Slow Cooker Pot Roast made with Red Wine

Juicy and tender Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Red Wine is comfort food at its finest. With simple rustic ingredients like Chuck Roast, Carrots, Potatoes, Onions, and Red Wine this meal was made for a low and slow cook in the crockpot.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe

Is there anything more comforting and rustic as a pot roast? A perfectly cozy yet impressive dinner. It is just as perfect for a family Sunday supper, as a weeknight meal, or as a dinner party. So versatile yet also so easy.

In order to get the most out of your pot roast a few things can be done to make the most of the flavor.

Using red wine as a base for your sauce to bring a richness to the flavor.

Browning the chuck roast before it goes in the slow cooker so you lock in the juices and flavors.

Adding the vegetables on the bottom and the roast on top so it can properly braise.

These simple steps will help you get the most out of your roast!

Ingredients

• Boneless Chuck Roast – In case it isn’t obvious this is the center of the dish. The chuck roast is the cut from the upper shoulder of the cattle. When choosing a chuck roast you will want to look for a few things. First you will want your roast to be BONELESS. Next is you will want to make a decision about the quality of the beef:

So let’s dive in, beef comes in a number of different grades, you will commonly see three different grades in the grocery store: Prime, Choice, and Select. Prime is at the higher end of the spectrum, it has the most marbling which in turns yields the juiciest and most flavorful results. Prime most often will be found at higher end restaurants, because it is higher end there might be few choices for this cut at the grocery. The middle grade is Choice. Choice grade will still have marbling but tends to have less then the prime, it is usually a solid pick for a good piece of meat, and it usually the most commonly found at the grocery store. And then Select, Select grade will have the least amount to no marbling making the cut leaner but also a little less juicy and flavorful. Select grade will be the most budget friendly. When making this dish I often reach for a Choice Boneless Chuck Roast. The size will be in-between 3 to 5 pounds. Note: Some grocery stores might tie the roast together, it is okay and you can leave that attached to keep the roast together

• Olive Oil – Just a little for when searing the beef. You may sub out a different oil of your choosing.
• Kosher Salt – Kosher salt works best especially when adding to meat, the structure of the salt is different from that of table salt. Sea salt is a good substitute if you need one.
• Dried Thyme  – Just a little flavoring for this pot roast, I find the thyme goes well with the red wine for flavoring.
• Red Wine – When in doubt don’t overthink this and just use what you like to drink, especially with what you would choose to drink with a pot roast. But if you need a little more guidance these are considered the best red wines to use with a pot roast: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Bordeaux, Shiraz, or Rioja. Personally I typically will use a Cabernet Sauvignon, I think it adds a good flavor but I also enjoy a glass of it while eating the pot roast! (Keep in mind if you aren’t a big drinker you can use a small bottle or box of a cheap wine for cooking OR yes you can skip the wine and just deglaze the pan with extra beef broth.)
• Yellow Onion – You can also use a white onion. Either way you will want the onions cut into wedges, think like slicing an apple into thin slices.
• Carrots – Peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks. Now some people will tend to use baby carrots, which I will note are fine in a pinch but using regular carrots are going to yield in a not as much and more flavorful (think sweet) end result.
• Baby Potatoes – I like to use baby potatoes instead of cut russets or golds because they don’t get mushy in the crockpot! They maintain their shape and don’t get mushy. Plus there is essentially no prepping them since most come pre-washed, just open the bag and dump in.
• Garlic – I use quite a bit of garlic in my version of pot roast, I personally think it boosts the dish quite a bit. I highly recommend using fresh cloves minced yourself instead of the pre-minced garlic in this dish.
• Beef Broth – Now I am aware that beef broth gets a little bad rap in the high end chef world BUT we are all at home making the best dish we can. So we are going to use beef broth to help with the flavors in the dish. You will notice that I only call for two cups and it shouldn’t cover or submerge the roast when you add it, don’t worry this is intentional.

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Instructions

Start by adding the cleaned and cut carrots as well as the baby potatoes to the bottom of the crockpot.

Heat a cast-iron or other large skillet to medium-high heat. Let it get hot. Add the olive oil to the skillet.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt all over the chuck roast. Add the chuck roast to the hot oiled skillet and cook about 3 to 5 minutes per side until the outside is browned on all sides. Transfer the chuck roast to the crockpot on top of the vegetables.

Add the onions to the skillet cook tossing about 1 minute.

Add the dried thyme, remaining salt, and red wine to the skillet and deglaze the skillet, cooking 1 to 2 minutes making sure you are scraping up all the beef bits from the bottom of the skillet.

Add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the beef broth, cook about 3 to 5 minute or until a slight steaming simmer starts. Remove from heat.

Carefully (it is hot) add the broth mixture over top to roast. Let the onions sit on top of the roast.

Cover and cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours depending on the size of your roast. The roast should pull apart easily when done. If it still seems tough the roast probably needs more time.

To serve transfer the roast to a cutting board and gently pull apart. Serve with the vegetables and the sauce from the crockpot. 

Optional: If you want a thicker gravy for serving remove all the vegetables from the crockpot and transfer the liquid to a sauce pan. Make a slurry of 2 tablespoons cornstrach and 2 tablespoons water. Add to the liquid and bring to a simmer over medium heat on the stovetop. Cook down until thickened, should take just a few minutes. Remove from heat to serve with the rest of the meal.

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