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Crock Pot Chuck Roast

A cooked pot roast in a ceramic crock pot with carrots, potatoes, celery and onions.
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5 from 3 reviews

A fall-apart tender Crock Pot Roast is classic comfort food that will take you back in time to grandma's kitchen where you reveled in down-home cooking. This complete all-in-one meal is ideal for any weeknight dinner with plenty of leftovers for the next day.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 5-pound boneless Chuck Roast
  • Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, seasoned in stages
  • 2 tablespoons Avocado or Olive Oil
  • 3 large Yellow Onions, quartered, divided
  • 1 Stalk of Celery, cut into large chunks and divided
  • 1 cup Dry Red Wine
  • 32 ounces of Beef Stock
  • 6 large Garlic Cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon dried Herb de Provence
  • 1 tablespoon fresh Rosemary, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh Thyme, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 6 large Carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 1 1/2 pounds small Red New Potatoes

Instructions

  • Generously season on all sides of the roast with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • Tie the chuck roast with kitchen twine. Check out this video by Test Kitchen.
  • Heat a large heavy bottom skillet (a cast-iron works great) over medium-high, add 2 tablespoons of avocado or olive oil, swirl to cover the bottom of the skillet, and heat until its surface is shimmery.
  • Sear each side of the roast for 1-2 minutes until it has nice caramelization. Make sure and brown the ends as well.
  • Remove the roast from the pan and set aside.
  • Add one cup of dry red wine (I used a Cabernet Sauvignon). Using a spatula make sure and remove all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
  • Add 4 cups of beef stock to the wine and stir. Set aside.
  • Make a rub with 6 large minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon dried Herb de Provence, 1 tablespoon each of chopped fresh rosemary and thyme, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
  • Smear the rub on all sides of the roast.
  • Add 1 large yellow onion, quartered with the skin still on, and 4 or 5 interior celery stalks with the leaves to the bottom of an eight-quart crockpot. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste.
  • Pour the liquid from the wine and beef stock over the onions and celery.
  • Place the chuck roast on top of the vegetables.
  • Turn the crockpot to low and cook for 4 hours.
  • Carefully remove the roast. Also, remove the onions and celery with a slotted spoon and strain the liquid with a metal sieve.
  • Add 2 large yellow onions, skins removed and quartered, 6 large celery stalks, 6 large carrots, peeled and cut in large chunks, and 1 1/2 pounds of small red new potatoes to the bottom of the crockpot.
  • Pour the beef liquid over the vegetables and place the roast on top.
  • Continue cooking the roast on low for another 4 to 5 hours or until the vegetables are tender and the meat falls apart.
  • Serve with either the juice from the drippings or make a gravy. (see how to make gravy in the notes below).
  • ENJOY!!

Notes

  • Chuck Roast works great as it's a tougher and leaner cut of meat which is ideal for low and slow cooking. Also chuck roast has a lot of connective tissue that ultimately breaks down into collagen tenderizing the meat when cooked in a crockpot. Brisket or Round is also a good choice.
  • Whether it's chicken, vegetable or beef, my preference is always "stock" over "broth." Stock is created from simmering animal bones over a long period of time which releases gelatin producing a liquid that has a fuller mouthfeel and is richer in flavor than broth.
  • You'll want to take the roast out of the refrigerator and sit for about an hour to come to room temperature. Right when you take it out of the fridge, generously season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. This gives it time for the seasonings to permeate into the interior of the roast.
  • Tying the roast prevents the roast from spreading out while it cooks and helps it to cook evenly throughout. Check out this video from Test Kitchen.
  • Searing is a fundamental step in creating a golden caramelized outer crust. This results in a truly flavorful roast.
  • Deglazing is a flavor-boosting technique where a liquid, in this case, dry red wine, is added to the hot pan and all the cooking residue is scraped off.
  • This rub can be made ahead of time which makes it easier when ready to apply to the roast.
  • There are two rounds of vegetables. The first round is called aromatic vegetables that infuse the meat and the liquid with a wonderful flavor early on. These are quartered onions with the skins left on and celery stalks with leaves.
  • The second round of vegetables is the actual ones that you eat alongside the meat. These are potatoes, carrots, more onions, and celery which tend to become mushy if overcooked.
  • It's much better to cook the roast on low for a long period of time instead of high for a quicker amount of time.
  • You can either use the juice from the drippings itself over the meat and vegetables or make a velvety gravy for them.
  • To make gravy: Heat 8 tablespoons of butter over medium-high in a medium saucepan until it sizzles. Turn the heat down to medium and vigorously stir in a heaping cup of all-purpose flour. Whisk for a couple of minutes until there are no lumps. Add five or six cups of the pan drippings slowly and stir continually until it thickens.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://lingeralittle.com/slow-cooker-roast/