves: I usually smash the garlic with the back of the spoon. You can mince it using a microplane grater.
- Carrots & celery stalks: Cut them into 1-inch pieces.
- Medium potatoes: If using baby potatoes, don’t halve them.
- Balsamic vinegar: Use high quality Italian balsamic vinegar for the best results. It helps to tenderize the meat and gives so much flavor.
- Dijon mustard
- Brown sugar
- Fresh thyme sprigs: I prefer to use fresh thyme, but you can substitute it with dried thyme.
- Bay leaf
- Beef broth: Both homemade beef broth and store-bought low sodium broth will work well.
How to cook a roast in a crock pot
It is an effortless 3 step perfect pot roast recipe.
- SEAR the beef roast. Don’t skip this essential step! Searing provides an incredible flavor. When you sear beef, you form a brown crust on the surface and seal the juices on the inside. It is absolutely worth it!
- ADD VEGGIES and beef broth.
- SLOW COOK for 8-10 hours on “LOW” or until the meat is tender and falls apart with a fork.
If you look for Instant pot roast or oven method, check the recipe below. I included three cooking methods.
How long to cook roast in crock pot
The cooking time will vary depending on the weight and type of the cut. Below you can find the guidelines for cooking 3lb, 4lb and 5lb beef roast in crock pot.
- Slow cook a 3lb (1.3 kg) roast for 4-6 hours
- Cook a 4lb (2 kg) roast for 8-10 hours
- Slow cook a 5lb (2.2 kg) roast for 10 hours
Check the roast with a fork, if it falls apart, it is done. If you find it tough, cook further until tender. I recommend to cook pot roast on “LOW” rather than “HIGH”. This guarantees tender meat every time.
Instant Pot Roast
Turn on your instant pot. Choose ‘sauté’ mode. Heat oil. When it is hot, sear the beef on all sides, about 5-6 minutes each side. Add the remaining ingredients, choose ‘pressure cook’ mode and cook on ‘high’ for 1 hour. Allow natural air release.
Tips for the Perfect Roast
- Cut the veggies a bit bigger to make sure they won’t overcook.
- Fresh thyme is best! If you don’t have it on hand, use dried thyme. You will need about 1 teaspoon because dried herbs have a more concentrated flavor.
- Use a beef cut with lots of marbling for the rich gravy.
- Slow cook on ‘low’ rather than on ‘high’.
Serve this delicious crock pot roast with Naan bread or Focaccia bread.
Crock Pot Roast Video
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More delicious roast recipes
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Slow Cooked Balsamic Pot Roast
Ingredients
- Roast beef boneless and trimmed of excess fat- 4 pounds (2 kg)
- Salt and pepper- to taste
- Olive oil- 2 tablespoons
- Onions diced-2
- Garlic cloves smashed-8-9
- Carrots cut into 1-inch pieces-2
- Celery stalks cut into 1-inch pieces- 2
- Medium potatoes halved-1 pound (500 g)
- Balsamic vinegar-¼ cup
- Dijon mustard- 2 tablespoons
- Brown sugar-1 tablespoon
- Fresh thyme sprigs- 3-4
- Bay leaf-1
- Low-sodium beef broth- 1 cup
- Flour or cornstarch - 2 tablespoons to thicken the gravy, optional
- Parsley chopped- 2 tablespoons
- Black pepper and salt- as needed
Equipment
Instructions
Crock Pot:
- In a large skillet heat oil over high heat. Season beef with a generous amount of salt and ground black pepper. Once the oil is hot, sear the beef on all sides until browned, about 5-6 minutes per side. Transfer to the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add the onion, celery, garlic (smashed with the back of a spoon), carrots, potatoes, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, bay leaf, Dijon mustard and thyme sprigs.
- Whisk together the beef stock and flour until lumps free. Pour it into the bowl of your crock pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on "LOW" for 8-10 hours or until the beef is tender and falling apart with a fork.
- Adjust the seasoning and garnish with parsley and thyme sprigs.
Oven:
- Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C). Heat oil in a 6 quart dutch oven or oven safe pot over medium high heat. Sear the seasoned meat on all sides until browned.
- Arrange the onions, carrots, garlic, celery, potatoes, bay leaf and thyme sprigs around the the roast. Add the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, Dijon mustard and beef broth combined with flour. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer, cover with an oven safe lid or foil and transfer to the preheated oven. Roast for 4-5 hours or until the meat is tender and falling apart. Check the roast after 2 hours of cooking. If there is no liquid, add 1 cup of warm broth and continue to cook until the meat is tender.
- Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Garnish with parsley and extra thyme sprigs.
- Pull the beef into large pieces and serve with vegetables and gravy.
Instant Pot:
- Choose "Saute" mode. Add oil and heat. Once it is hot, sear the meat on all the sides until browned, about 4-5 minutes each side.
- Add the celery, potatoes, carrots, garlic, onions, balsamic vinegar, bay leaf, mustard, brown sugar, thyme, salt and pepper. Combine the stock with the flour and pour into the bowl.
- Choose "Pressure cook" mode on "high" and set time for 1 hour.
- When the time is over, cancel "pressure cook" mode and allow natural air release for 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove the lid and transfer the roast to a serving dish.
Video
Nutrition
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