I was afraid to deviate from my famous oven roast, but it was worth a try, this slow cooker roast is delicious! Healthy and fast, try to prepare it for a nice evening while enjoying a nice dinner with the family
INGREDIENTS
2–3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast
1 ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 quarts beef stock or broth
1 large yellow onion cut into six wedges, about 1 pound
1 ½ large stalks of celery diced small
3 medium cloves of garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped
2 pounds fresh carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 pounds little potatoes left whole, various varieties
2 sprigs of fresh thyme left on the stems
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon gravy browning and seasoning, such as Kitchen Bouquet
INSTRUCTIONS
Pat the roast dry with paper towels then sprinkles the salt and pepper on all sides.
In a heavy-bottomed pan such as a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven, over high heat, add the oil and once shimmering hot, add the beef and cook for 4-5 minutes on every side, top and bottom to sear.
Remove to a plate, add the Worcestershire sauce and then immediately pour in a few cups of the beef broth to deglaze the pan. Remove from heat and set aside.
In your 5-quart slow cooker, place the onions, celery, garlic, carrots, potatoes, thyme, and bay leaves.
Place the roast over the vegetables and pour in the liquid from the skillet along with enough beef broth to come up about ¾ up the side of the meat, which should be the whole two quarts of stock or broth. If you don’t use all of the stock, save for the end when making the gravy.
Cover slow cooker and set a timer for eight hours on low or four hours on high. If cooking on low, check at the eight-hour mark and cook up to four additional hours until the meat is tender. If cooking on high, check at four hours and cook for one or two hours if needed.
While the pot roast is cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low and once melted, stir in the flour and cook for four minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat and hold for later in this recipe.
After the meat and vegetables are removed, pour the liquid into a strainer over a saucepan and discard the solids (pieces of celery, bay leaves, and thyme).
Add the butter-flour mixture to the liquid and cook to thicken over medium heat. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add the gravy flavor color to the sauce to get your desired color. I liked ours to be golden, so ½ teaspoon was plenty.
To serve, remove large pieces of beef for serving that guests would then cut into bite-sized pieces at the table. Serve with potatoes, carrots, onions, and gravy. You could also slice the roast and serve slices but we like the large rustic pieces better.
