Check out my recipe for making Slow Cooker Pot Roast!
Pot roast is one of my favorite meals of all time! There's something so comforting about how rich and hearty it is. While pot roast may not be the most tender, high-quality piece of meat at the grocery stores, you can make an incredible meal if you cook it properly! If you've got a Ninja Possible Cooker Pro, Crock Pot or any other brand of the slow cooker, you're in luck!
Slow-cooking pot roast helps to bring out all of its wonderful flavors and creates the most tender and delicious dish that your family is sure to love! An added bonus to slow-cooking pot roast is that it's super easy to do! There are just a couple of easy steps and then set the timer and let the slow cooker work its magic for you!
This recipe was made using the Ninja® Foodi® PossibleCooker™ PRO but any brand of slow cooker can be used.
Slow-cooking tougher cuts of meat helps to break down the meat and make it more tender. During the slow-cooking process, the flavors develop more and the finished product is a very flavorful, tender, and juicy meal. Slow cooking works really well on tougher meat and not so great on already tender or low-in-fat meat.
When slow-cooking pot roast, you can add in vegetables if you would like. For this recipe, I did not cook any vegetables as I was preparing the pot roast to turn into pot roast sliders! But, if you want to add veggies, you can. Simply add the potatoes, carrots, and celery to the pot on top of the onions and the roast. Cook according to the directions in the recipe.
If you would like to have gravy with your pot roast, once everything has finished cooking, remove the roast (and veggies if you added them), and pour the liquid that's in the slow cooker through a mesh strainer. Make a cornstarch or flour slurry and add it to the liquid. Cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes, stirring with a whisk.
Tips for making Slow Cooker Pot Roast:
You should always brown a roast before cooking it in slow cooker, dutch oven, or on the stove top. Browning the meat helps to create a barrier that keeps the juices in while cooking. If you don't sear the meat, it is more likely to be chewy and dry. It only takes a couple of minutes, but makes a big difference.
Roasts are best cooked slow and low. So, cooking the roast on low in a slow cooker will provide the most flavor and the most tender roast. But, if you don't have 8 or 9 hrs for the roast to slow cook, you can slow cook it on high for half the time.
No. There is no need to fully cover the roast with liquid in a slow cooker. You only need enough liquid to cover the bottom of the pot and a little bit of the roast. The roast will create additional juices and combine them with the liquid in the pot. If you fully submerse the roast in liquid, it will be less flavorful.
Yes and no. When using a slow cooker, the roast needs to cook for several hours. If you do not cook it long enough, it will be VERY tough. But, you also don't want to cook it for too long or it will dry out. Slow cook roasts on high for 4 hours or on low for 8-9 hours for the best results. If the roast is still not tender, continue to cook while checking on it every 30 minutes or so.
Yes! A roast will be tender if you cook it on high for about 4 hours. It will be tender and juicy. But, slow-cooking a pot roast on low for twice as much time can provide an even more tender and flavorful result. When you don't have 8 or 9 hours to prepare the roast, slow cooking on high still creates a wonderful result!
Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Store the meat, vegetables, and gravy in separately.
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Ingredients for making Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe:
Ingredient substitutions and tips for making Slow Cooker Pot Roast:
The full ingredient list is found at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
2.5 Pound Chuck Roast- Any size chuck roast can be used, as long as it fits in the slow cooker.
Salt and Black Pepper- Freshly ground is preferred. Feel free to add any additional spices that you would like.
Olive Oil- Any mild tasting oil can be used. You can use canola or vegetable oil instead.
Onion (chopped)- I use yellow onions because they are sweeter in flavor. You can use any type of onions that you would like. For more onion flavor with the roast, cut they onions into larger pieces.
Garlic (minced)- I like to use minced garlic so that the garlic flavor incorporated into the entire pot. But, if you'd like you can use whole cloves of garlic instead. Just be sure to peel and smash them before adding to the recipe.
Worcestershire sauce- If you don't have Worcestershire sauce, you can use a little bit of soy sauce as a substitute.
Thyme (dried or fresh)
Rosemary (dried or fresh)
Beef Broth (or 3 cups water and 3 teaspoons of beef better than bouillon. )
Tomato Sauce- Any kind of tomato sauce or tomato paste can be used.
Bay Leaf
Optional ingredients:
Cornstartch or flour slurry for gravy
Celery
Carrots
Potatoes- Russet, yukon gold potatoes, or red potatoes
Red wine
Parsley for garnish
Steps for making Slow Cooker Pot Roast:
Sear the seasoned beef roast on all sides and then add the onions.
Steps for making Slow Cooker Pot Roast:
Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, beef broth, and tomato sauce, and then stir. Place the bay leaf on top.
Directions for making Slow Cooker Pot Roast:
Using the Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Pro:
1. Season the beef with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Turn the sear/saute function on high and pour in the Olive Oil. Once the oil gets hot, add the beef and sear on all sides. This should take 10-15 minutes.
3. Move the beef over to one side of the pot and pour in the onions. Allow the onions to start to cook down a little bit, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, beef broth, and tomato sauce to the pot and stir.
5. Place the bay leaf on top of the beef and then place the cover on the Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Pro.
6. Slow cook on HIGH for 4 hours.
7. At the end of 4 hours, the beef roast should be tender enough to cut/shred with a fork. If the beef is still tough, continue to slow cook on high until tender.
Using All Other Slow Cookers:
1. Season the beef with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Pour Olive oil into a large frying pan and once the oil gets hot, sear the seasoned beef on all sides. This should take about 15 minutes. Add the onions to the pan with the beef and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onions become transluscent.
3. Move the seared beef, onions, and oil over to the slow cooker pot.
4. Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, beef broth, and tomato sauce to the pot and stir.
5. Place the bay leaf on top of the beef and then place the cover on the slow cooker.
6. Slow cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 8 hours.
7. At the end of the cooking time, the beef roast should be tender enough to cut/shred with a fork. If the beef is still tough, continue to slow cook until tender.
Pin Slow Cooker Pot Roast on Pinterest for later:
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
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- Slow Cooker I use the Ninja Possible Cooker Pro
Ingredients
- 2.5 Pound (1 ⅐ kg) Chuck Roast
- ½ Teaspoon (½ Teaspoon) Salt
- ½ Teaspoon (½ Teaspoon) Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Olive Oil
- 1 Cup (236 ⅗ ml) Onion (chopped)
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Garlic (minced)
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Thyme (dried or fresh)
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Rosemary (dried or fresh)
- 3 Cups (709 ¾ ml) Beef Broth (or 3 cups water and 3 teaspoons of beef better than bouillon. )
- ¼ Cup (59 ⅐ ml) Tomato Sauce (or paste)
- 1 (1) Bay Leaf
Instructions
Using the Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Pro:
- Season the beef with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Turn the sear/saute function on high and pour in the Olive Oil. Once the oil gets hot, add the beef and sear on all sides. This should take 10-15 minutes.
- Move the beef over to one side of the pot and pour in the onions. Allow the onions to start to cook down a little bit, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, beef broth, and tomato sauce to the pot and stir.
- Place the bay leaf on top of the beef and then place the cover on the Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Pro.
- Slow cook on HIGH for 4 hours.
- At the end of 4 hours, the beef roast should be tender enough to cut/shred with a fork. If the beef is still tough, continue to slow cook on high until tender.
Using All Other Slow Cookers:
- Season the beef with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Pour Olive oil into a large frying pan and once the oil gets hot, sear the seasoned beef on all sides. This should take about 15 minutes. Add the onions to the pan with the beef and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onions become transluscent.
- Move the seared beef, onions, and oil over to the slow cooker pot.
- Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, beef broth, and tomato sauce to the pot and stir.
- Place the bay leaf on top of the beef and then place the cover on the slow cooker.
- Slow cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 8 hours.
- At the end of the cooking time, the beef roast should be tender enough to cut/shred with a fork. If the beef is still tough, continue to slow cook until tender.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only.
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olivia
Hi! When would you add the vegetables to this recipe? (Carrots/potatoes) Thanks!
Lauren Cardona
You can add the vegetables to the pot right before you start the slow cooking process (after you have seared the meat). I would recommend checking on them periodically to make sure they are not cooking too quickly.