Crockpot Chuck Roast with Vegetables

 

Ingredients:

Prep Time10minutes mins

Cook Time8hours hrs

Total Time8hours hrs 10minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6

3-4 lb chuck roast*

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

1 ½ lb petite potatoes

1 lb baby carrots

1 yellow onion, sliced

1 c beef broth

1 ½ tsp thyme you can use some Italian seasoning as well to vary the flavor!

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp sea salt (more or less to taste)

2 T corn starch (optional)

2 T water (optional)

other optional ingredients: 1 T Worcestershire, 1/3 cup red wine, or 2 T balsamic vinegar

PREPARATION:

Instructions

Slice onions and rinse vegetables. Add carrots, potatoes and onion into the bottom of slow cooker. Toss to mix.

Place the chuck roast on top of the vegetables. Pour broth on top. Season meat with garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme. Turn the slow cooker to low and cook for about 8 hours or until meat falls apart easily and the carrots and potatoes are soft. ( I recommend cooking on low, but you can cook on high for 4-6 hours if necessary.) **cook time can still vary or take longer sometimes, cook until it falls apart!

When meat is ready, you can stir to allow the meat to fall apart into chunks. Transfer to a serving dish or serve straight from the slow cooker. For a thicker gravy like consistency, whisk together water and corn starch about 30 minutes before serving. Add it into the crock pot and stir to combine.

Notes

*chuck roast is the ideal cut for this recipe and will turn out the most tender. If selecting another cut, stay away from a piece that looks too lean, fat and marbling will help release more juices and keep everything moist! If your meat is lean, add an extra 1/2 to 1 cup broth as desired.

You can thicken the juices easily if desired. We have always preferred the juices from the roast and pour it over as we serve. If you want to thicken it up a bit, make a cornstarch slurry by adding about 1-2 tablespoons of corn starch into the juice at the bottom about 20-30 minutes before serving.

The meat is ready when it easily falls apart when twisting with a fork. Please do NOT freak out if you come back to your pot roast and find the meat is really tough. This just means it is not done yet. I know we often worry about overcooking meat, but a pot roast needs to cook fully to become tender, melt in your mouth cooked.

Searing is an optional step if you would like! You can brown the pot roast on each side prior to tossing into the slow cooker if you prefer. I never do and love the results still.

Nutrition

Calories: 536kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 399mg | Potassium: 1466mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 10478IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 7mg