- When it comes to classic comfort food, it's hard to beat this
slow cooker pot roast. It's honestly one of the
easiest recipes to make and it serves up meltingly tender meat along with chunky, good for you veggies that fill you up in the best way possible. Pot roast is always a popular
recipe during the holidays but this version is so darn easy, after you sear the big hunk of meat, that it is perfect for any Sunday dinner, I'd say from now until spring. I'll walk you through
everything you need to know on how to make pot roast today, including what kind of meat to use. So, let's dive right in. To get started, you'll need
to prep just a few vegetables for the slow cooker. Peel and trim four carrots and then cut them into large chunks. You don't wanna cut the carrots too small as they'll be in the slow
cooker for about eight hours and they'll go way too
soft if they're cut small. So, big chunks are definitely better. And I'm cutting them on a diagonal just because it looks kind of fancy. You'll wanna do the same thing
with three ribs of celery. So, just slice those into large chunks. And I should also add that, depending on the size of your slow cooker, if you have room, you're always welcome to
add more carrots and celery around the pot roast. Next, you'll quarter 1 1/2
pounds of small white potatoes. You want waxy potatoes like
new potatoes, red potatoes, or Yukon Golds and not russet potatoes as russets will completely
disintegrate in the slow cooker. If you can find baby or mini potatoes, you can leave those whole
or cut them in half, it really just depends on their size. Instead of finely dicing one onion, as we often do in recipes, you'll wanna cut this one into, you guessed it, large chunks. I'll usually slice the
onion three to four times in each direction for big pieces. And an added bonus is that you
can slice the onion quickly and have less tears, which
you know, I'm a fan of. And once that's done, just push it aside. The last item you'll prep
is four garlic cloves. Give them a quick bash
with the side of your knife so that the skins come off then peel them and give them a rough chop. You don't need them finely minced. I just slice them and then run my knife through
them a couple of times. All right, let's talk about
this big hunk of meat. You'll need 3 1/2 pounds
of beef chuck roast. Chuck roast is my favorite
meat for slow cooker pot roast as it's perfectly marbled, which gives it lots of flavor and it's super tender and easy to shred but brisket and bottom round roast are great alternatives, if you can't find chuck roast. I always think it's good to
have a few backup options when you're at the market. Season both sides of
the meat very generously with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. You'll want about one teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of
black pepper per side. Kosher salt is always the
best option for seasoning meat as it has larger flakes which makes it pinchable and you can evenly distribute
it across the meat. And yes, I did wash my hands
after flipping the meat and before dipping my fingers
back in my salt cellar. And you can add extra salt
and pepper on the edges or just kind of rub what
you have all over the meat. Heat a large cast iron
pan on medium high heat and add two tablespoons of avocado oil. I prefer avocado oil for
this as it's a high heat oil and you've probably noticed by now that I use it anytime I'm searing or using high temps on the stove. The meat should instantly
sizzle when it hits the pan and you wanna cook it undisturbed for about four to five minutes
to get a good sear and crust on that bottom side. And then to flip it, since it
is such a big piece of meat, I use two tongs but, however, you can
gracefully or not so gracefully flip it. Well, I will leave that up to you and then you'll cook it on the other side for another four to five minutes. Searing the meat is what gives pot roast such incredible flavor. And, while I understand it's an extra step before going into the slow cooker, trust me, it's one you don't wanna skip, even if it does add
splatters all over your stove and possibly set off your smoke detector like it did with me. (smoke detector rings) And yes, my air vent was on as well. If you can balance the chuck roast on end, definitely sear the edges as well then transfer the meat to a plate and over to your slow cooker or, if your slow cooker is
right next to your stove, you can simply plop it right in. On top of the meat, you'll add the garlic and the sliced vegetables as well as a couple of
sprigs of fresh thyme and a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary. I also love to add a couple of
bay leaves for extra flavor. Now, you can add the
potatoes next or the liquids. It really doesn't matter but for the liquids, you'll need two cups of beef broth and one cup of red wine. I'm using a Pinot Noir but any full bodied red
that you enjoy drinking works great in the pot roast. And the good news is that once you've opened a bottle
of wine for the pot roast, you can, of course, enjoy the
remainder of wine in a glass with dinner. The last item to go into the
slow cooker is the potatoes and I just spread them
out evenly across the top then add the lid. The pot roast will take
about eight hours on low. And, if you've been following
along on my Instagram stories while I've been shopping
for a new slow cooker, this is the one I recently purchased and I'll link to it below. When the pot roast is done, use tongs to remove the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves and then carefully
transfer the chuck roast from the slow cooker and place it on a cutting board. You might need two tongs for this part because, if you've cooked
the meat long enough, it will likely start falling apart as you attempt to move it. Now, this step is totally optional but if you'd like to slightly
thicken in the pot roast juice and make more of a gravy, you can add two tablespoons
of arrowroot powder along with three tablespoons
of water to a bowl, stir that together then add it back to the slow
cooker for a couple of minutes while you shred the meat. It won't make a really thick gravy but if you do prefer a thick gravy, I've got an extra tip
for you on the blog post. As you can see the meat
literally falls apart just going through it with two forks. It's so tender and juicy but if you find that your
meat doesn't tread easily, you can slice it with a knife or toss it back in the slow cooker for another 30 minutes to an hour until it is tender. And, FYI, I don't shred this as much as I might for something like caritas. I like to keep the pieces a bit bigger and more chunky. Once that's done, transfer
the meat to a serving platter, if you're serving it up for guests, and then scoop out the veggies and add those to the platter as well. I use my large skimmer to do this but you could also use
a large slotted spoon. (lighthearted music) Lastly, drizzle extra
juices from the slow cooker over the meat and, if you'd like, you can add a cup or two of
the juices to a small bowl or a gravy boat and serve it up alongside the platter. For a finishing touch, chop up a tablespoon or two of parsley and sprinkle it over the meat and veggies before serving and that's it. Your pot roast recipe is done. Pot roast is a personal favorite of mine on cold and rainy days. I think there's just
something so comforting and soothing about it. (lighthearted music) I hope you guys enjoyed this recipe and if you did, make sure
to give it a thumbs up, share it with your family and friends and I will see you
again in the next video. (lighthearted music)
