Tender Pot Roast (Crockpot Recipe)

This easy Crockpot Pot Roast recipe has been passed down in my family for years. It has (formerly) secret ingredients that make a flavorful and extra tender pot roast right in the slow cooker!

Table of Contents

• Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast
• Why I Love this Recipe
• What You’ll Need
• How to Make Pot Roast in the Crockpot
• Tips for Success
• Serving Suggestions
• How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
• Get the Recipe

Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

I am crazy excited to be sharing this epic pot roast recipe with all of you today. This recipe is one of my favorite family recipes that we make over and over and over again. I’m just going to come right out and say it: this is the best pot roast recipe!

This crockpot pot roast (that’s a tongue twister isn’t it?) is our family Sunday dinner at least a couple of times a month. My Mom always tells stories about granny making a big gorgeous pot roast every single Sunday, without fail. I love carrying on that tradition of the Sunday roast, especially since it’s so easy to do with my slow cooker. All you have to do is quickly sear the meat, add the ingredients to your crockpot, turn it on, and walk away. Your home will smell amazing too!

I’m excited to share this easy recipe for how I make an epic pot roast! I hope you love it as much as we do.

Why I Love this Recipe

Honestly, I wish I could give you a bite through the screen! This pot roast recipe is seriously to die for. Here are some of the reasons we love it:

• Flavorful: This recipe includes the BEST pot roast gravy you will ever taste. Yes, I just made that claim. You will need red wine (I use a cabernet), coffee, soy sauce, garlic, cornstarch, black pepper and four packets of low sodium brown gravy mix.
• Tender: The meat literally falls apart when you take it out of the slow cooker. So good!
• Incredible as leftovers: You know how some recipes just get more flavorful and tender as they marinate in the fridge? That’s this recipe. Set some extras aside and make an epic sandwich with the leftovers the next day.

What You’ll Need

This slow cooker pot roast has evolved over the years and includes a few unique ingredients you wouldn’t expect in a pot roast recipe. We call them the “secret ingredients” because no one would ever guess what goes into our pot roast!

Don’t worry, there’s nothing fancy in this dish! You probably already have most of these ingredients in your kitchen.

• McCormick Brown Gravy Mix – Low sodium
• Cornstarch
• Brewed coffee – This adds an amazing depth of flavor to your pot roast!
• Red wine – Cabernet
• Reduced sodium soy sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Garlic
• Black pepper
• Oil
• Bottom round roast
• Carrots – Baby carrots or full sized carrots, peeled and chopped.
• Yellow Onion – I like to use yellow Vidalian onions for their sweetness.
• Portobello mushrooms

What is a Bottom Round Roast?

A bottom round roast is a thick cut of beef taken from the rear leg muscle. Since the leg can weigh upwards of 30lbs, once that section of meat is removed it is cut into smaller pieces, called “roasts.” This is a lean cut of meat without much marbling, which makes it ideal for cooking in the crockpot. The low and slow cooking method tenderizes the meat while also preventing it from drying out.

Can I Use Different Veggies?

Of course! Vegetables enhance the flavor of the pot roast and the amazing beef gravy and you can definitely mix these up. There are a few vegetables that you can choose to add to your slow cooker with the pot roast:

• Potatoes – You don’t need to peel them, just chop them into bit sized pieces before adding to the crock pot.
• Mushrooms – This recipe already has portobello mushrooms, but you could also add dried porcini mushrooms. Just soften them in a bit of boiling water for about 5 minutes, then scoop them out and add them along with the other veggies.
• Parsnips – Treat these similar to carrots. Peel and chop them, then add them to the crockpot.

How to Make Pot Roast in the Crockpot

1. Make the gravy. Whisk together the gravy packets and cornstarch. Slowly whisk in coffee so there are no lumps. Then whisk in wine, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, garlic and black pepper. Set aside.
2. Sear the meat. In a large heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat, add oil. Add meat and quickly sear on all sides.
3. Add meat and veggies to your crockpot. Transfer the meat to crockpot. Top with carrots, onion and mushrooms.
4. Add gravy. Pour gravy mix on top and place lid on slow cooker.
5. Slow cook that pot roast. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until meat is tender.
6. Shred and stir. Remove pot roast from slow cooker and shred into chunks with two forks. Stir gravy and vegetables to combine.
7. Serve! We love to eat this crockpot pot roast with mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash.

Tips for Success

There are a few simple go-to rules when making a slow cooker pot roast that I always abide by.

• Low and slow will give you the most tender and flavorful roast. I have tried speeding up my pot roast and setting my crockpot on high, but my roast just never gets tender enough and your gravy can burn!
• Sear the roast in a skillet over high heat. While some people believe searing meat holds in juiciness – that myth has been proven to not really be true. However, it does caramelize the surface of the meat, which enhances the flavor and adds additional complex layers of flavor to your pot roast that you wouldn’t normally get with your crockpot. 

Serving Suggestions

I personally like to serve my pot roast over mashed potatoes, or mashed cauliflower. However, if you prefer a one-pot dish, you can add a few diced potatoes directly to the crockpot when you add the other vegetables.

Don’t forget to grab a big bag of soft rolls to soak up all that amazing brown gravy with! It’s my favorite part!

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

• Fridge: Let your pot roast cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer: You can also freeze extras in a freezer-safe container. Be sure to leave enough head room for your food to expand in the freezer.
• To Reheat: When you’re ready to eat your leftovers, simply spoon the desired amount into a microwave-safe dish, cover with a plate, and heat for a few minutes. The cooking time will depend upon how much you are trying to heat up at once. I recommend doing single servings and then pausing halfway to give everything a good stir and make sure your pot roast is heated through.

I hope you will give my family’s favorite dinner a try, I promise you are going to be seriously amazed by the flavor! Please leave a comment/review below letting me know how it turns out for you! And if you like this recipe, make sure and also check out my family’s recipe for Slow Cooker Pulled Pork!

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Yield: serves 8

Crockpot Pot Roast Recipe

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This easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast is an old family recipe with secret ingredients that combine to make a super flavorful & extra tender pot roast in the crockpot!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 (1 oz) packets McCormick Brown Gravy Mix (low sodium)
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 cup brewed coffee
• 8 oz red wine (cabernet)
• 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 8 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 lb bottom round roast
• 1 lb bag carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 large sweet yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cups sliced portobello mushrooms

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together gravy packets and cornstarch. Slowly whisk in coffee so there are no lumps. Then whisk in wine, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, garlic and black pepper. Set aside.
2. In a large heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat, add oil. Add meat and quickly sear on all sides. Transfer meat to crockpot.
3. Top meat with carrots, onion and mushrooms. Pour gravy mix on top and place lid on slow cooker.
4. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until meat is tender.
5. Remove pot roast from slow cooker and shred into chunks with two forks. Stir gravy and vegetables to combine.
6. Serve pot roast topped with gravy and vegetables over mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash.

Notes

This recipe originally had instructions to also be made in the instant pot, however so many people were having burn issues that I removed those instructions. If you would still like to try it that way, try at your own risk! When I make it in the instant pot, I cook it on manual, High Pressure for 135 minutes and do a natural pressure release.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 487Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 855mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 48g

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