Savory & Tender Fall Apart Pot Roast
To make an excellent, fall-apart tender pot roast, choose a 2-3 pound piece of chuck roast. This particular cut of beef is marbled with a lot of fat and connective tissues and is initially quite tough, but becomes very juicy and fork tender if cooked the right way. The fat also adds a lot of flavor! Contrary to an already lean and tender piece of meat, which needs a shorter cooking time and dry, high heat, a chuck roast needs to cook for several hours in moist heat. In other words, low & slow to break down fat and tenderize the meat for that fall-apart doneness a good pot roast is known for. The result is juicy, tender meat that melts in your mouth! Various recipes of herbs and spices can be used with this cooking method, and personally I love to use my crock pot to slow cook this wonderful, savory meat.
If you do try this recipe, I would really appreciate a quick comment with a star rating (option found immediately under each recipe). It helps me out tremendously! Thanks in advance!
Cooking the Meat
The first thing you should do as you prepare to cook a pot roast is to sear it on all sides. Fry the meat in oil on high heat until browned all over. This time I cut my roast into serving pieces, but it can also be kept whole. Searing will give the meat a flavorful, thin crust. You may need to fry only a few pieces at a time to keep the skillet hot, otherwise the meat will cook or boil in its juices instead of frying and browning. This is not the time to cook it through, you only want to brown the outer layer.
Put the seared pieces in a crock pot or Dutch oven, then brown onion slices in the same skillet. Even at this point, your kitchen will smell amazing!!
Place the browned onions in the pot together with the meat and add 2-3 cups of water or broth, or a combination. The amount depends on how large your pot roast is; it should cover the roast about half way.
TIP: Don’t just add the water or broth to the pot, but first pour it into the hot frying pan! Swirl it around in the pan to loosen all the stuff that sticks to the bottom and sides, as if you’re washing it out but without the soap (obviously!) Now pour it over the roast. This will add a lot of extra flavor to your roast and gravy, plus you’ve cut back on the time it takes the crock pot to heat the liquid since it’s already hot right off the skillet. In addition, cleaning the skillet at this point will be a a breeze since you took care of so much of it already. 
Also add some garlic to the pot or slow cooker, 3-4 cloves or so, and 1-2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce (click here to hear pronunciation of the name “Worcestershire!” You may be surprised!)
If you enjoy wine, you can add a couple of splashes of red cooking wine if you wish. High quality is not necessary, cheap cooking wine works great, just 2-3 tablespoons or so. My family is not used to wine, so we prefer it without. Other options, if you feel so inclined, are juice, chicken broth, tomato juice, or a little bit of cider vinegar. The pot roast will be juicy and fork tender regardless. But to me, adding these flavors really isn’t necessary, this pot roast recipe is wonderful as-is!
NOTE: If using wine in cooking, please realize that the alcohol from the wine does not necessarily “burn off” as much as previously thought, even when cooking or flaming. For a recovering alcoholic, even the evaporated alcohol in the air can cause a problem. So if there are any issues at all with alcoholism, it really is best to stay clear of cooking with wine altogether.
Then add some herbs; about 2-3 tsp altogether seems about right. This time I used a combination of rosemary, thyme, and savory. Other herbs that work well with beef are marjoram, basil, sage, and oregano. I also tossed in a bay leaf. You can switch around on the herbs in this recipe to get a change in flavor, or choose just one or two. If I had to choose only one, it would be thyme, which is a great herb for pot roast. My favorites for pot roast are thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and savory in addition to bay leaves.
If you want to prepare ahead of time, you can now put the ceramic crock pot insert in the refrigerator overnight to start in the morning the next day.
When ready to cook:
Cook the pot roast on low, barely simmering, for several hours (usually 7-8 in mine) until the meat is fork tender and fat or connective tissues have mostly dissolved. You will still see pieces of fat here and there, but they should be soft. Connective tissues take a long time to tenderize, so low temperature over several hours is very important.
This is my Hamilton Beach crock pot, the best slow cooker I’ve ever had! It includes a thermometer and several very nice features. It works great for my pot roast.
Test the meat with a fork after several hours, around 7-8 on low heat.
I usually check with two forks after 6 hours, but in my crock pot it always takes closer to 7 or 8 hours. Even when I recently made a really small roast, it still wasn’t done until it had been 7 hours. But every crock pot is a little bit different, so it’s best to check on the early side.
If you are short on time, you can also cook on high for 3-4 hours, but I prefer to cook it on low.
The meat is done when it is fall-apart fork-tender; in other words, it’s done when you can pull it apart easily with a fork. Like this:
When my juicy pot roast is done, I like to make gravy from the broth. I remove the meat and set it aside while kept warm, then drain the broth through a colander into a smaller pot and bring it to a boil. While waiting for the broth to boil, I mix up some flour, or corn starch if gluten free is needed, with water until smooth. Then I add some to the boiling broth in a thin but steady stream while whisking with my favorite Norwegian-style whisk (similar to this one from Amazon,) I keep adding more, just a little at a time, until the gravy thickens to my liking. I keep the heat high enough that the gravy continues to boil so that I can see right away whether I added enough. If using flour, I allow the finished gravy to simmer for a couple of minutes to make sure the flour is fully cooked. Otherwise the gravy can end up a little gritty. I also taste the gravy and add more salt if needed.
When the gravy is finished, I pour it over the meat to serve or I serve it on the side. Personally we love mashed potatoes with our pot roast, while some may prefer to serve it over noodles.
My husband is always happy when I serve pot roast as tender as this fall-apart piece of meat!
The juicy beef melts in your mouth and delivers a wonderful blend of savory flavors
from herbs, garlic, and caramelized onions! Please comment and rate this recipe if you try it; option is found immediately under the recipe. Thank you!!
- 2-3 Lbs chuck roast
- Salt & pepper
- Olive oil for searing
- One medium onion in slices
- 2-3 c water or broth
- 2-4 Tbsp red cooking wine, can be omitted
- 1-2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp rosemary
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp savory
- 2 bay leaves
- Flour or corn starch for gravy thickener
- Extra water to make gravy
- Cut meat into serving pieces.
- Rub with salt and pepper.
- Sear on medium heat in olive oil, a few pieces at a time until browned on all sides.
- Put pieces of meat in a crock pot (a Dutch oven can be used as well, but might cook faster.)
- Brown onion rings in the same skillet, then layer around meat.
- Add part of the water to the empty skillet and stir to loosen leftover particles and flavors. Add this and the rest of the water or broth to the meat in the pot.
- Add wine if desired, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, rosemary, thyme, savory, and bay leaf.
- Let cook on low heat, simmering for 7-8 hours or until meat is fork tender.
- Remove the meat and set aside, making gravy from the broth by straining it into a pot.
- Bring broth to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk together some flour or cornstarch with water, until it resembles thick gravy.
- Add a little at a time to the boiling broth by pouring in a steady, thin stream while whisking the gravy, until it thickens to your liking.
- Taste, then add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Pour over the meat, and serve with mashed potatoes or noodles.
I loved this recipe I didn’t make the gravy as I prefer the broth as a topper. Excellent meal with some roasted garlic-rosemary baby potatoes on the side. Thanks for sharing.
That’s great! Thanks for commenting!
Your pot roast looks super delicious and tender! I have tried many different recipes for a fork-tender pot roast and I’ve only been able to make it work a couple times. I’m not sure if my crock pot is junk or I’m getting the wrong cut of beef? I think I’ll splurge a little for a new digital crock pot. The one I use now only has warm, low and high settings and I think my low setting cooks too hot. I’m going to give your method/recipe a try and hope it’s a winner like yours : )
Thanks!
I’ve heard the comment that newer crock pots cook on higher heat than before, but it could be that your older one cooks higher yet. Mine is quite new, and I’ve been very happy with it. The key, when cooking meat like this, is to cook it long enough that it gets really tender, but if you cook too long, it can also dry out. I’ve heard countless times that it won’t dry out if the heat is low enough, but that has not been my experience. However, if your pot roast is juicy, but kind of tough, try cooking it another hour and test again. Also remember that a lean cut of beef requires dry, higher heat, such as baked in the oven, while a tougher, fattier piece, such as chuck, needs a looong time on low heat in order to tenderize and melt the tough strings of fat. But then you get a juicy, tender result. 🙂 Hope you’ll have great results from now on!
Thanks for sharing this excellent recipe. If you make it in a dutch oven I think I read somewhere you should keep the oven below 250 or it becomes dry. Sounds tricky. My mom made this on the stove all her life, just setting it to 3 1/2, and leaving it all day. She added mostly black pepper and a tomato-green pepper stew she made and always had some extra hanging around. So I guess you could call our version “pepper steak pot roast.” I’m low carb now so I make “fauxtatoes” with cauliflauer which are very tasty! Mm, I think I may make this on the upcoming weekend! Thanks for the reminder.
Sounds like your mom found a way that worked well. Who cares what “they” say, if it works for you! 😀
After i put my roast in the crockpot i throw in powder onion soup. Two bottles of steak sauce and broth.
That sounds easy and delicious! Thank you for the tip!
if i go to a grovery store what cut of meet do u reccomend if i cook all night 8 hours?
Personally I would get chuck, since this cut needs to cook on low temperature for a long time. Sounds like the perfect choice to me.
Thank you for sharing the best advice I’ve ever tried to make pot roast that literally falls apart…to cut the meat into serving-size pieces before searing and placing in the slow cooker. It was fabulous! I told my husband that I couldn’t believe I was making pot roast wrong all this time…that this is how it is supposed to be! May God fill your life and your kitchen with many more blessings!
Thank you for your sweet comment and may God bless your family as well!
I have made pot roast super tender while leaving it in one piece as well; I think the most important thing is to use chuck and to let it cook low and slow until tender, but not so long that it dries out. It really will dry out even on low if left in there for too long. So I always test it and check, I won’t just turn it on and expect it to be perfect after being gone all day without paying attention to it. But I’m so glad to hear your roast ended up so good!
I have to disagree about if you cook it too long it will be dry. I really believe that the longer it goes the more tender the meat. My last roast was in the crock pot for 13 hours and was falling apart delicious. I am of the opinion that it has to be the cut of meat. Sometimes it seems like no matter how long you cook a bad piece of meat it will never become tender. I don’t normally cook a roast for that long, but by the time we finally got home from work and daycare, well, it was a long day and nice to have a hot meal ready and waiting.
Well, people have different experiences, and mine has been that even a chuck roast will dry out if it cooks to long. I agree that the cut of meat will make a difference as well. Regardless, if a certain way of cooking has worked well for you, then that’s a great thing! 🙂 Do whatever works for you.
Agreed:
the meat cut type makes ALL the difference.
As far as Over Cooking; in a covered Cast Iron Pot, that usually can not happen ’cause your constantly turning the roast and resubmerging the meat on every turn. Shawna says a slow cooker will not do this for you but, letting the meat stay submerged makes all the differance in the world.
The Onions, diced Carrots and Potatoes pre-soften and the Gravy is to die for.
We are as old school as it gets and a Slow Cooker, to us, Scare’s Us.
Thank you for the tips and insights, it is very appreciated! Although you may not like the idea of a slow cooker, it really does work wonderfully and the meat stays very moist in this environment. As you can see, reading through a lot of comments, many other readers have found this method to work very well. But, as always, whatever you have found to work for you is what you should do. Don’t fix what isn’t broken. As for me, crock pot works perfectly, so I’ll stick to that. 🙂 All the best to you, happy cooking! Thanks again for your comment and star rating!
I’m going to try your recipe, but let me tell you of my recent fiasco. 2 pound piece of chuck roast. Recipe I followed promised fall-apart tender pot roast in a crockpot. First I made a layer of roughly chopped vegetables in bottom of pot: carrots, onions, garlic, celery, tiny round potatoes. Also tossed in two sprigs rosemary and a little less than one cup of broth. (Recipe stressed not adding too much liquid because meat will release it’s own liquids.) Then, covered the beef in pepper and salt on various sides, then placed it on top of the vegetables. Cooked in crockpot LOW for 6 and a half hours. I glanced in through the glass top a few times during the cooking process and at no time did the meat appear tender to me. In other words, I’m pretty sure it didn’t overcook. When done, I noticed the meat was tough and dry, and certainly was not falling apart moist with a fork. I decided to try letting it go another hour with a little added broth to moisten it up — but no good. Dry tough chewy meat… like no pot roast I’ve ever had.
So what went wrong? Only things I can think of is
1) I did not pre-brown the meat in a skillet with oil
2) Something is screwy with my crockpot
My crockpot does not have temp settings, just LOW, HIGH and amount of time. Any ideas Thanks!
Hmm… Well, I’m not exactly sure, but my guess is that it needed more liquid. To not brown the meat first should not have caused it to dry out like that. The advantage of browning before cooking is really to add flavor more than anything.
One question: Had the liquids evaporated at the end of cooking, or was there more liquid in the pot than when you started? I’m not sure why it would be suggested in your other recipe to be so careful with adding liquids; while it’s true that the meat will release juices of its own, chuck should be cooked in wet, low heat. It shouldn’t need to be fully immersed, but my roast always ends up being at least half covered in liquid after a few hours. And toward the end, I will often flip the meat over when I check it, just so the tops get drenched in it for a while as well. All this broth can be used for gravy, soups, stews etc.
There is always a possibility that something is wrong with the crock pot as well. If it is over heating and really on high when you have set it to low, it is certainly possible that the meat was over done. But of course you did say that the meat didn’t look over done. So my best guess would be that there was not enough liquid.
If you decide to try my recipe, I hope it works out for you!
I’m SO glad you mentioned that your crockpot might be the culprit! I’ve been wondering if buying a newer one with more temperature control might help keep us from having to choke down dry roast. lol.
I must admit that I’m NOT very savvy in the kitchen. Plus, i’m now in constant fear of wasting my time and money by ruining very expensive food. (2023 ridiculously overpriced grocery bills!)
MANY THANKS TO EACH person who has shared such EXCELLENT (as well as frustrating) experiences and advice!! I have been inspired to TRY AGAIN… Y’all are the best!!
You know, I have made pot roasts for years and really haven’t had much of an idea of what I was doing. I just bought some cut of beef roast (what ever was on sale), put it in the crock pot with broth or water or both, then veggies, then let it go. Never checked the time, just pulled it out when I thought it looked done after checking it. So…that being said sometimes it was fall apart awesomeness, sometimes it was terrible! Today, I searched for a recipe that would tell me what cut of meat is ‘correct’ AND (most important) I wanted an education. I wanted to know how long to cook it and how to get the meat tender. I just want to thank you for explaining the ‘why’s’ and ‘how’s’ and such. I followed your instructions and my roast is on, so I don’t know yet how it will turn out but regardless, I feel like I learned something by reading your recipe. So much more thorough than others I’ve read and I truly appreciate that! Again, thank you!
I’m glad you found my post helpful! Hopefully your pot roasts will be consistently tender and delicious from now on. Thank you for commenting!
Cooked a chuck roast 2 1/2 lbs today. Recipe
Said cook at 350 for 2 hours in Dutch oven. Not tender, would lowering temp to 225 help?
Low temperature over a longer period of time is better for a chuck roast than to cook it fast at a higher temperature. So yes, lowering the temperature and giving it more time should help. A crock pot on low for 7-8 hours has worked the best for me.
THANKS for the advice and recipe…I wanted my roast to fall off the bone, but always seemed to be dry and chewy…low and slow is the key I guess!
Ive been wanting to cook a pot roast but wasnt sure what kind of meat to use and what to do. After reading this I do feel like I’m ready to make one so thank you for your advice. If cooking with potatoes and carrots when should I put them in the crock pot. And if cooking on digital crock pot what temperature should ot be on
I’m glad I could help! As far as what the actual temperature is in a crock pot set on low versus high, I don’t know. I tried to look into it a little bit, but I don’t think there’s a clear answer to that. Each crock pot is different: current models, older versus newer models, and the wattage used in them is different as well. Ultimately it’s a matter of how long it takes the food to reach simmer temperature of 209 degrees F. For your crock pot, it may be best to look at what the manufacturer recommends for low settings in your particular model.
Also can I cook the roast potatoes and carrots with the gravy in the crock pot?
Yes, you can definitely add vegetables to the crock pot together with the meat. Put them in right from the start. Just know that the more you fill the crock pot, the longer it will take to cook everything. So you may need to add a bit more time, maybe an hour or two or even more. I can’t tell you specific times on that as I don’t normally add them myself. Perhaps other readers can help?
This recipe had my mouth watering from the searing to my belly…absolutely delicious and I love how personable you made it…definitely passing it on
Thank you so much, that’s great to hear! I appreciate you letting me know!
This is a fabulous sure-fire way to do up a pot roast. I just put together my second one and thought I’d now take the chance to comment on the first. My family praised me so that it has now been suggested we make a few batches in December and give portions away to special folks as Christmas presents. Here are a few special tips I added that I’ve learned over the years in making beef stew that apparently went over like gangbusters:
First, I used about twice the spices that are normally recommended, and did in this case. A combination of most on your list in this case but have no bay leaves of late.
Second, I include plenty of vegetables – carrots, onions and potatoes. I never put any of them in at the beginning except for a couple of handfuls of finely chopped onion as added seasoning. Other than that, Instead let the roast go for a couple of hours, then add the carrots, a couple of hours later the onions, and finally, brown the potatoes on all sides and add them around an hour before you plan to take out the roast. Let his way the veggies are all still firm and not mushy like they are in canned products. Because of the extra bulk, I put enough beef broth in at the start to anticipate covering the veggies.
And don’t discard your extra broth afterward – it can be used a kajillion ways including starter for your next pot of stew, or for gravy as in this recipe.
You’re da bomb! Five-plus stars from this kitchen.
Thank you thank you!!! Great tips here, will have to double up on the spices and see how that goes. I do like to add a fair amount of salt, it really helps bring out the flavors. And how kind of you to plan out such special, wonderful gifts to give to those you care about! There is love in every bite! It actually gave me the idea that for our next Christmas get together with the family: make a few batches of this pot roast ahead of time, freeze if need be, then just heat up in moist heat just until hot. Should be easy enough! Great, now I have that all settled!
Thanks to everyone for all the info, I made this for my family on Thanksgiving Day. It was only my husband and myself. Turned out pretty good. I used a chuck roast, Lipton onion soup mix, added vegetables after the meat was done. We really enjoyed it.
Dear moderator, can you please add the five stars for me? For some reason they didn’t take when I hit “submit”. Thanks!
Thank you very much Jo Kaye! I am actually unable to change or add stars on behalf of my readers, so I will add them here under my own comment. If you are able to add them for yourself next time you stop in, I will edit out from my reply. I’m not sure why you aren’t able right now to add them, will have to look into that. Thanks again!
Terese
I just made this for the third time and every time it is drool worthy. Everyone just loves it!
Including me of course. It’s the roast I am known for now, thanks to you of course, Terese
What else you got?
My stars didn’t appear, either. ☹️ All five lit up, but once I hit send,
they were a no show.
Wonderful!! I’m glad it’s turned out great! How fun to serve a delicious meal that everyone loves! I appreciate your comment and your star rating very much! Looks like the stars came through for you now; I’ll have to ask tech support (my husband -Ha!) about that and test it out.
Trying your recipe now. My mom was a follow the recipe strictly cook and had a relatively small repertoire. I’m far more “just go with it” but I’ve always been leery of beef roasts. I usually chop my chuck steaks to make stroganoff or similar. My husband bought a grass fed organic roast and told me to do it right 🙂 Will let you know.
Sure hope it turns out great! That’s an expensive piece of meat, so you definitely will want a great result! Yes, do let me know!
Outstanding! Made this for dinner tonight for my cousins, daughter and son-in-law. They loved it and so did I. My year old granddaughter who tends to be a bit picky with food couldn’t get enough. It was so easy to throw it all together this morning, place it in the crock pot and leave it alone. The house smelled so wonderful all day and I couldn’t wait for dinner time 🙂 It didn’t disappoint at all. It just pulled apart with ease and made the best gravy I’ve ever made! Thank you for this recipe – it’s a huge improvement from my old recipe. I’ll never made another pot roast any other way.
Wonderful!!! I’m so glad to hear that you love it so much! Thank you for your comment and star rating, I sure appreciate it!
I’m so glad I found this post and recipe. The roast sounds delicious. Made my first ever pot roast yesterday. Have the very same slow cooker(but in white) and I love mine. I used a chuck roast and per the McCormick packet for gravy, (Never made homemade gravy either) cooked it for 8hours on low. Now I did sear it on the stove top, but forgot all about the salt and pepper. Could that be why it was tough? I’ve heard salt helps tenderize. Anyway, gonna send this link to my messenger account so can make this. I did add some onion to the pan to brown, but didn’t add any liquid to it after. I guess if I add the liquid to the pan and make it hot and remove all those yummy bits, my roast would have tasted better. The gravy wasn’t bad, but it was missing something. I did add garlic even though it didn’t call for it. So your spice suggestions are perfect. Can’t wait to try your recipe, but gonna leave out the wine. Don’t normally cook with it, and with all the meds I take its safer. Thanks for all your help.
Thank you for your comment and for your visit to my blog! I hope you’ll love my recipe when you try it!
I doubt that leaving out the salt and pepper caused your roast to be tough. Salt can tenderize, but normally this is when meat is brined or marinated to the point where the salt has time to penetrate all of the meat. Simply sprinkling some salt on the outside only serves only to add flavor. A tough roast has more to do with the cut of beef or the way it was cooked, but choosing chuck is correct. Did you set it to low? 8 hours on low is normally about perfect, but would be too long on high. Every crock pot is different, and some cook cook pretty hot even on low. You’ll have to try to figure out if that’s the case with yours and whether it’s more likely that your meat was over done or under done.
To give you an idea, if you check with two forks and try to pry a piece apart before the meat is done, you’ll find that it’s very tough and won’t come apart easily. This will be the case until it’s actually done, and when done it should be easy to pull it apart and it should also be juicy. If it cooks much after it’s fully done, it will still be fairly easy to pull apart the pieces of meat but the meat will start to dry out more and more the longer it cooks. If the combination is tough but juicy, cook longer. If it is dry, it’s over cooked. That being said, if the butcher sold you meat from an old animal, the meat could be tough no matter how well you cooked it. But I’ve never been sold bad meat myself. The size of the roast is also important: The more you stuff a crock pot, the longer it will take to cook everything.
I sure wish they could make all crock pots and microwave ovens the same so recipes could be more exact and take out the guessing for everyone. But so far they haven’t, so then we have to try until we get it right. Hope your next roast will be absolutely wonderful!
I’m cooking for 6-10 people tomorrow evening and I’m very nervous as these people are very important… I’m going to follow your receipe but was wondering how much Chuck should I prepare? And will I still be able to use a crock pot w that much meat? Any advice would be greatly appreciated and may help to calm the nerves lol…
Oh my, the pressure is on! LOL! I’ll give you a couple of ideas:
1. You didn’t say whether these people are all adults? If several of them are little kids, you might be able to get away with making only one regular size roast.
2. If these people are all adults, and all 10 show up, you may need more than one roast. If so, are you at all able to borrow a second crock pot from someone? It would be much better to make two roasts in two separate crock pots rather than trying to cram both into one. Filling the pot too much would make it take a lot longer for the meat to finish cooking and it’s hard to predict how long it will take. So that’s a bit of a risk and better for a day when you can afford to experiment.
3. You could MAYBE make due with one roast if you have a lot of sides to go along, especially if you don’t think all 10 might show up.
4. You could make two roasts two times in your crock pot if you do it ahead of time (today, tonight, tomorrow morning…) and then reheat before they arrive. You can do that in a big pot with some of the juices, on the stove top or in a roaster if you have one. But keep an eye on it, you only want to heat it up, not to be cooking it any further. I’m planning on doing this for Christmas for our large family dinner. Do NOT microwave, the meat will get tough if you do.
5. Make something entirely different that you know you can predictable do well for a lot of people. Seriously, sometimes it is scary and risky to do something you haven’t done before without having experimented first.
I hope some of these options will work for you and that your dinner will be a huge success! I wish you well and for your nerves to stay calm. Have a plan B if things do not work out well. Such as picking up 3 Stromboli from a good, local pizzeria. 🙂
Fantastic recipe, my boyfriends favourite. Making it for the 3rd time today!
How fun to hear! I’m glad you love my recipe!
Great recipe! My family loves it!
Wonderful! Good to hear!
Super roast beef! Loved it!! My go-to from now on! Thank you!!
You’re welcome!! And thank you for your comment and star rating, how nice to hear!
I take a 2-3bpound chuck roast and sear it before putting in slow cooker. I mix a packet of taco seasoning with water and pour over the roast, I then add more water just to cover the roast. I cook on low setting for 7-8 hours. When done I transfer to my skillet and shred. Best shredded beef tacos ever.
Good idea! Thank you for sharing!
Tried this recipe yesterday and it was great! I thought I cut the pieces too small but nope – all good; i usually only keep it whole so this was a nice switch-up. Thanks!
Good to hear, I’m glad it worked out well for you! Thank you for your comment and star rating, that’s very helpful and nice!
i searched online for super tender pot roast and came across this recipe. Just made the best Sunday pot roast ever! Thank you. Followed the recipe as written, but cooked in a dutch oven at 235 degrees for 5 1/2 hours. Perfect!
Wonderful!! I’m so glad it turned out so nice for you! Thank you for letting me know and for the star rating, I really appreciate it!
I made this roast recipe for Christmas dinner last year. We were tired of ham and turkey and went for the roast. I looked at lots of recipes and don’t know how I was lucky enough to find this one. We ate every single bite of the 2 roasts I prepared. It was the most satisfying, delicious holiday dinner we have had. Today I was searching like crazy to find this again and had to go to my December 2015 Facebook pages to find it. Thank you for sharing your talents. Now I’m excited for Christmas dinner again!
WOW! That’s one of the nicest comments I have received, thank you so much! That’s very fun to hear! I really appreciate that you took the time to share and to leave a star rating! Have a Merry Christmas!
I have managed to screw up every roast I’ve ever tried. Think rubber!!! I stumbled upon your site and just from you explaining the difference in cooking methods based on the cut sold me. Then after using your recipe…. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! My husband is asking for it again!!!!
Oh and I threw the leftover broth and little scraps of beef and the onions into a pot of chili. Best pot of chili I have ever made!!!
Not sure if my stars showed up. But definitely a 5 star recipe!!
Oh my! Haha! Well, that’s great that it worked out so well this time! How nice to hear that you found my information helpful! Sounds like you put the leftovers to good use as well! Your comment sure was nice to read, thank you for commenting and leaving a star rating! I appreciate it very much!
I’m cookibg this right now, or, rather, my crock pot is. I have 3 more hours to go and CAN HARDLY WAIT. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us.
You’re welcome!! 🙂 Hope it will turn out great for you!
Absolutely phenomenal! Not only was the recipe fantastic, and the dinner itself fantastic, but I particularly found your explanations and photos very helpful. Thank you so much.
That’s great to hear, thank you so much!! I love knowing that people find my posts helpful!
Tried to give it 5 stars, not sure if I hit enter too soon. Thanks again.
The stars did not go through for some reason. I’ll add them for you to this post as I am not able to edit that part. If you decide to try again, and it works, I will remove them from this reply. Thank you very much for the star rating!!!
Love this recipe. Never thought about thickening the broth, made it taste so much better
I think so too! Glad you liked it!
Definitely gonna try this tonight! 🙂
Great! Hope it turns out well!
AMAZING! I’ve been using this recipe for years. Thank you!
You are welcome! We love it, too. Thank you for your comment and the star rating!
Amazing! I’m not a great cook but this helped tons! I finally made a juicy roast! Thank you!!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you liked it!
Love this recipe!
Thank you!
Gosh I can’t tell you how many roasts I’ve ruined in the last couple years. Trying recipe after recipe and never knowing where I’ve gone wrong. My poor husband. Well because of you we had a delicious and TENDER roast! Finally! I can’t thank you enough! You may have even saved my marriage 😉 I have bookmarked this and will come back to it time and again! Thanks!
Haha, well, thank you for such wonderful compliments! Too funny! I’m so glad you finally had a tender roast to enjoy!
Terese dear – what can I say that hasn’t already been said??
Your recipe is absolutely amazing and exactly what I needed!! Having such a delicious, hearty, ‘set it and forget it’ meal option has really impacted my day to day in the most tremendous way. And even at twice per week (in times when things get incredibly busy for this entrepreneur / community volunteer / committee sitter / never sleeper), a recipe this delicious feels like a treat every single time. This truly can make all the difference between a stressful night and an evening of delightful dining (yes, dinner in and of itself can stress me out some days, hahahaha).
I won’t take up too much of your time or comment space, but I just HAD to say THANK YOU, and to let you know that your recipes (and thorough, thorough instruction) are greatly received and infinitely appreciated!!!!
God bless you for helping even clueless folks like me succeed in the kitchen!!!!!!!
Oh what a sweet, encouraging comment to receive!! Thank you so much! I am so happy to be able to help! If I have learned something that has been a blessing to me and my family, it truly is my pleasure to share and pass on whatever I can. So many of you have been so kind and gracious in your comments, letting me know that my work was appreciated and helpful, and it warms my heart every time. Also, how wonderful for the community you live in, to have a person like you give your time and talents to help others! People like you really make a difference in other people’s lives. God bless you!
I’ve made a handful of crock pot roasts since I was gifted a crock pot by family for my apartment so I’m only cooking for myself and leftovers. I’ve done a few similar recipes and can get to a nice fall-apart roast and melts with the gravy. I wish I saw this before I got today’s roast started.
My issue is the meat produces a lot of juices so it almost boils with half or more of the meat covered by it’s own juices, though once I reach the low and slow cooking time, it still falls apart very nicely and is juicy. The leftovers however are a bit too dry. (Such is the life with leftovers when heated back up) I attempted a sear once and it did not go well… Bad searing and an apartment filled with smoke from browning the meat. I think my next roast I will try your recipe as I’m always on the lookout for new, highly-rated recipes like yours.
Bookmarked, and my next roast will be following this recipe! I am very much looking forward to trying this out after reading all the glowing reviews!
Sounds like you’re already mastered it, good for you! But I’d love to have you try mine as well. 🙂
The large amount of juice that you mentioned is very normal, and not at all a problem. Chuck likes a lot of liquid, the moist environment is perfect for this cut. As for dry leftovers, I don’t really experience that, but it probably depends on what type of roast you started out with and also how you reheat it. I store my leftover roast in juice or gravy in the refrigerator, and I reheat in this liquid on the stove top. I simmer just until hot, no more. It’s always nice and juicy this way.
Those times I’ve tried the microwave, it doesn’t go so well. I have found that meat or chicken in the microwave usually turns out tough. So if I have to reheat it really quickly by using the microwave, I cook it a little bit at a time, turn the pieces often, and stop as soon as it’s warm or almost hot. I do not heat it until completely hot or it will definitely be tough and not tender at all like when it first was made.
I hope you’ll love my recipe! Let me know what you think!
Best pot roast ever
That’s nice to hear, thank you! Thanks also for the comment and star rating!
Thank you so so soooooo much for this incredible recipe!! This was hands down the best pot roast I have ever made. I have this bookmarked online but plan on adding it to my personal homemade cookbook. I even gave a little bit to my to my dog & he ate it so fast it had my family in tears from laughing so hard. If anyone is reading these comments trying to decide if you want to cook this, quit reading and get in the kitchen!! You won’t be disappointed 🙂
Haha, too funny! Thank you so much for this awesome comment and for adding a star rating! I’m so glad you enjoyed my recipe!
I googled is a tender chuck roast possible and found your recipe. I can cook a thick 7-bone roast in a crockpot to a melt in your mouth tender every time, but never have had luck with a chuck roast. They’ve always been so tough that it’s not fit to eat in my opinion. I’ve read that chuck roast and 7-bone is the same cut of meat. It’s been years since I mustered up the courage to buy another chuck roast. I cut it in half and froze the other half, then cooked the fresh half last night. I’d estimate the half to be about 2lbs. Unfortunately same thing. Tough! The dog is getting pieces of it with his dog food now. He’s the only one that loves it! The only thing I’m doing differently is I’m not searing the meat beforehand. I cooked it on high 4.5-5hrs with onions & spices filled about half way with juice. I add a can of cream of celery soup. I’m going to try your recipe with the other half and I’m going to cut it to serving pieces as well. If this doesn’t work. I won’t be buying a chuck roast again. I’ll just stick to the 7-bone when available at the grocer.
Wow, so strange! And I don’t blame you in the slightest, I’d get tired of it too! I’m not familiar with 7-bone roast, but it’s really too bad this didn’t work for you. For your next half, maybe try low heat for 7-8 hours? And please keep in mind that the meat will be tough until it is fully done cooking. But then, of course, it can dry out if it’s cooked too long. It’s a fine balance. Under-cooked chuck will be very tough though, so one thing you could also try if that happens is to cook a while longer. You have nothing to lose if it’s bad anyway. It could resolve instead. I sure hope so, no fun to have your meal ruined!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I to have ruined many roasts but this one came out perfect. I have a Curtis Stone combination 7qt skillet/slow cooker. I was able to sear the meat and carmelize the onions side by side and then convert to a slow cooker. I love my Curtis Stone combination cooker. It was a bit pricey but worth every penny.
Sounds very handy! I do the same in my pressure cooker sometimes, first sear then pressure cook or slow cook. I’m glad to hear you liked my recipe! And thank you for adding a star rating!
I missed the part of your post asking to rate this. I found this recipe from you and made it. I am NOT a meat cooker. Everything about most meat grosses me out if I have to cook it. Put a delicious plate of beef lamb venison turkey bison anything and I will be happy happy happy! I made this with a little help the first time. I have made this 5 times in 14 days. Everyone loves it! It is easy and tastes out of this world. Im not going to lie, I lay in bed to go to sleep and start thinking about it. I get up and eat some then go back to bed. I have eaten it breakfast, lunch and dinner a few days. My husband asked if we bought a cow I made it so many times! Thank you for sharing this. I am ruined for life and will not eat beef any other way unless its a filet or ribeye off the grill…
I never expected it to be so magnificent. Cows now hate you, I am certain. Thank you for sharing… I actually need to go make it now. Happy Beefy MOO Year ??
LOL! Well, I’m very happy to know you loved it so much, even if I have to wear sunglasses around cattle from now on! Love your comment, thank you so much!
The title for this recipe says it all. Definitely a keeper! I used Swanson Beef Broth (no water or wine). If anyone has undesirable results my bet would be the condition of the slow cooker and/or their browning/searing technique.
Thank you very much!!
Awesome and thorough instructions. I love how you explain the why’s, when’s and what’s of everything in this recipe!
In the crock pot now…. we will see how it turns out! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you very much, so nice to hear! I hope you’ll love it!
Love this recipe and the way you show the how to. This time I added a little horseradish so we will see how that turns out.
Thank you very much! And how did you like the horseradish?
Made this for my 78 yr old mother last night. She loves her roast beef, but because of poor dentures, was unable to enjoy it very often, it turned out delicious! Didn’t deviate from the recipe at all and it turned out just like advertised. She loved it! Thanks for the recipe.
Dan
Wonderful! I am so glad your mother will once again be able to enjoy your delicious roast! Thank you very much for leaving a comment and star rating!
Hi there Terese and all the other commenters…
My mom has a fantastic pot roast she’d make when I was growing up. Since living on my own I have tried to replicate her roast, but to no avail. I am about to go shopping and try yours out for dinner today, but there’s one thing I’m sort of hung up on. My mom’s roast calls for a can of cream of mushroom soup. Have you ever experimented with this on your pot roast recipe? I think I will make your pot roast today (as is, and I’m sure it’ll be fantastic) but for some reason I can’t get off the idea of adding the cream of mushroom soup. Please let me know your thoughts Terese (and everyone else)!!
Thank you,
Morgan
Yes, in fact, adding a can of cream of mushroom soup is how I always used to make my pot roast years ago, before my current recipe! So I will very happily give you my thoughts on that. 🙂 We used to love making it with cream of mushroom, and the idea came from a recipe I saw somewhere. It tasted very good! But then I got tired of it, although my husband still liked it. In addition, I have almost completely cut out canned cream soups from recipes because I don’t like the idea of how processed they are, with the addition of chemicals I think we’re better off without. I’ll still use them on occasion, but not often. Now that I have this recipe, it makes us happy every time. I would say to add it if you would like to, especially if you’re hoping to make it taste like your mom’s roast. It should work just fine. And you could try it without a different time, and you may be pleasantly surprised at how good this is without the soup added. I’m sure you’ll be happy either way. I’m glad you asked this question since it was on your mind and you were wondering, and I’m glad I was able to give you some input on it! I hope you’ll have a wonderful supper tonight!
Thinking more about it, I’ll let you know what else I used to do, just in case this is what your mom did: In addition to a can of cream of mushroom soup, I also used a half envelope dry onion soup mix. In fact, here’s a link to a recipe like that, and it’s found all over the place on the net. I think it’s a pretty common way to make pot roast these days. I do wonder where it came from originally; it may have been on the Campbell’s can or on the onion soup mix box. Or maybe it’s Betty Crocker…. ? BUT, personally I really do love my own recipe in this post much better, and does not have these processed ingredients in it. I do hope this helps!
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/awesome-slow-cooker-pot-roast-57130#activity-feed
Thank you so much Terese! Yes, in fact my mom’s recipe also involves the onion soup mix, haha. I think the recipe has been advertised from Campbell’s or something, but she’s made it since I can remember and I find it amazing (the memories may help). I am trying your recipe out right now (without the mushroom soup mix) and it smells amazing!!! Can’t wait for it to be ready. And thank you for responding so fast! I’ll let ya know how the roast comes out tonight 😀
Great! Looking forward to hearing from you!
The pot roast was amazing!! I am getting ready to make it again tonight for dinner. Last time I couldn’t find Savory at my local neighborhood Walmart, where do you find your savory?
Thanks for this delicious recipe! It’d give my mom a run for her money haha
Awesome!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! I found savory among the spices at my local supermarket. Maybe try a different store? Otherwise just use some of the other herbs suggested. It’s not a big deal at all to use savory, it’s just one of several option, that’s all.
Thank you for getting back with me, it’s always fun to hear how it goes when someone wants to try it.
Excellent roast. Highly recommend.
Great to hear! Thank you very much!!
This was so amazing! The only thing I messed up was the breaker tripped and the crockpot never started, so I had to marinate it overnight. So so goo!
Oh awesome!! I’m so happy you loved it! Thank you very much for your 5 star rating and for commenting so positively! Have a great upcoming week!
Found this in 2015 and have been meaning to post ever since. The best roast ever! Everyone who has had it just loves it.
One of my friends asked me to cook it for her on her birthday!
This is the only roast I will make. Ever.
Oh, any tips on how to do the gravy better? It seems I miss the mark on balance/consistency sometimes.
Thanks Terese, for helping palates around the globe experience true deliciousness!
I’m so happy you love this recipe and that your guests have enjoyed it as well! Thank you for the 5 star review, that definiely helps me out. So what exactly happens with your gravy, what are you observing? It is important to whisk it well when you add the liquid, and let it come to a boil to properly thicken.
This is how I cook my pot roast. It is such a comfort food for my family. Reminds me of helping my mom cook in the kitchen. Everyone loves this recipe.
Sounds so good that I feel I should ask what time I should be over for dinner?
Haha, thank you Albert! I hope you give this recipe a try!
Amazing and informative recipe!! Thankyou for sharing this labor of love pot roast!
You’re welcome! I’m happy you liked my recipe!