Slow Cooker Pot Roast

My other half has been asking me to make a pot roast with a creamy gravy for awhile now. We tried another pot roast awhile back and while it was okay, it wasn’t knock your socks off amazing. Come around to the other week on a Sunday and it was time to try my own version of slow cooker pot roast. Let’s just say that after the first bite, the look on my other half’s face said everything I needed to know. Nailed it! Tons of veggies, amazing flavor, and top it was a gravy made from the simmered broth from the slow cooker, and you have a winner.

Also – fresh thyme is soooo good. I have a pot of it on my front porch and growing your own fresh herbs is just fun plus the bonus is using them in cooking.

I want to mention that one stop you shouldn’t skip is browning the meat before you add it to the slow cooker. There’s a show on Netflix called Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat that is awesome (my other half bought me the book which I barreled through reading). The author and host, Samin Nosrat, is emphatic about brown is flavor! You want to sear the meat in a pan before adding and it does add a ton of flavor especially when you have the low slow method of a slow cooker.

With that being said….it’s about time we got to the recipe.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Servings – Approximately 6

Ingredients

• 2.5 lb chuck roast
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut
• 2 parsnips, peeled and cut
• 5-6 yukon gold potatoes, cut (not necessary to peel them)
• 2-3 celery stalks, diced
• 2 cups beef broth (I like Better then Boullion)
• 1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• Pepper to taste
• 3-4 springs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, cut into chunks
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup flour

Directions

1. In a large pan heat the olive oil till it shimmers. Season the roast with salt and pepper (this amount is not listed above – use your best judgement) Add the chuck roast and brown all sides (remember this is flavor!).
2. Add the vegetables, broth, worcestershire, balsamic, salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, onion, and chuck roast to the slow cooker. Turn on low and cook for 7-8 hours.
3. At the 7 hour mark, check the roast to see if it’s fall apart tender, if not cook for another hour.
4. Once the meat is tender, place it on a cutting board.
5. You’ll need a large bowl and sieve (or colander), drain the broth into the bowl. Add the vegetables and roast back to the crock pot and turn to warm.
6. In a pan melt the butter, once melted whisk in the flour. You want the flour to turn a lovely brown color. Make sure to keep whisking and don’t walk away, scorched flour isn’t fun. Once the flour has turned a rich brown color, add the drained broth. Whisk every once in a while and simmer for approximately 10 minutes or till thickened.
7. Serve and enjoy1