October 4, 2024

Slow Cooker Roast Beef

Slow cooker roast beef is a simple but flavourful dish. This roast beef delivers melt-in-your-mouth results with very minimal effort. By using your slow cooker and cooking it low and slow, you are left with a gorgeous meal. Whether you are making a meal for guests or just for your family, this dish is going to be loved!

In this blog post, you will learn how to make slow-cooker roast beef.

How to Make Slow-Cooker Roast Beef

Take your slow cooker and pour a tiny amount of water into the bottom of the pot. Remove the packaging from the raw beef and place it in the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Layer the chopped potatoes and peeled carrot around the roast while seasoning with salt and pepper as well. Put the lid on the slow cooker, select your preferred setting (low or high), and cook for the designated amount of time. When the roast beef is finished, remove it from the slow cooker and let rest for about 10-15 minutes before slicing it up to serve. Once it has rested, slice it into thin slices about 1/4″ and serve it with the roasted potatoes and carrots.

Why Use a Slow Cooker?

Using a slow for your roast beef has a few advantages.

Tenderness: who does not love melt-in-your-mouth roast beef!? A slow cooker ensures the perfect texture every time.
Enhanced Flavour: the roast absorbs the flavours for hours from the seasoning and vegetables giving you an incredible flavoured roast.
Hands-Off Cooking: consequently, you can literally turn on the slow cooker and leave for the day and dinner is done!
Even Cooking: consistent low heat ensures an evenly cooked roast.
Versatility: if you add vegetables, you can also have your entire dinner in one pot and be all done for the day!

Overall, the slow cooker simplifies the process of making roast beef while enhancing the flavour and tenderness of the meat.

Best Cuts of Beef to Use

The best cuts of meat for a slow cooker pot roast are those that are tougher and fattier. Because they become tender and flavourful when cooked low and slow. Some of the best options include:

Chuck Roast: The most popular choice for pot roast, chuck roast has a good amount of marbling, which breaks down into rich, juicy meat during slow cooking.
Brisket: This cut is known for its flavour and tenderness when slow-cooked. It has a bit more fat, which helps keep it moist.
Rump Roast: Leaner than chuck roast, but it still benefits from slow cooking to become tender and flavourful.
Bottom Round: A tougher cut that becomes tender when cooked slowly, making it ideal for pot roast.
Short Ribs: Though not as traditional for pot roast, these meaty ribs become extremely tender and flavourful after long, slow cooking.

Best Spices to Use on the Beef

For a roast beef dinner, the right spices can elevate the flavour of the meat and vegetables. Below are some of the best spices and seasonings that you can use for your roast dinner:

Garlic
Rosemary
Thyme
Black Pepper
Paprika
Onion Powder
Bay Leaves
Dried Mustard
Cumin
Parsley

I choose to be quite simple with my spices for a roast beef dinner and to just use salt and black pepper; however, there are many spice combinations that you can use. Rosemary is on the list above as it is a popular spice, but I will note that it is not my favourite for beef dinners as it makes the beef taste more like lamb. If you like that flavour, then rosemary is perfect for the roast beef, but personally I prefer not to.

How to Prep Potatoes the Night Before

If you want to prep your potatoes the night before to save time in the morning, they just need to be stored overnight in water. Keeping chopped and peeled potatoes in a bowl of water serves several purposes:

Prevents browning: When potatoes are exposed to air, they oxidize and turn brown. Water acts as a barrier, preventing this reaction.
Removes excess starch: Soaking potatoes in water helps remove surface starch, making them less likely to stick together during cooking and giving them a better texture when fried or roasted.
Maintains freshness: If you’re prepping potatoes ahead of time, storing them in water keeps them from drying out and becoming spongy.

Just be sure to cook them soon after draining, as soaking too long can make them absorb too much water and affect the texture.

Cooking Times

The cooking time for roast beef in a slow cooker depends on the size of the roast and the heat setting. Here are general guidelines:

Low Setting:
- 2-3 lb. (0.9-1.4kg) roast: 7-8 hours
- 3–4 lb. (1.4–1.8 kg) roast: 8–10 hours
- 4–5 lb. (1.8–2.3 kg) roast: 10–12 hours
High Setting:
- 2-3 lb. (0.9-1.4kg) roast: 3-4 hours
- 3–4 lb. (1.4–1.8 kg) roast: 4–6 hours
- 4–5 lb. (1.8–2.3 kg) roast: 6–8 hours

For the most tender results, the low setting is preferred. Always check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer – 145℉/65℃.

Resting Time After Cooking the Roast Beef

Letting beef rest after cooking is essential for a few reasons:

Redistribute juices: When beef cooks, its juices are pushed toward the center. Resting allows the juices to redistribute evenly throughout the meat, ensuring a moist and flavourful result.
Enhance tenderness: Resting gives the meat fibres time to relax. Because of this it makes the beef more tender and easier to slice.
Improve flavor: With the juices evenly distributed, each bite is more flavourful and juicy.

Resting beef for about 10-15 minutes (or longer for larger cuts) is key to getting a well-balanced, juicy, and tender result.

Ingredients

Roast Beef: the roast beef is the star of your meal. Typically a tougher cut of meat is preferred because of the long cooking time, it will make it super tender.

Salt: salt enhances the natural flavour of the beef and vegetables.

Black Pepper: black pepper adds a mild heat and flavour to the roast.

Peeled Carrots: peeled carrots are added to the slow cooker for your vegetable side dish. When carrots are slow-cooked they absorb the juices from the meat making them soft and tender. Prep them the night before for an easier morning.

Chopped Potatoes: chopped potatoes can be added as well for a mixed vegetable side dish. Also, they add a heartiness to the meal.

Tips

Chop up your carrots the night before and keep them in a sealed container to reduce the preparation time.
Potatoes can be peeled and chopped the night before as well but must be kept in a bowl of water to prevent browning; however, the potatoes can not be kept for a long period of time in the water or else they will become too water logger.
Make sure to let the beef rest after removing from the slow cooker to allow to juices to be evenly redistributed throughout the roast beef.
Keep the beef drippings and use it to make your own homemade gravy.