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Home > Dinner > Slow Cooker Roast Beef

Slow Cooker Roast Beef

Published September 16, 2019, Updated September 16, 2019 By Nicky Corbishley 4 Comments

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Two image collage of pot roast beef with vegetables and gravy
Gravy being poured onto plate of sliced beef and vegetables. Text overlay on the image

Tender roast beef, mashed potatoes, vegetables and a rich meaty gravy – all made in your slow cooker. Warming comfort food bliss.
plate of sliced beef, vegetables and gravy with gravy jug in background

Whilst I adore putting the slow cooker on the in the morning and having a meal pretty much waiting for me in the evening, one of the things I’m not keen on is when everything tastes the same.
It’s all been cooking together for hours, and those flavours have been mingling, which means every mouthful can taste like the last. B-O-R-I-N-G!

I don’t want greeny-brown green beans and potatoes that have no texture or bite to them. I want fall-apart meat, thick gravy, and veggies with flavour!

This one-pot slow cooker roast beef with veggies has a lovely, juicy beef brisket, with vibrant, al-dente green beans, flavour-packed buttered carrots, rustic creamy mashed potatoes and a thick meaty gravy.

So how do make do it?

We start by seasoning the beef, then searing it in a pan, or your slow cooker if it has a searing function like my crockpot has (<– affiliate link). Then along with the beef we add garlic, thyme, red wine and stock. Bring to the boil (and transfer to your slow cooker at this point if you’ve been using a pan up until now). Add carrots, shallots and chopped skin-on potatoes, and cook on 😋.
Add in the green beans for the last 20 minutes of cooking – this will ensure they’re hot through, but retain colour and bite.6 image collage showing how to make pot roast beef in the slow cooker

Once it’s all cooked, remove the brisket and veg from the pan and place in a serving dish. Pick out the potatoes (leave the skin on) and mash up in a bowl using a fork. Add a good knob of butter and a glug of double (heavy) cream and mash again.

4 photo collage showing making of rustic mashed potato

You can thicken up the juices left in the slow cooker by bringing to a boil (either in the slow cooker using the sear function) or in a pan, and stirring in a little cornflour (cornstarch) slurry.
Serve the gravy with your dish of brisket, veg and mashed potatoes.

Gravy being poured onto plate of sliced beef and vegetables.

Pro Tips for ensuring your one-pot slow cooker dinner isn’t boring:

  • Sear the meat before it goes in – this browning, known as the maillard reaction, enhances the brisket’s flavour, giving it that umami, caramelized meatiness and aroma. It’s not about sealing the juices in (as is commonly believed), it’s about enhancing the flavour, and ensuring that flavour carries through to the rest of the dish. Think about those lovely crusty bits on the bottom of the pan when you make a roast (and the lovely flavoured sauce you can get from them), that’s what that crustiness on the meat helps to flavour the dish with.
  • Add a few veggies that only need light cooking in the last 20 minutes. If you have some veggies that usually only need 10 minutes to cook (green beans, small florets of broccoli, asparagus etc), add them into the slow cooker for 15-20 minutes. Remember, a slow cooker isn’t simmering away like a pot of water would be, so the veggies take a little longer to cook.
  • Scoop out some of the veggies and add a little something to them to give them a different flavour or texture. I’ve purposely left the skin on my chopped up potatoes in this dish. I scoop them out, then mash them with a fork (skin too) with salt, pepper, a big knob of butter and a good splash of double (heavy) cream. This results in a lovely rustic mash. Yes, it’s browner than classic mashed potatoes – as it’s been cooked in the braising liquid, but it tastes fab. And you can always spruce up the colour by sprinkling on a little fresh parsley.
  • Add a little cornflour (cornstarch) slurry to the sauce to thicken it and make feel more rich and satisfying. That cooking liquor, after hours of cooking with the meat and veg, as going to be really tasty. Thicken it up for a big jug of gravy that you can pour over your brisket and vegetables – rather than serving the meal as a stew-like dish.

That ‘maillard reaction we were talking about above? You can see the result in this close-up. A lovely dark, flavourful crust on the beef 😋

Pot roast beef and vegetables in a white serving dish

What joint of beef is best for slow cooker?

  • Brisket – from the breast or lower chest of beef.
    • This is one of the most flavorful cuts of meat, but it can be tough if not cooked in the right way. It’s got a moderate amount of fat, but that helps keep the meat juicy. It’s basically made of the chest muscle and is a coarse-grained meat that needs long, slow low-temperature to tenderize. That course-grained type of meat means it’s often used for US-style corned beef, and it can crumble when cut (not in a dry way – rather in a juicy, fall-apart way when cooked slowly). So thick slices are the way to go if you don’t want it to fall apart when slicing.
  • Chuck Roast (braising steak joint) – comes from the forequarter- Consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade, and upper arm.
    • It’s a tough but very flavorful cut of meat. It has a lot of connective tissue, which needs long slow cooking to break down and become tender. Unlike the crumbliness of brisket, chuck roast can be shredded (pulled) into strips.
  • Silverside (bottom round) – comes from the hindquarter – just above the back leg
    • It’s a leaner, inexpensive cut of meat with little marbling. The lack of fat means it doesn’t have as much flavour as the brisket or chuck roast, so make sure you use good quality stock to cook it in. It’s good for slow cooking, but must be cooked with moisture/liquid so doesn’t dry out and become tough. Silverside can be sliced without falling apart too much.

The Slow Cooker Roast Beef Video:

Dinner’s done – now what can I serve for dessert?

  • Winter Spiced Pecan Caramel Cheesecake – no bake and gluten free!
  • Apple Crumble Cake – making crumble portable 😀
  • Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake with Sticky Whisky Glaze – finger-licking deliciousness
  • Plum Crumble Bread – topped with an almond icing drizzle
  • Flourless Chocolate Cherry Cake (gluten free!)
  • Or if you’re totally stuffed, maybe just a coffee and a Chewy Amaretti Cookie or two.

The Slow Cooker Roast Beef Recipe:

plate of sliced beef, vegetables and gravy on a dark background

Slow Cooker Roast Beef

Tender roast beef, mashed potato, vegetables and a rich meaty gravy – all made in your slow cooker. Warming comfort food.
4.5 from 2 votes
Print Rate Pin The Recipe For Later
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 6 hrs
Total Time: 6 hrs 15 mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, British
Keyword: Comfort Food, crockpot, one pot, slow cooker
Servings: 6
Author: Nicky Corbishley

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1.2 kg -1.5kg rolled brisket or chuck roast *Note 1
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp celery salt
  • ½ tsp dried thyme or two sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • 1 cup (240ml) red wine
  • 2 cups (480ml) beef stock
  • 1 kg floury potatoes – such as Maris Piper or Albert Bartlett chopped into large chunks (no need to peel)
  • 3 large carrots peeled and roughly chopped into large chunks
  • 10 shallots peeled
  • 10 1/2 oz (300g) trimmed fresh green beans
  • 1 tbsp salted butter
  • 2 tbsp double/heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 5 tbsp cold water
  • A few sprigs of fresh thyme

Instructions

  • Heat the oil on high in a large frying pan (or use the sear function of your crockpot if it has one like mine - check it out here).
  • Sprinkle the salt, pepper and celery salt on the beef joint and place in the pan. Cook, turning every few minutes until well browned on all sides. This should take about 10-12 minutes altogether.
  • Add the thyme, garlic, red wine and stock and bring to the boil.
  • If you've been using a pan so far, now is the time to transfer the beef brisket to the crockpot and pour over the juices from the pan.
  • Add the potatoes, carrots and shallots. Place the lid on and cook for 5-6 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.
  • About 20 minutes before the beef is ready, add the green beans to the slow cooker. This should allow them to cook lightly, so they still have a bit of crunch and retain their bright green colour.
  • Turn off the crockpot and transfer the beef, carrots, shallots and green beans to a large serving dish.
  • Place the potatoes in a bowl and mash together with the butter and cream. I like to leave the skins on, but you can peel the skins off before mashing if you prefer.
  • Transfer the cooking juices to a pan (or use the sear function on your crockpot if it has one) and bring to the boil.
  • Slow pour in the cornflour whilst stirring, until the sauce is thickened. You may not need all of the cornstarch.
  • Slice the beef brisket and serve with the vegetables, mashed potato and red wine gravy.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Slow cooked brisket often crumbles (not in a dry way – rather in a juicy, fall-apart way when cooked slowly. If you prefer a meat that holds together better, use a beef roasting joint such as silverside. Try to find one with a little fat running through it for flavour).

What joint of beef is best for slow cooker?

  • Brisket - from the breast or lower chest of beef.
    • This is one of the most flavorful cuts of meat, but it can be tough if not cooked in the right way. It's got a moderate amount of fat, but that helps keep the meat juicy. It's basically made of the chest muscle and is a coarse-grained meat that needs long, slow low-temperature to tenderize. That course-grained type of meat means it's often used for US-style corned beef, and it can crumble when cut (not in a dry way – rather in a juicy, fall-apart way when cooked slowly). So thick slices are the way to go if you don't want it to fall apart when slicing.
  • Chuck Roast (braising steak joint) - comes from the forequarter- Consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade, and upper arm.
    • It's a tough but very flavorful cut of meat. It has a lot of connective tissue, which needs long slow cooking to break down and become tender. Unlike the crumbliness of brisket, chuck roast can be shredded (pulled) into strips.
  • Silverside (bottom round) - comes from the hindquarter - just above the back leg
    • It's a leaner, inexpensive cut of meat with little marbling. The lack of fat means it doesn't have as much flavour as the brisket or chuck roast, so make sure you use good quality stock to cook it in. It's good for slow cooking, but must be cooked with moisture/liquid so doesn't dry out and become tough. Silverside can be sliced without falling apart too much.

Nutritional Information is per serving

Nutritional Information

Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Roast Beef
Amount Per Serving
Calories 615 Calories from Fat 216
% Daily Value*
Fat 24g37%
Saturated Fat 11g55%
Cholesterol 136mg45%
Sodium 978mg41%
Potassium 1965mg56%
Carbohydrates 45g15%
Fiber 6g24%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 49g98%
Vitamin A 5582IU112%
Vitamin C 26mg32%
Calcium 86mg9%
Iron 7mg39%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @KitchenSanctuary or tag #kitchensanctuary on Instagram!

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

Filed Under: Dinner, Meat, One Pot

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  1. single tracks says

    November 12, 2019 at 8:29 pm

    This cake sounds like it has great texture. I know my dad would love it, and I know i would love the smell coming from the kitchen as i made it.

    Reply
  2. Christine says

    September 20, 2019 at 8:13 am

    This was last night’s family get together monthly dinner. Clean plates all around, which tells you how good it was. 😋Definitely one we will be having again.

    Reply
  3. Floranet says

    September 18, 2019 at 6:56 am

    Simply amazing, great utilization of resources.

    Reply
  4. Tony says

    September 16, 2019 at 5:24 pm

    Personally I would make Roast potatoes separately along with a Yorkshire pud!

    Reply

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