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Balsamic Roast Beef Recipe – So simple and delicious, you’ll definitely want left overs of this balsamic roast beef recipe for all those scrumptious leftover meals!
Okay, this. This needs to be on your menu immediately. No kidding.
By now, you’ve probably noticed that I really love my slow cooker. I also really, really love simple roast beef recipes. And when you marry the two you get the easiest slow cooker roast beef recipes you could ever imagine.
I fall in love with them more every single time I make them. But this. This balsamic roast beef recipe really has become a family favorite.
If you love chuck roast recipes that are different from the one you’ve made week in and week out and love the ease of slow cooker and crock pot recipes, then I think this is one slow cooker beef recipe that you are truly going to love, too!
Full of flavor, but not in a way that is overpowering by any means, my balsamic roast beef recipe is perfect for busy weeknights or a slow Sunday supper.
And the leftovers? You definitely want to have leftovers of this roast beef – or do like I’ve done in the past and cook two just to be sure that you do!
I’m all about simple recipes that I know will be loved when I serve them. When they are routinely requested for supper, I know I’ve done something right. And this recipe falls into that category.
This is one of the few recipes on the blog that I also share in my cookbook and is one that many of you have loved as well.
One of the things I love most about this recipe is that my balsamic roast beef recipe doesn’t require any browning of your beef before adding to your slow cooker or anything of that nature.
How to Make the Best Balsamic Beef
You simply add your roast beef to the slow cooker, mix and pour in all of your liquid ingredients, toss in your garlic and turn on your slow cooker. How easy is that?
After it has cooked, remove your roast beef with tongs into a serving dish. I then like to just use two forks to break the meat that hasn’t already fallen apart into pieces. It is so tender, it practically falls part! Then, I spoon some of the gravy over the meat and serve.
But, be sure to pour the remaining gravy into an airtight container and place in your refrigerator to use for another meal – like these Balsamic French Dip Sandwiches!
Here’s the recipe for my Balsamic Roast Beef. I can not wait to hear how you like this one!
Balsamic Roast Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (3-4 pound) boneless roast beef (chuck or round roast)
- 1 cup beef stock or broth
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
Instructions
- Place roast beef into the insert of your slow cooker. In a 2-cup measuring cup, mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour over roast beef and set the timer for your slow cooker. (4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low)
- Once roast beef has cooked, remove from slow cooker with tongs into a serving dish. Break apart lightly with two forks and then ladle about ¼ – ½ cup of gravy over roast beef.
- Store remaining gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for another use.
Notes
Nutritional Information
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Oh my gawsh. This is so going on our menu! I’ve made balsamic pork in the slow cooker that is out of this world amazing…never even thought to do this with beef! Pinning this one for dinner soon!
Sad to say just tried this and was disappointed not sure what happened followed it to a t. Meat was tough not lots of favour. Sorry
I just made this and it was incredibly tender and flavorful. It literally took me 1 minute to pull apart – it was that tender. Just in case you want to compare notes, here’s what I did…
I used a 3 pound beef round that was 1 3/4″ thick. I cooked it on low for 8 hours in my slow cooker and had prodded a few holes into it so the juices could get in the middle. I used a very good quality aged balsamic, not the cheap grocery store stuff. There is a huge difference in balsamic vinegars. The cheap ones taste very vinegary and have a thin consistency. The better ones are aged for years, have a thicker consistency, complex flavor, and are sweeter. I also used a good quality Worcestershire sauce – they can vary quite a lot.
Mine came out with the browned outside and I suspect it is from the deep rich color of the balsamic that I used.
can you name the better quality of balsamic vinegar.?i want to get this recipe right.
Costco’s Balsamic is the best!
I agree – Costco definitely has THEE best balsamic. Other brands make my stomach hurt, but not Costco’s! I can’t wait to try this recipe.
I haven’t tried the Costco brand but I LOVE the Williams Sonoma Olivier 25-year barrel-aged Balsamic Vinegar! The clerk told me that is so good you could eat it with a spoon, and she was right!
Can I do this recipe with striploin?
I wonder if you didn’t cook your meat long enough. I notice a lot of times even after 8 hours it needs a little bit more time. I go maybe 9 or 10 and then it’s perfect. That has saved me a few times.
Surprising, I thought just the opposite…tender AND full of flavor. Wonder what could have went wrong???
I have a wonderful PRO-tip that I recently discovered on Pinterest for shredding/ pulling meats quickly without burnt fingers!
-Just set up your Kitchen-aid stand mixer and break your roast into smaller chunks that fit in the mixing bowl, use the paddle attachment and start out on Speed 1 then to 2 until its all pulled and shredded to a consistency of your liking! No-mess! no cutting board with two forks! no worn out hands! WHO KNEW?!?
-Let me know what you think?!
This method works great for shredding chicken as well.
Easiest, most favorite way of shredding meat…it’s my go-to method!
bookmarked and making this 🙂
This sounds AMAZING!!!!!! Can’t wait to try this thanks for sharing.
Sounds incredibly delicious, Robyn. A must-try for sure.
Hi Robyn, A queston – what type of beef roast did you use – sirloin tip, chuck roast, bottom round? It probably makes a big difference. Thanks.
Judy
Hi Judy, for the roast beef pictured, I used a 3.4 pound, boneless chuck roast. However, I use rump and chuck roasts interchangeably in this recipe. The chuck roast does contain a bit more fat and therefore will yield a bit more tender and flavorful result.
Sorry – should have put this in my previous question. Did you add any salt and pepper at all? Thanks.
Hi Judy,
No. I don’t add any salt and pepper to my balsamic roast beef. Hope you enjoy it!
Yummm. And Judy that was my same question. Who knows what I would have tried to use. Thanks..
Are chuck and round roasts considered pot roasts?
My hubs will love these recipe because there are no vegetables in it! Yep, I’m making it soon. Must share it so I don’t lose it. Sharing on FB and pinning!
Not only does this sound good, but it looks absolutely beautiful!!!!! Pinned and can’t wait to make it. Thanks for another fantastic recipe…looking forward to the next recipe!!
I can’t wait to try this one. we love balsamic – never thought to use on roast beef…pinning 🙂
Oh my gosh, what a perfect dinner for a cool Fall evening! Love!
Ooh. I adore roast beef and that dish of the pulled meat has me drooling. I am loving this recipe too!
Awesome- another great slow cooker recipe- yippee!!!
This looks SO good! Must-try. Would it be okay to add carrots & potatoes to this in the slow cooker?
I’ve added carrots before, but not potatoes. Both should be fine to add in.
this looks amazing…definitely adding it to the list of options for a comforting fall/winter meal! i recently discovered stores that exclusively sell flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegars, i might have to try one and use it in this recipe for a twist! love the serving dish you photographed it in too…would you mind sharing the source for that?
I tried your Balsamic Roast Beef recipe….my husband and I both really enjoyed it. So simple. It’s a keeper for sure.
So glad y’all loved it, Deborah!
Just made this but doubled everything and added fresh sliced mushrooms. Both my daughter and son didn’t for the first time add ketchup to their meat. To me, that in itself is a complete success. Husband says its better than steak. Bravo, this will be made at my house from now on.
Wow! That’s a major compliment, Cindy! Thanks so much for letting me know. I bet the mushrooms were fabulous!
MUST be trying this! I love balsamic everything so this should be wonderful — do you just serve it as meat, or do you tuck it into rolls with condiments?
Hi Gail,
I like to make things simple and cook once and serve it twice, so I generally will make this and serve as a meat and then serve any leftovers in my stuffed mushrooms recipe or the french dip recipe I’ve posted using this roast. Of course, I’ve also made it exclusively for those as well! 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi, love the idea of this, would you have to increase the time (and by how much!?!) if I was cooking enuf for 14 people? Thanks, Solii
You would increase the ingredients proportionally to the size of the roast you are using, as well as the cooking time.
Because I doubled this recipe, I made the beef dip the next day, took what I had left over from that and split it, one half to beef taco’s (just added my own taco seasoning) and the other half to beef vegetable soup. Great recipe to do so many wonderful dishes with.
Yum! That sounds perfect, Cindy!
Hi found you on Pinterest! This may be a dumb question, but what do you serve this with? Mashed potatoes? Rice, in tacos/burritos? Can’t wait to try it!
Regina, why don’t you make it with mashed potatoes (you can spoon some of the gravy over it!) and either green peas or some other green veggie. Also, you can add carrots in the slow cooker with it! You can always use any leftovers for burritos or tacos – yum!!!
Thanks for asking this question Regina, I was wondering the same thing! I had a friend that tried the recipe and loves it… makes it every week!
This is an amazing recipe!!!! My family LOVED it! Thank you so much for sharing it.
So, so glad you loved it, Dee! Thanks so much for letting me know!
this looks great! I don’t have a slow cooker…….do you think there is a way to just do it in the oven ? Like a braise?
Hi Chris,
Yes, if you do not have a slow cooker, you can cook it in the oven as well.
Hi, I also don’t have a slow cooker and wonder if have tried making it in your oven. If so, what temperature? And how did it turn out. It looks AMAZING, so amazing that I’m tempted to buy a slow cooker.
Tried this tonight and absolutely loved it! It was easy and tasted great. Thanks 🙂
YAY! Isn’t it ridiculously simple? So glad y’all loved it and I appreciate your comment.
Just made this last night & its wonderful!! So simple!! I added mushrooms like another reader (1 package of sliced…next time I’ll add 2 packages plus some caramelized onions & maybe some jalapenos or extra red pepper flakes)
I reduced the gravy and then thickened it with a little corn starch & water & it turned out perfectly!
One question I have is whether or not this will freeze well? I tried to buy a smaller roast but its still 2.5 lbs and way too much for me to eat by myself.
Hi Debbie,
Yay! I’m so glad you love this as much as we do. It is a regular on our supper table. And yes, it does freeze well – if it ever makes it to the freezer! 🙂
If I wanted to add potatoes and carrots when should I add them in?
Hi Desirae,
I’ve added carrots to mine before, but not potatoes. I’m sure it would taste wonderful, I’ve just not done it. But, to answer your question, I just toss them in when I add in all of the other ingredients at the beginning. Hope you love it and let me know how it was with the potatoes, ok?
I tried to it and the roast itself was delicious!! I did add potatoes and carrots with it but would not recommend it. The vinegar was to rich in the veggies. The day after I added a beef stock and rapid boiled the veggies for less than 20 minutes and added them back to the meat and oh em gee it was delicious!!
Thank you this will be in the rotation. Making Thursday as we decorate for Christmas!
I meant less than 10 minutes. Easy peasy!
Desirae, did you leave the potatoes from the beginning then, and only did the veggies later?
I put the veggies into the pot right with everything else in the beginning. But it was to rich in vinegar. I say if you want veggies cook them separate in a beef stock. Unless vinegar is to die for then it’s for you. I love vinegar but not that much.
I just made this and it doesn’t look anything like this picture. There is no way the roast in the picture was cooked in a crock pot. You can’t get a toast browned like that in a corck pot. The dish smells wonderful but has little taste. Very disappointed.
Hi Teresa,
I hate yours didn’t turn out like mine, but yes, it was made in my slow cooker. Actually, I make it fairly regularly that way. I’ve made it using several different types of slow cookers as well.
So, how do you get it to brown on the edges… My Slow cooker doesn’t do that and i usually either brown my meat before adding it or put it on the grill for a bit if I want a smokey flavor… if you have a crockpot that will brown the meat like your picture shows, please share.
Hi Bonnie,
Yes, this was cooked the entire time in my slow cooker. I’ve used various brands and all have given me the same result – Hamilton Beach, All Clad, etc. They are all relatively newer slow cookers as they have been purchased in the last two years or so. Good luck!
Tried this tonight and it is delicious! Made my whole house smell good as well. I really like the bit of tangy spice that the beef picked up. Thanks!
I made this last week, and it was quite good. Not only were the flavors really great, but I loved the fact that my family got two meals out of it. The first night we had a traditional roast beef dinner, and then the next day french dip sandwiches. Really great. Thanks for sharing!
Delicious!!!!!
hi. does the roast need to be fully submerged in the sauce/gravy? and if not, do I need to turn it over halfway through. thanks and can’t wait to taste this! cooking it today…
Hi Monica,
It doesn’t have to be fully submerged and you won’t have to turn it in the slow cooker. Just add all of the ingredients and let the slow cooker work it’s magic. Enjoy!
Hi Robyn!
This looks incredible! I have this on the menu for Thanksgiving weekend when the family is here.
Thank you again!
Oh my goodness, Pam! What an honor. I’m making it over the weekend, too! 🙂
Did you sear your meat first? Because yours looks like the edges are blackened (which I like). I just made this today and mine turned out okay. Not as good looking as yours. I think I made the mistake of using “Chuck Roast” and doing this at HIGH instead of LOW. My meat came out rather tough and I had to cut it instead of shredding it. The flavors were okay….I had to add salt/pepper at the end because it was a bit bland. If you like your food a little saltier you may need to adjust too. I may try this again using a different roast and cooking on LOW. Thank you for sharing though!
Hi Coco,
No, I didn’t sear my roast before adding it to the slow cooker. I’ve used a few different brands of slow cookers over the years with this recipe – Crock Pot, All Clad, and Hamilton Beach – and all seem to turn out very similar. Hope it turns out better for you next time.
Hi Coco, I had the same experience as you. It turned out like a regular roast. The flavor is nice, but it’s certainly not going to shred, nor develop a seared crust. I used a grass-fed roast and cooked it on high.
Sorry it didn’t give you the same results that it gives me. This is a regular supper in our house and I’ve never had any issues with it not shredding or having a crust.
I made this for my sons 20th birthday today. I put it in half frozen at 7 and when I came home from work it was beautifully done. Thanks for the yummy perfect main dish for our party. Hugs!!
Is the beef pre-cooked before you put it in the crockpot? The description “3 – 4 lb roast beef” sounds like a roast that’s already been cooked in the oven. And what kind of roast do you recommend? Presumably it’s one that has to be a fairly tender cut?
This was absolutely awesome and made it to our thanksgiving table. By far the easiest and tastiest thing we made!
Thanks so much, Michael. What an honor for it to have made it to your Thanksgiving table!
Can I use a round eye roast. (I’m a newbie cook). Also my roast is only about 2 pounds should I cut down on the liquid ingredients? Thanks for the recipe, it looks great!
Hi Christie,
For a round eye roast, I prefer to dry roast in the oven at about 325º F until it registers rare to medium. The round eye roast is a leaner cut of meat and I’ve not found it to be as successful for a pot roast style roast. It will yield a tougher roast that won’t shred like mine does in the photograph. For pot roasting, like this recipe, I prefer a chuck or a rump roast. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!
Two letters and one word sum up this recipe: E-Z and delicious! I’ll be making this again and again. Great flavor!!
So glad you love it, Angela. It is definitely a favorite here, too!
This sounds super yummy!
Quick question, if I were to double this recipe (for a large dinner party), should I double the cooking time?
Also – what size crock pot do you have/use?
Thanks!
Hi Natalie,
I most often use my 6 quart slow cookers when I make this roast. When I have doubled the recipe, I did not double the cooking time. However, I did check it at the end of the cooking time to see if it was ready (pulled easily with two forks). If not, I’ve cooked it a bit longer. I would recommend for a large dinner party, cooking this the day before and then storing it in the refrigerator and heating for your party. That way, you aren’t rushed and you know it is cooked perfectly. I can’t wait to hear how you like it!
Tried this recipe yesterday and it came out just as advertised! For the folks saying that you must have seared it first, nope. Mine looked the same as yours. I did end up reducing the juices for some extra meaty flavor. Tastes GREAT as some mini- pulled beef sliders in those Hawaiian rolls! Kudos.
Yay! I’m so glad you loved it and what a great idea for sliders! YUM!
Hi thanks for your recipe. I’m new to crock pots and hope it meets my expectations for a savory moist dish. I just have I’ve question. What happened to the ONIONS? I love onions and had to add it. I will add potatoes and carrots. As another person posted to add veggies later as to the strong vinegary taste would be a bit much. I also did a dry rub with the dry seasoning and added paprika. I will see how it goes.
Hello!
I’m planning on making this today for our diner tonight but I am wondering, do you put the roast in frozen or thawed?
Thank you
Hi Amanda,
You’ll want to use thawed roast. Enjoy!
this is was great. I shredded and served on fresh rolls with oven fries. big hit. will make again soon.
Made this tonight and it was wonderful. Everyone loved it. Served it was a kale & carrot salad and sweet potatoes.
Hello,
If I am going to cook this on low for 6-8 hrs, how will I know when it’s done? When it pulls apart easily? I am new to this slow cooker stuff 🙂 Thanks for your help!
Yes, the cooking time can vary based on a few things – the slow cooker, the size of the meat, etc. You’ll want to test your meat at about the six hour point if you aren’t sure how your slow cooker cooks. If it pulls apart easily, then it is ready.
This looks delicious! I love slow cooker recipes and I can’t wait to try this one!
I made this for a family get-together today using two smallish venison roasts – seared first, cut in halves to cook faster, put in Dutch oven, doubled sauce to almost cover, and cooked with lid on for a few hours in the oven at 350F. SO. VERY. DELICIOUS. I made it specifically for French Dip sandwiches, which we ate with a variety of sides, including a pan of cut sweet potatoes and onions roasted in the oven at the same time as the venison. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It’s great!
I made this today! Soooo yummy! I used beef shoulder, it was a little bit tougher to pull apart than chunk or round roast (I never really used before) I assume, but it was delish! I put it in home made flour tortillas with spicy ranch tomatillo dressing and cilantro. 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight, and my family loved it! It almost doesn’t seem right getting so many compliments for such an easy dish!
I just made this recipe last night and my whole family thought it had a great flavor. The only problem was that it didn’t come out fork tender at all. I cooked a 5lb chuck roast in my Crock Pot on Low for 8 hours. I definitely want to make another one, because it really did have a delicious flavor, but I’m just not sure whether I needed to cook it longer or shorter in order to get it more tender? What would you suggest? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I purposely bought smaller chuck roast’s (2 at about 2.5 lbs each) and made sure they weren’t too fatty. Mine pulled apart with two forks and was wonderful. Cooked on low for 9 hours.
Hi – this looks really delish – but I don’t have a slow cooker. Maybe I need to get one – but if you were to make this in the oven, what temp and for how long would you cook it? Would you recommend cooking it covered in a dutch oven?
I cooked a 3lb chuck roast on low in the crock pot for about 7hrs but it wasnt very tender and still kinda fatty. Did I not cook it long enough? I saw some website suggest 10+ hours.
I made this addictive, at least to my taste buds, by adding a little liquid smoke to it after it was shredded.
Oh wow, Chuck! That sounds like a perfect addition to this roast beef recipe. YUM!
Trying this tonight, thankyou!
This sounds so good! Just put it in the crockpot.
I made this tonight and everyone … including my picky 4 year old … loved it. I served it over baked sweet potatoes and the tangyness really was nice with the sweetness of the potatoes. Thanks!
I’m so glad your family loved it, Kirsten! I’ll have to try it over sweet potatoes! Sounds delicious!
Hi!
Stumbled across this via pinterest and tried it tonight. So, so easy to prepare, made the kitchen (and whole house) smell amazing – even the four year old commented when we got home from our errands! Mine fell apart beautifully as I took it out of the slow cooker (I used a blade/chuck roast). I was a bit disappointed as the flavour had not really gone through the meat but it was so tender, I really couldn’t fault it! I took the time to reduce and remove the fat from the sauce at the end and oh my it was delicious!!!
Thankyou! first time visit to your blog but I’ll be back 😉
xx
I’m so glad you all loved it, Hannah! Isn’t that pan sauce amazing?!
Pan sauce is brilliant Robyn! We ate all our leftovers as a pie the next night and the flavour was amazing. Loved it, thankyou!
I had something like this at a friends house five years ago and have been searching for this recipe since! I’m making this tonight! What can I substitute a slow cooker for?
Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe 🙂 My slow cooker is older and it took longer than the four hours on high, but when it finally got done we were very pleased with the outcome!!!
I’m so glad it worked out well for you, Christa!
This was a great recipe – thank you! I’m guessing the cook time was for frozen beef, though? Maybe I just should have assumed, but I think it would have only taken 2.5ish hours in our old slow cooker. We stopped it at just over 3 and it was tough. Will definitely make it again! Thank you! 🙂
Hi Stephanie,
No, the recipe is for thawed beef. The long and slow cooking time helps to make this balsamic roast beef extremely tender.
I made this tonight with topside roast, the flavour was good but it didn’t fall apart / shred as your appears to. I am new to slow cooking, this was my first attempt and this recipe looked fabulous. Do you have an any thoughts on whether this was the cut I used, it was quite lean, or if I might have cooked too long or not long enough. Thanks.
My personal experience in cooking pot roast, if it doesn’t fall apart easily – it needs to continue cooking longer. I set mine at 8am this morning and when I got home at 5 pm tonight – it literally fell apart when I touched it with a fork. If you try another roast, try cooking it longer next time and see if that doesn’t work for you! 🙂
Ah, that’s what I wanted to know. Did you cook it on LOW in slow cooker? Didn’t want it to be dry, but I’m gone at work for 6 hours. Thanks
I cook mine on low in the slow cooker. I leave around 8 in the morning and get home around 5:15/5:30 at night – to give you an estimate of how long mine cooks, and they’ve always been fall apart tender – regardless of which recipe I use to cook it. The roasts themselves are usually between 2 1/2 to 3 pounds or so.
I found your recipe through Pinterest and made it last night in the new enameled cast iron Dutch oven I received for Christmas. I made a few modifications: I was out of honey and decided to leave out the hot pepper flakes as well. Still turned out DELICIOUS! I was pleasantly surprised at the subtle flavor of the balsamic vinegar. (And I even reduced the juices and served it with the sauce.) This will definitely be added to our playlist on a frequent rotation! Thanks for sharing!
P.S. I cooked it for 2.5 hours at 300 in the oven.
Made this today and the kids loved it. We had it on buns with melted cheese and I cooked the sauce down and it was fab to dip the sandwich in. Thanks!!!
Which brand of vinegar do you use? That’s makes a big difference as well!
Made this recipe tonight, and I must admit I was disappointed with it. It was okay, not so inedible it had to be thrown out, but not something I plan to add to the dinner rotation either. I used a good quality balsamic vinegar; however, it tasted to me as though it had soaked in Worcestershire sauce all day. I do see that it can also be used to make french dip sandwiches, so perhaps it would be better served with some cheese, pepper and onions added to soften the overwhelming taste. I just think on its own, the flavoring of the meat overpowers anything else served with it (we ate it with steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes). Too many other pot roast recipes out there are much better, that I don’t foresee making this again.
This was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it, Kris! Thanks for letting me know!
Hi, think someone asked earlier, but can this be made in a Dutch oven style casserole dish, like a le creuset one?
Robyn,
This was so good! The icing on the cake was that my picky 7 and 5 year olds loved it and despite you saying your kids liked it, I thought it would be another slow cooker recipe that just my husband and I liked. My son actually asked me if we could have it again tomorrow night! I did it as your recipe instructed and it looked just like yours. I cooked it on slow for 8 hours, served it with mashed potatoes, cooked carrots with honey, brussel sprouts and fresh, warm bread. I can’t wait to have leftovers tomorrow!
I’m so glad everyone loved it, Connie. It is a favorite at our house, too! It sounds like your entire meal was a hit! YUM!
I tried this recipe tonight for a family gathering… HUGE hit!!! I used a pomegranate balsamic vinegar because that’s what I had on hand. It was SOOOO good! Thank you for putting the recipe out there!!!
Made this tonight and loved it! I will definitely be making it again!
Hi I was wondering what kind of gravy you use?
Hi Meghan,
The roast makes a “gravy” of sorts in the slow cooker. No additional things needed.
Does the meat get too dry if I cook it longer? I will be at work for like 6 hours. Thanks
You can cook it on the low setting. That should prevent it from overcooking.
NOM, NOM, NOM! Great tasting, moist, “shreddy”… I hate cooking but this was very easy for me to toss together and forget it. I served it with Sweet Potato Biscuits – found both recipes on Pinterest. Perfect! Thanks for the “Good Stuff”
This was great! I had a pork loin roast in the fridge trying to figure out what to do with it today. I increased the mix a bit since it was large. I cooked it on high for one hour since I started it late in the morning and then turned it to low for rest of day. We at around 7 pm and the whole family loved it. Served with brown rice. Thank you for this great recipe. I look forward to trying it on a chuck roast.
I just wanted to swing by and let you know that I made this yesterday and it came out just so perfectly. Shredding it was easy considering the meat was already so tender it was falling apart as I scooped it out of the crockpot. I did cook it on LOW, for 6 hours exactly and it was done, while my edges didn’t look as crispy like yours, they were browned more than the rest of the meat and looked pretty, too. I also happened to use a pomegranate balsamic.
I’ll be making sandwiches with some of the meat tomorrow.
I made this earlier this week. My roast was tender but I couldn’t shred it. My husband and son loved it though. Very tasty. I thickened the sauce and we ate it with mashed potatoes. I saved the leftover gravy and used it in shepherd’s pie later in the week. So yummy!
Wow…this is easy and great tasting. I’m making it for the second time today but trying it with a London broil since that is all I have.
I had everything except the meat. This was so pretty on your post, I had to try. I love a slow cooker…always use mine, winter or summer. Sometimes, I just hate cooking in the evenings, I’d rather catch up with my family! Thanks for the recipe!
This was fantastic. I did not have beef broth on hand so I made a cup of mccormicks hunters sauce with just the cup of H2O omitting the butter. Great substitute. I also added extra red pepper flakes. My husband loved it! He has already had 3sandwiches with the leftovers. Definitely making again.
Just had a wicked thought for this. After shredding the meat stuff a little bit of it Yorkshire pudding, and pipe some garlic mash potatoes on top, and top with a few slivers of chive. Voila! Sunday Roast appetizers!
Hi! I just wanted to say I made this today and we made the Roast Beef Dip rolls for tea tonight. Oh my goodness, it’s just amazing! I’ve never had any luck slow cooking beef, it’s always been dried and inedible, but this was incredible! So juicy and tender and the flavour was amazing! I haven’t had such a good “Dip” since we left Canada, and cooking in the slow cooker meant I could prep this while our son had lunch and my house didn’t get any warmer (it was 43c here today!) Thank you so much, will be making this again soon 🙂
Thanks for an easy crock pot recipe! I made this the other night, and I would change only 1 thing. I’m not crazy about the sweetness of this (I think it’d be fine for pork, tho), so next time, I’ll leave out the honey. It was better on sourdough bread the next day as a French Dip sandwich. I appreciate you sharing!
I’ve now made this recipe twice. The first time I cooked it on high for 4 hours and it wasn’t very flavourful or tender and it certainly didn’t have the browned edges. The second time though I cooked it on low for 8 hours and it was DELICIOUS – looked exactly like it does in the pictures above – so I highly recommending having the patience to let this cook all day long. You won’t be disappointed!
I just made this tonight. It was perfect!!! My daughter had sent me a text message telling me how good the house smelled while this was cooking. Tomorrow, I am going to make the french dip sandwiches with the leftovers. This will definitely be a regular on our menu!! Thank you for the recipe!!!!! Mine looked exactly like your picture, this was one of the easiest crock pot recipes I have done.
I’m so glad you loved it, Debbie. I can’t wait to hear how you like the French Dip Sandwiches. They are my son’s favorite! Be sure to tell your daughter thanks!
Enjoy!
Hi, it looks great and i will try today.
It looks like you browned the meat before putting in the slow cooker, did you?
Thanks.
Hi Alex,
No, everything was tossed into my slow cooker at the same time for cooking. Hope you enjoy it!
Great, thanks.
My husband and I had this last week as french dip.. it was amazing! The juice was so flavorful and the meat was nice and juicy and held onto those mild tones of the garlic and vinegar. It also make excellent left overs! Tonight I was going to make it again, but towards the end of its cooking time was going to add some veggies and potatoes. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.. its now my go to for pot roast. CB
Thanks, Crystal! I’m so glad you love it! It is one of our favorites, too!
I found your recipe on Pinterest today, and just happened to have a pot roast (boneless chuck) that needed to be used. All I can say is, my husband VOLUNTEERED his opinion that it was tasty. You have no idea how huge that is! Thank you for a “keeper” of a recipe. It did take almost 6 hours on high, but that was probably because it was a cheap pot roast.
This one is in my cooker as I type. Looking forward to it!!!!
I was ready to make this until I found out I only have a shoulder arm roast and an eye of round roast in the freezer. Is there any way to use your recipe with either of these?
Hi Vicki,
I’m afraid you just won’t get the results that you’ll want from either of those cuts of beef with this recipe. Shucks!
Well, I will save your delicious looking recipe another time. Shucks is right… 🙁
Well, I couldn’t wait, so I made it anyway, using the arm roast. I actually let it cook 8.5 hours on low because I wanted the “crust” like yours. (I kept looking to see if it was getting brown. I had checked it after about 7 hours, but it didn’t feel tender yet) It is VERY good, but the 8.5 hours was maybe a tad too long-it got a little dry, but not too bad.
(The house sure smelled good all day!)
How would I marinate this overnight? I can’t wait to make it!
This was amazing! My husband and I were fighting over the leftovers.
My oven is broke so got this in the crockpot now, can wait till it is ready to take, added some mushrooms and carrots!! Saw great reviews so, will be back to post how well my boys and I like it!! Thanks
I didn’t buy roast beef, some shoulder roast, idk for some reason I couldn’t find what I had written down and was very tired and cooked it for 4 hours, and took it out and it was dry, so I sliced it and put it back in and cooked it some a couple of more hours and then took it out and it was wonderful, got all that flavor to all of the pieces. My son loved it and I made a roast beef sandwich out of it today!!
Just made this for the third time and my husband and I are already talking about having it again. Thanks for such a great and easy recipe!
I bought a round roast specifically for this its almost 4 pounds, but I just realized I got a top round instead of a bottom round, is it going to make a difference should I change anything to make it cup out pretty and tender like yours and also because it is almost 4 pounds should I alter the cooking time at all. I plan to cook on low.
Thanks
Hi Robyn
I don’t use the slowcooker very often so forgive me if this is a silly question. I did go through many of the comments here looking for an answer but didn’t really find anything that addressed it head on. When you cook in a slow cooker it is a very moist enviroment. How exactly, did you achieve the lovely crispiness on the outside of your roast, depicted in the photo, without searing it in a hot pan first? I am dying to know! Thank you! Lori
All I have in the freezer right now are some boneless pork ribs. I’m wondering if I could use them in this recipe?
What a terrific, easy, delicious recipe! We made it for a casual New Year’s Eve dinner with friends and it was a big hit. Trying it again today for the Super Bowl get-together but substituting pork loin roast. Any tips on modifying a bit for that cut of meat? Thanks!
This is absolutely amazing. Made it 3 nights ago and the hubby has reminded me THREE times to “Give her an awesome review!” Everything about it was delicious. And obviously, the hubby can’t get it out of his head.
With the flavors in this dish, you would think I spent all day on it.
Oh, and I did reduce the sauce and will definitely do that every time. So good, and so easy.
Thanks for such a great meal!
I’m not a big meat eater. Made it for dinner and omg….. It was amazing
I made this for my husband last week with the intent to have leftovers for french dip sandwiches. We didn’t have enough, so I’m cooking it again tomorrow with a much larger roast.
Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Made this tonight, and it turned out JUST like the picture. I’ve read some of the reviews that said it turned out nothing like the post, but I think if you cook it low and slow, that’s the secret. Mine even had the dark edges, just like in the picture. I cooked it on low in the crock pot for 7 hours. I checked it a couple hours before, and it hadn’t reached that ‘pull apart consistancy’ yet. The flavor was delicious, and I am excited to have a pulled beef sandwich with it tomorrow. GREAT recipe (and I usually ONLY make the Pioneer Woman’s Pot Roast!!)
I made this last night and it turned out great! Probably one of the best things I’ve ever made! Thank you for the recipe 🙂 we are having the roast beef sandwiches tonight.
I actually didn’t have soy sauce, so I used an equal amount of low sodium Dale’s Seasoning which is basically a soy sauce marinade. Tasted great, edges were browned and whole thig was juicy. I used my slow cooker on low for 9 hours.
Just made this today and it was delicious! Turned out perfect @ 9 hours on low. Very tender and flavorful. We ate it with a potato casserole side, but next time I’m making sandwiches with it because homemade tender juicy roast beef sandwiches on toasted buns….enough said. Thank you!
This was SO good! Made it tonight, very easy, nicely browned, and very tender. The gravy was excellent, and tasty with mashed potatoes. Planning to make French dip sandwiches with the leftovers. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe; I’ll definitely be making this one again!
Found you on Pinterest…I’ve made this roast a few times now, and it is definitely one of our new favorites! My oldest daughter even requested it for her 10th birthday dinner (instead of going out to a restaurant)!! I don’t have a slow-cooker, though, so I use my cast iron dutch oven and cook it at about 250 for 4-6 hours…it comes out amazing every time! Thanks so much!
Please tell your daughter I said, Happy Birthday!!! She is a girl after my heart!
Very disappointed with this recipe. I found this to be tasteless,and bland. I smelled good while cooking. We ended up adding BBQ sauce to salvage an expensive piece of meat. 🙁
I’m seriously surprised you found this to be bland. Are you using high quality ingredients? I’m someone who like my food VERY flavorful, big on seasonings and such, and I find this recipe hits the mark every time. And you should be using chuck roast, wish is a less expensive cut, but perfect for slow cooking.
I made this last night and it was very good!!! I have an All-Clad Slow Cooker and it came out just like the way yours looks!!! It was very tasty with mashed potatoes and broccoli. Tonight is Left Overs but making it like the French Dip way!!! Can’t Wait. Thanks
I made this with rump roast a few times and it was really delicious. Tonight I made it with chuck roast and it was out of this world. My kids asked me to make much more next time – this time we were literally scraping the serving dish for more.
I used a cheap cut of pork, because it was much cheaper. It didn’t work that well. The flavor just didn’t seep in very well. I found a recipe for a balsamic bbq sauce, though, and it still made great pulled pork sandwiches. So, guess I should actually follow the recipe next time. 🙂
People…
For those of you who didn’t have success, or doubt that this was cooked in a slow cooker because of the browned edges in the picture….
OH YES it will brown up like that in a slow cooker! Robyn explained she doesn’t turn over the roast during cooking. It is the top of the roast, the part sticking out of the liquid that will turn brown like what you see in the picture. If yours didn’t… you didn’t cook it long enough! (I do prefer to flip the meat part way thru just to make sure all of it gets the flavors of the sauce. But it works either way.) If you want it more browned after shredding the meat, you can place the shredded meat under the broiler for a few minutes. But really no need for that extra step if cooked long enough.
So… if the edges didn’t brown, you didn’t cook it long enough!
If yours didn’t shred… you didn’t cook it long enough! (or you used the wrong kind of roast)
If yours was tough… you didn’t cook it long enough!(or used the wrong roast.)
If yours was flavorless… you did’t cook it long enough! (or had the wrong roast.)
Get the idea?!?
Here is what you need to know about slow cookers: What is high on one person’s crockpot, may not be the same exact high temperature on another person’s crockpot. The same goes with the low setting. So it is important to cook until the desired outcome, rather than just turning it off when the clock says to. I find that with my crockpot, I usually need to go a little longer than a recipe says. Even though you can cook on high, it really is better for a recipe like this to cook the meat “low and slow” for the most tender and flavorful meat. If you can, start earlier and go with the low setting for longer. I actually like to start my crockpot off on high for the first hour just to get it going, and then turn it to low and cook all day. I don’t know what my reasoning is, but it works for me!
Something else to remember…. every time you lift the lid to check on it, you are slowing down the cooking process by letting the heat and steam escape. That will mean you have to add additional time to cooking, or it won’t have browned, won’t shred, will be tough, etc. I always put a sticky note on the lid reminding those in my family to leave it alone! For some reason, no one at my house can resist lifting the lid to see what is cooking, to determine when it will be done (yea, right! like they will know! LOL), or to just smell the wonderful smells every time they walk by! You get several diferent people each checking once or twice and that derails dinner time. I open it once part way thru just to flip over the meat. That is it. And I leave a note remindng the others to resist the urge.
So hopefully that helps a few of you who didn’t have success and you will have better luck next time.
Thanks for this recipe on behalf of my meat-loving husband and four sons!!!! My roast beef is in the crockpot as I type…
Used this recipe with both beef chuck and pork butt. Both were outstanding but i lean a little toward using pork butt with these flavors. Oustanding recipe.
Hi, this looks really amazing! I have a question that may seem stupid, when you say roast beef do you mean beef thats already roasted or roast beef as in a beef roasting joint that is raw? I’m english and I think we just have different ways of putting things, Sorry ! x
Beef roasting joint…definitely raw but also boneless. If you are in America, when you go to the store you’ll see “chuck roast” or “round roast” in with the other raw beef and that’s what you want. You prob could do this with a bone-in joint but that’s not what Americans typically use for their roasts. 🙂 good luck!
Do you know what number this cut of beef would be? I’m living abroad and they don’t use names like “chuck roast” or “round roast” here just numbers for the different parts of the cow. any suggestions would be appreciated.
a friend gave me a really good bottle of balsamic. will try it with this recipe
I made this today in the crock pot. I left out the red pepper flakes but didn’t change anything else in the recipe. The meat was great but I hadn’t cooked the sides yet. Husband was leaving for work and I wanted to feed him before he left so I combined this recipe with another I had found on Pinterest… A recipe for a roast beef grilled cheese. He loved it! He even asked for seconds. I’m calling this a winner!
I made this on the stove in my tagine. It was fabulous! I used a cross rib that I cut into 4-5 inch pieces and let it go at a really low temp for a bit over 3 hours. This is a new favourite. In my opinion the tagine does a better job of braising than my dutch oven or crock pot.
We love this roast! We’re making it for the third time today and serving it over polenta and goat cheese with sauteed mushrooms. Can’t wait until dinnertime! Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
OMG! My hubby ate and has requested that this recipe go into regular rotation at our house. That’s high praise! I don’t have a slow cooker here in Germany but it works cooks perfectly in oven on slow heat for 1 1/2 hours.
Q: If i don’t use the Worcestershire sauce do you think it will make a big difference?
A-MAZING!!!
I have my roast in my crockpot now. I can hardly wait to try it. One question, how do I add this to my recipe box on your site? I cannot figure it out. LOL Thanks, Gina
I pinned my fav here…………http://pinterest.com/pin/150518812518341041/…..as labellaluna
I am going to the grocery store in the morning and picking up some roast beef. Thanks for the recipe. Cannot wait to try it!!!
Just had this for dinner and it was delicious and super simple. Maybe next time I’ll throw some fried onions on top.
So glad you enjoyed it, Liz!
Do you think I can use silver side cut?
I found this recipe on Pintrest and made it last night, it browned on top and was easily shreded. I cooked it on low for 8 hours and I used a fig balsamic. It came out really great, the only thing I would do next time is poke holes so the juices can flavor the meat not submerged. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Looking at the photo I thought this was brisket lol.
After reading all of the reviews (after making it, unfortunately), it seems like everyone, including myself, that cooked the recipe on high heat for 4 hours found it to be disappointing and pretty dry. It was almost like I was taking the “saltine challenge” and just couldn’t eat the meat. Seems like it needs a lot more time to break down the connecting tissue in the meat and marry the flavors a bit more. Even the sauce was pretty bland and underwhelming at 4 hours after reducing it a bit on the stove top.
I definitely can’t recommend this recipe cooked on high, so if you’re reading this, do yourself a favor and cook it low and slow for the 8+ hours.
Yum! I made this tonight for dinner and hubby and I LOVED it. I made truffle mashed potatoes and asparagus and it was a perfect dinner. I wanted to come back and let you know. Thank you!
This was super simple and had great flavor for the little time spent putting it together. I would also add some fried onions next time, maybe to the final result. It was great on hard rolls with a little of the remaining juices.
This has become one of my favorite dishes to cook. It is soo easy and soo delicious thanks very much. I cook for the better part of the day alternating between high and low and the meat just falls apart. It’s delicious on sandwiches and salads the next day and I’ve also frozen it for a weekday meal.
This was moist, tasty, and delicious. I put it in the crock pot in the morning and accidently cooked it on high for nearly 8 hours but still…. it came out looking exactly like the picture. The bottom does get crusty/carmelized like you see in the picture. I made wheat rolls and a side of vinigar slaw. Left-overs didn’t last long! This will definitely stay on our dinner rotation and it is also great to bring to a potlock or make sliders with. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Christine! Thanks so much for your sweet comment!
Oh my word! This was the best roast beef recipe I’ve ever made! I’ll be adding this to my rotation for sure… I served it over a baked potato with a side salad. Delish!
Made this tonight and it was oh so yummy! We put it on a bun with mayo/horseradish and will serve it tomorrow with carrots and green veggies. Can’t wait to share it with my friends!
My husband LOVED this. I used a 2.5 pound chuck roast and cooked on Low for 8 hours in a 4 quart slow cooker. My roast came out just as pictured, with a dark crust on top. It was fall apart tender and the flavor carried through nicely. I am not a huge fan of balsamic vinegar so I went out on a limb with this one. I will probably use less vinegar next time and add more beef base. However, my husband thought it was perfectly delicious and is already requesting it again.
I reduced the liquid and added a little cornstarch and extra beef base for the gravy. Served with mashed potatoes. Yum! Thank you!
Made this in a double batch in a giant slow cooker. My husband wouldn’t stop going on about how amazing it was for a week! Made it a second time and added a few tweaks. Round roast is def the best for this if you want THE most tender in 8 hours or less. I used a high end golden balsamic vinegar rather than the usual dark and WOW that was great. Instead of beef broth, I used Knorr’s beef stock. And again wow, what an increased depth of flavor. The recipe as it is written is a home run but I wanted to see if I could get it to the next level and these tweaks certainly did that. Also, not all honey is created equal. I prefer the flavor profile a clover honey creates here.
Hi There
With the double batch did you just double this recipe and still cook it all on low for 8 hours?
Thanks!
Sounded great I have this in the crock now. 3 12 pound roast on low for 8.5hrs hoping it comes out good. Serving with mashed taters, broccoli, on wheat bread side of cucumber tomato salad. I did add more balsamic and beef broth it just didn’t seem to be enough liquid, I also browned my meat in a pan first seals in more flavor and used a bottom round. Cheaper but great cut of meat, im hoping the balsamic isn’t too much or overpowering. We shall see!!
I promise, this is the very best crock pot recipe that I have EVER made. I make this at least once a week now. Thank you so much!
Just finished making this & I must say it was DELISH & sooo very tender I did add a lil kosher salt & pepper to my roast but I give this 2 thumbs up
Made this today and loved it!i did add a little salt and made a light gravy!!
OMG! I just made this for supper tonight and it is AWESOME! My husband will love this. I’m sure I’ll be making this again this week. this is definitely a keeper in our house. Thank you!! btw, no problem the recipe, if anyone was having problems with it. followed recipe to a T and used chuck roast. very good:)
That’s what I replied Michele before I read yours. Follow directions & it’s yummy!
sorry forgot to rate the recipe–5 stars!
I made this roast beef, and it was yummy. I did rub it down with some of my homemade Adobo, chili powder, 1 tsp of dried mustard, a tablespoon of heinz 57, and a little organic salt free seasoning from Costco.
This recipe is amazing! The last hour really made a big difference in the tenderness of the meat, so don’t rush it. Also, I don’t think the cut of meat matters. I purchased a buy one get one free bottom round and turned out great. So stop hating haters, you screwed up the recipe! Admit it and pin on lol.
I make this at least once a week. I’ve used roast, steak, pork roast, pork chops, and chicken breasts. All turn out very good! I usually put in a little extra vinegar because I like the flavor. Even my parents will eat this!
I loved this recipe Robyn! Thanks so much! Added 1 sauteed yellow onion and extra garlic (because I’m a garlic lover :). Delicious! Used it for french dip sandwiches and we all loved them.
My best friend & I made this recipe last night for my family & everyone absolutely LOVED it! not one complaint was made from anyone! it was so delicious! this is definitely going to be a regular meal for us! 🙂
Hi! I found you on Pinterest and am v keen to make this – it looks amazing!
I’m in the UK and this may sound silly but what’s a ‘chuck’ roast?? Thanks!
Just made this for the first time and it is fantastic. I only made one addition and threw in a large Vidalia onion cut into quarters. 8 hours later and I’m in heaven.
I made this tonight and it was heavenly! I am very much looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Here in New Zealand we can’t get red pepper flakes is there anything else that would be similar? I’d really like to follow the recipe to the full.
Hi Liz – Red pepper flakes come from the chili pepper and don’t so much add a ton of flavor as they do a bit of spicy heat. You could really use anything available to you that adds a little spicy heat. Do you have cayenne, aleppo, or maybe chipotle? A pinch of any in dried form would work. If you don’t, leaving it out of the recipe doesn’t change it much, in my opinion.
Hi Liz! If you can find dried red peppers and place in a blender for a few seconds, you can make your own red pepper flakes. If not, I’d try about 1/8 teaspoon or so of ground red chili pepper. Hope you love it! xo
It’s the same as chilli flakes, I live in the States and my Mum couldn’t find them in the store in NZ. I went to Pack n Save while out here on vacation and they have them there. They are the same as red pepper flakes, just called something different.
Glass bottle, Master Foods Chilli Flakes.
Peppers are capsacians I think in NZ. Not sure of the spelling!
This looks yummy. Did you sear your beef before putting it in the crockpot? Thanks!
Hi, Do you put it in the crockpot frozen or thawed?
Hi Kylie,
You’ll want to use an unfrozen roast.
Hi there!
I tried this last night with a 1.2kg round roast (between 3-4 pounds as recipe calls for) and while the flavour was ok (I added more stock, balsamic – including caramelised – and more garlic), it was a little bit dry after 8 hours of slow cooking with regular turns.
Perhaps next time I should make sure all meat is covered in liquid?
Any tips to combat the dryness?
Otherwise, quite yummy and good for sandwiches/toasties the day after.
Hannah
I have just made this for the first time today and it’s not dry at all. I only turned it once during the cooking process, so maybe by turning it regularly, you’re losing too much liquid as steam? I added half a leek and a red pepper I had lying around, as well as about 3tbsp of fresh ginger, just because I fancied it, so I guess there may have been a bit of liquid from them.
It will depend on the size of your pot as to how far up the liquid will go. My beef shoulder joint was about the same weight as yours, in a 6.5 litre pot, the liquid came maybe an inch up the sides.
Or perhaps your slow cooker is releasing too much steam throughout cooking if the lid isn’t fitting very well? You could try wrapping the top of the pot in foil before putting the lid on.
Hey!
This is such a great recipe, thank you for posting it :). I made it and loved it. We thought it was so good we didn’t even wait to make side dishes, we just ate it plain! I’m thinking I’ll make the french dip with the leftovers though!
Looks amazing and would love to put this on the Chomp menu – we don’t have a slow cooker so would you slow roast this for 5-7 hours on a low heat and cover the meat in liquid?
Looks delicious! What size slow cooker would you suggest?
I use my 6-quart for this all the time.
This was awesome – served it with mashed cauliflower. Thanks for a great recipe!
Robyn,
I am making this recipe for dinner tonight, and I read the weight of the meat wrong. (Thought you were using a 1 3/4 lb roast instead of one, 3-4 lb roast.) Therefore, I doubled the amount of the mixture that goes on it, but my roast is only 2.44 lbs! Should I remove about half the mixture?
Tara
I made this today while I was at work. I followed the directions exactly; it smells incredible and tastes even better. I also restarted my diet today, so I needed the nutritional info. I entered the recipe on livestrong.com and linked back to this post as the source. FYI, a 4 ounce serving is about 280 calories; not too shabby.
My husband wasn’t home and I didn’t want to use too much of the roast without him, so I took a bag of frozen Pictsweet Chinese Vegetables with Oriental flavoring and cooked it according to package directions and then I added 2 ounces of the roast. The oil, veggies and roast was only 335 calories. Not bad for such a big meal (I was hungry!)
Anyway, it usually gets on my nerves when people comment on a recipe by telling you what they did differently, but I wanted to let you know that the prepared roast is really good with frozen veggies as a 5 minute dinner option. I’m looking forward to having it stuffed in the portabella mushrooms tomorrow night!
I know your recipe says it doesn’t have to be browned before putting in the pot but in the photo it looks as if it was browned. So I am a little confused on how all those yummy darkened parts turned out that way in the crock pot. Please fill me in on this secret. Thanks so much!
I tried this with a round roast and it was completely dry and gross.
This photo looks like flank steak.. Should I use that instead?
What did I do wrong?
I used a beef shoulder and it’s lovely and tender.
Tried this recipe in the oven at 400 defrees F for 3 hours and it came out great! If you are going to try this technique though, make sure you’re checking the liquid levels as it had all but evaporated by the end of three hours time. Perhaps add more beef broth whitle its cooking?
I would add more liquid if cooking this recipe in the oven. I would also cover it to keep as much of the moisture in the dish as possible. So glad you liked it!
If you put it in a roasting bag, lowering oven temp to bag recommendation (325 I believe), a 4lb chuck roast is still shredding tender in about 3 hours and all liquid is contained in the bag! Usually then the roasting pan is clean! I also cut out all of the large fat pieces before cooking a chuck roast. I will try this recipe this weekend! Tomorrow night I think! Thank you so much for the recipe – great for a low carb WOL!
Whoops – I read the amount of meat incorrectly, lol – just put the slow cooker on now, hopefully it will be just as good with lots of additional gravy 😉
Oh my Lord! This is a GREAT recipe, just made it today.
The hubs wanted to eat it all
I made this yesterday and need some advice on where I went wrong. I used Silverside beef and only half of each ingredients as there was only 2 of us. However, it ended up being as tough as old boots and looked (and tasted) like a piece of boiled beef, looking nothing like the picture. Was I supposed to roast the beef first?? Please tell me what I did wrong!!
The liquid needs to be exactly as the recipe, even if you half the meat.
Thank you for the reply. Should I cook it for the full amount of time too, even though there is less meat? Also, I took bad advice from my Butcher as to what cut of meat to use, I will try this again another weekend. Thank you for your help
My roast took 5 hours, it is a new crock pot (I have read the technology is better)You can check on the 3 hour mark cutting a little strip, I did turn it twice, hope this helps, have a great weekend
This recipe was delicious. I cooked it for 6hrs and the meat was tender and had lots of juice left over. Tomorrow we will be trying the French dip with the leftovers. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
This was amazing! I’m saving the recipe for those times when we are craving Chinese but don’t want to overdo it by eating out. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfect. I only lifted the lid on the crock pot once to shred the meat after 5 hours and then closed it back up until we were ready to eat. I steamed some stir fry veggies and served it all over jasmine rice. Perfect!
Just a comment on those that commented theirs were dry, etc. I bought a newer crock pot a year or more ago. I noticed that it cooks in less time than the ancient one I had for years. For example, when I make chicken breast (any recipe) in the crock, I usually take an hour or more off the suggested cooking time as I noticed it turned out very dry if I didn’t. So for this recipe, I would suggest doing that if you are using a newer crock pot. I would say that if it shreds, it is done. Then keep it on warm until you use the meat. It also may have something to do with they type of roast you are buying. As much as I enjoy eating healthy, I make sure mine has some fat on it to help make it tender while cooking. I’m making this today and even put the roast in the crock fat-side-up (GASP!!) Hope this helps.
A note about our fav way to eat the leftovers: I shred and freeze the leftover meat (in several zip bags depending on how much meat is left) then defrost and heat with some beef broth (or drippings from the original roast if you’ve saved that). I sauté some onions in butter til soft. Put the meat on hoagies or sandwich rolls with a bit of mayo/horseradish mixture, top with mozz or swiss cheese and broil until cheese is melted. YUM!! We love this recipe!!
When I said the chicken would be dry, I really meant to say “tough”. Also in my leftover use, I put the sautéed onions on top of the beef, then the cheese.
Will this work with an inside round beef roast?
Can you do this on stove top?
Hi I don’t have a slow coocker at home but can I cook it in the oven?
I just wanted to say that this recipe is spectacular!! I use it all the time. I make tacos with this by adding jalapeno’s and leftover cilantro stems…just add fresh made pico and it’s so yum! Thanks for this recipe!
I LOVE this! The flavors are so interesting and wonderful. Best of all there’s no onion soup taste! Yum!! Thank you for saving my roast from the same old same-old!
I am living abroad and the beef sold here is only packaged with numbers not names of cuts. Do you know what number cut chuck or round roast would be?
Much appreciated,
Debra
any answer?
Where abroad?
IN Israel.
so you know what number cut the meat would be?
This website should help you: http://cooking.marcgottlieb.com/2011/12/meat-cuts-by-the-numbers/
So, chuck roast is #2
Shoulder (which is what I used) is #4
I’m not sure what Americans class as “round roast” (it’s not something I’ve come across in England? But there’s several which are marked as Primal of “Round”, two of which are topside and silverside, which we’d use as roast beef, so it probably means them? (#16 and #19 respectively).
Hope that helps!
Thanks! I know I can get #4 for sure, probably also #2. Never saw 16 or 19.
Will try it soon. 🙂
Just wondering if you sear the outside of your roast before you put it in the crock pot? Looks delish, and I am going to try it very soon!!!!
For extra punch I add a bunch of sliced mushrooms to the pot and cook them with the roast. They are packed with the flavour of the balsamic gravy, and when paired in a bite with the beef, they’re outstanding. I spoon out the mushrooms to a separate bowl before reducing the gravy on the stove top, and serve them separately. They are a hit around the table! 🙂
Only cook for 3 – 4 hours on low in the slow cooker if you trim the meat of fat and the roast becomes multiple pieces- otherwise it dries out. Flavors were wonderful, but meat selection and cooking time could be altered.
Veramente bello e consiglio onesto! Mi piace, Absolutely Brilliant!
Made this last night and it’s now a firm favorite. Lovely complex full flavour and the meat looks perfectly browned just from cooking in all the black sauce. Clever dish!
After reducing the pan juices I added 1/4 cup flour to 1/2 cup cold water and added to the hot juices – made the thickest most perfect gravy!
I have this recipe in the crock pot now! yum! i had a couple tenderloins that needed to be used today. Is it ok if the liquid is covering the pork?
Sure, it should be just fine!
I made this today and it was super yummy! I wouldn’t change a thing. My hubby doesn’t like pot roast type meals and he even asked me to put it on our regular meal rotation. Mine turned out beautiful and browned just like your pictures. Thank you for the wonderful recipe, I can’t wait to try out the french dip sandwich with the leftovers ! 🙂
This was better than I expected! I did change the balsamic vinegar to apple cider but that’s due to dietery needs. This roast recipe is a KEEPER. Simple, wholesome ingredients and can’t go wrong step by step directions. I’ll be trying other recipes for sure. Thanks
Hi, I tried this recipe the other day and LOVED it! Sweeter than my usual roast recipe but it was great! I am posting about it on wednesday under my “Pinned there, Done that” category 😀 I linked to your blog and recipe post. Here is the permalink for wednesday (10/23) http://themoorebabies.blogspot.com/2013/10/pinned-there-done-that-balsamic-roast.html
Made this last night and did not brown it first. I did choose a Bottom Blade Roast, which I won’t choose again… Too hard to shred after! It was delicious, and the flavour of the roast on day 2 (leftovers!) was even better! Will definitely try this again!
Albany, New York- I sliced up an oven roast in steak size cuts 3 total for my baking dish, added double the ingredients to coat it all- seared a little fresh rosemary in olive oil and garlic then then added it to the liquid topping the submerged steak, cooking it on 400 in my oven tonight as I’m in a hurry..
(Oven roast beef is bottom roast inexpensive cut) 35 minutes WOWWWW! delicious medium to medium rare~ Husband and I are enjoying and will reserve the broth for another occasion~ Thank you Robyn.
I made this recipe with a 7 pound top round roast. I was very easy and was impressively excellent.
I am planning to try this recipe tomorrow however I am a bit confused. You say that the roast does not have to be browned prior to cooking however your picture clearly shows that the roast has been browned?? Is this your picture or did you borrow it? Or did you perhaps brown the roast prior to slow cooking it? I am truly confused by the browning on the roast in the picture?
I cooked this for 4 hours on high, thinking we could have it for dinner. It was tough and dry and i was about to throw it out. After talking to some very good cooks, they suggested putting it on low for 2 hours, after that, if it was not falling apart and breaking as it should, do another 2 hours on low, then leave it on warm for a while. I did this, ended up leaving it on warm all night. It now falls apart and also has some crunchiness/carmalezation on top, like some of the pieces in the picture show.
So sorry it didn’t work for you in your slow cooker on high. The lower the temperature and longer it cooks in the slow cooker definitely does make it more tender.
I tried this yesterday with a 2 lb blade roast for 6 hours and it was inedible. Think I will put it back in and try what you did for a few hours….good advice , thanks. Hope it works !
I bought 2lbs of beef bottom round roast boneless..is this correct meat and should I change anything in recipe????
Cooking right now and smells amazing!!!
I am hooked on this recipe , works well with beef or pork. It takes minutes to make and is a meal that lasts all week and makes great sandwiches.
BEST SLOW COOKER ROAST RECIPE EVER!!!!!!!!!
So simple and so delicious! Was this meal ever nice to come home to after working all day 🙂
This is a classic. You are right on target. Thanks for telling us! We LOVE it!!!
I made this for dinner last nigh, every bit as amazing as it looked and sounded on your blog. This one must be shared with the world! Thanks for a great dinner!!
I want to make it now. like NOW. I don’t have beef broth at the moment. How about a mixture of beef grave and water? I’m doing it as we speak. let me know what you think and i will let you know how it came out in 8 hours. thanks for the recipe. craig
I plan to make this soon, it sounds great! However, I will only use 2 lbs of roast beef. Do I need to adjust the quantity of other ingredients? Thanks for your help!!
Made this yesterday and it was very good. I did cut down a bit on the vinegar, but it was a nice change from the usual tomato based roast recipes.
Love, love, love this quick and easy recipe. As I’ve had to adjust my diet recently with gluten and dairy free recipes, this was an easy recipe to make simple substitutions for a few of the items…I can smell it cooking right now, the second time using this recipe. The first time I made it! it was soooo delicious! leftovers consisted of boeuf au jus (French dip) as well as a terrific Shepard’s pie, all made gluten free! Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe! Keep them coming!!!
Oops, forgot the star rating…
Made this last night, as per your recipe, and it was delightful. Thank you! This will be one of our regulars now too!
I saw this recipe on FB and made it over the weekend. I used 2 boneless chuck roasts 2-3 lbs each (about 5 lbs. total). I made 1 1/2 of the liquid recipe. Cooked in the crock-pot on high for 1 1/2 hours then cooked on low for 5 1/2 hours. It was a hit for my guys! Definitely in the recipe “keeper” file. Thanks!
This has become a “go to” recipe for my family and for me to take to families when I’m taking a meal. I serve on slider rolls with goat or feta cheese sprinkled on top. I think it’s even better as leftovers!
Thanks for sharing!
I used a 3-lb round roast for this recipe and after 4.5 hours of cooking on high it was still quite tough. Is the meat supposed to be submerged completely in the liquid? Any other tricks I should know about?
Thanks so much for this recipe! I plan on making it for friends tomorrow night. Do you think that I can just add potatoes and/ or vegetables to the crockpot to cook, and sift them out when I shred the beef or do I have to cook them separately? Thoughts?
Hi Natalie,
I personally like to cook them separately. I think they soak up too much of the balsamic marinade flavor for my personal tastes. Some that have made the recipe add in the vegetables about halfway through and enjoy them though. I’m just finicky, I guess. 🙂
Thanks for the feedback!
I was really excited to make this recipe after coming across it on Pinterest. What a waste of time and money! I followed the instructions and hated the strong balsamic flavour. The cut of beef wasn’t cheap and was so marbled with thick fat that I chose to turfed it in the garbage rather than pull it apart trying to salvage any meat.
So sorry it wasn’t to your liking, Myrtle.
Robyn, naysayers notwithstanding, I found your recipe delightful. Thank you for sharing.
Sounds like Myrtle needs to get out more =( … I’m a dude and I’m making this right now. Smells delish! Thanks Robyn!
so wait, because I don’t like a recipe I need to “get out more”? perhaps you should keep your comments to the recipe, and not your baseless opinion of someone you’ve never met.
Hi Robyn,
I am planning on making this for Christmas Eve! I see this serves 6-8 people however I am having around 20. If I want to double the recipe how long do you think I should cook the roast?
thanks,
Kristen
Hi Kristen,
What a great idea to serve this for Christmas Eve!!! I think everyone will love it.
I’ve cooked two roasts at once in my slow cooker for this recipe and did not adjust the cooking time. I did increase the marinade ingredients by about half. I recommend cooking this on the low setting for really delicious, tender and flavorful meat and definitely don’t skip on reducing the marinade for using with this, too.
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
Robyn
Thanks for the quick reply! I will let you know how it turns out!!!
This is great! I had a 3 lb Chuck Roast that I slow cooked for 6 hours, and it came out exactly like you pictured after I shredded it with 2 forks. YUM! Even my extra picky husband is raving about it. Thank You!
Could I use a pork roast instead of beef? Use chicken broth instead? That’s all I have on hand. Thanks
After 6 hrs on low, mine was slightly overcooked and tough, but after shredding the meat and letting it soak in the juices on warm for a while, it tasted great. We made soup with the leftovers. I’m making it again for Christmas, but will only cook for 4-5 hours. Great recipe if you like the taste of balsamic vinegar and/or Worcester sauce!
Having made that mistake with curry, I’ve realized that meat like this isn’t tender as soon as it’s “done” (ie reached the proper internal temperature. One needs to cook it longer to become tender and moist. I know that for some this goes against what feels would be the case but 6 hours on low will produce a tough 3lb chuck roast. 8 hours is best. Hope this helps 🙂
Really enjoy this recipe. What about adding a can of cream of mushroom soup to the mix? Planning this for Christmas, but wanted a thicker sauce in the crockpot…….by no means an expert cook, so thanks for the feedback!
This recipe was very simple and very tasty!! 5 out of 5 starts from me!
Tried this 2 times… The flavor is delicious!! The first time I dont remember the cut of meat I got but I did it on high and it came out a bit tougher then I wanted (still delicious). This past time I asked the grocery butcher what meat I should get.. Something eye round… Cooked low and slow for 7 hours.. shredded and put back in gravy for more cooking.. Came out amazing. Such a great recipe to have! Thanks!!
I was thinking about making this with wild venison. Do you think the flavor would work, and since it is so lean should I add some fat (oil or butter) to it? Thanks for any feedback!
Hi Ryann,
I’ve not made this with wild venison, so I’m not able to say any exact changes I’ve made to the recipe for it. I would most likely add a bit of olive oil to the liquid ingredients and use the low cooking temp and times for cooking.
Do let me know how it turns out for you. I’m sure others would love to know for wild venison, too!
I think that this would be a perfect recipe for venison and plan on trying it. 🙂
i tried to make this but it didn’t shred does the roast need to be covered in the juice ?
love your recipe and the most amazing thing of all my 8 yr old does also.
So glad your whole family loved it!
This recipe looks incredible! Would it be possible to make it in the oven, if one doesn’t have a slow cooker?
When I started to cook dinner yesterday, I realized I didn’t have the right ingredients for my planned meal. A quick search found this recipe, and it was a huge hit! I’m so glad I found this recipe. It will be on our menu from now on. My husband said it was better than what I had planned to make and even my 11 year old picky eater liked it. The ingredients are simple, and it couldn’t be faster to put together. Two changes, in the last 30 minutes, I thickened the broth with corn starch. Also, used gluten free soy so the recipe became safe for my daughter. Thanks for the recipe!
My family thought this recipe was delicious! Thank you!
I make this with two top round roasts. I make it the day before and refrigerate the juices and remove the fat the next day. Day 1 meals is beef on Italian rolls with onions, provolone and jalapeno relish. Day 2 is beef on a bed of mashed potatoes (you can add mashed parsnips and/or mashed cauliflower) with the thickened broth. It’s good made with just beef broth and garlic if the balsamic is too much for you. you can let those who like sprinkle their portion with the vinegar, honey, soy mixture. Great recipe!
I make a variation where you use a jar of pepperoncini juice and a coke. The coke breaks down the enzymes and softens the meat. And when you put blue cheese dressing and a cut purple onion slice on a hamburger bun, you have a wild taste bud party.
Robert,
Do you use this exact recipe AND add a can of coke? I would like to try your version.
Oh my gosh. I made this and it is officially my favorite roast recipe ever. And so easy. I love that there isn’t even any browning of the roasts first. Fantastic!
Would love to try this! Sounds so yummy. But I don’t have any broth… not sure if water would be OK to replace. I’ve got a roast in the slow cooker now, if I knew I would try.
I always keep beef, chicken and vegetable bouillon in the house since I don’t always have liquid stock on hand. 1 cube to 1 cup of water. Quick breakdown on the stove top and your good to go.
I used water last time I made this and while it was fine, I wouldn’t do it on purpose. It needs the flavor from the broth.
Can this be made on the. Stovetop if I don’t have a crockpot
If you don’t have a crock pot, try cooking it in a dutch oven at 225º until tender.
LOVE,LOVE this recipe have made it several times it’s my go to for roast. My hub is not a roast beef fan but will eat this one without any complaints. DELICIOUS !
Can I use red wine vinegar or sherry instead of balsamic? What else could I use instead
The balsamic really makes the whole recipe, so my vote would be no. Pick a more expensive one and it will be better!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! So easy, but so good. I was never a roast beef eater before, but I’ve made this three times already. Great the first day with potatoes and salad, then the left-overs make amazing sandwiches.
Made it tonight….but with carrots celery and potatoes and didn’t shred the meat….amazing! Can’t wait to make it again!
Made this last night on high for 4 hours, it smelled wonderful cooking and served with mashed potatoes. My husband is a bit weary on using the slow cooker as he has been making his Mom’s recipe for a roast in the oven, wrapped in foil and in covered corning wear dish but I convinced him to let me try this, and it came out perfect! We both were pleasantly surprised, the balsamic taste was not as strong on the meat when finished, unlike the smell in the house when it was cooking! We both loved it and will definitely making this recipe a keeper! I wouldn’t change anything in the ingredients.
AMAZING.Made this tonight for my husband and I. I used chicken bouillon because I didn’t have beef and it was still delicious. Will definitely be making this again.thank you so much for sharing!
I cooked it all day during a snow storm. It smelled fabulous while it was cooking! I cut the roast into slices near the end of cooking so the flavor would soak in a little more. It ended up to be delicious. I cooked it with rice, but I really think it would be better with mashed potatoes. My grown son knows that I try new internet recipes all the time. He said, “this one is worth making again.”
Let me say I never rate recipes….but this was awesome! My husband and four year old son both loved it. Admittedly I did alter it only a tiny bit (i can’t help it, its almost like a disease, lol) and added more like 1/3 cup of balsamic because it’s all that I had, but it was a really nice one and it was so good! I used an eye of the round, because I prefer leaner meat and cut it in half. It was a small piece, about 2 lbs, and cooked it for about an hour on high (it was frozen) then another 6 or 7 hours on low. I roasted my potatoes in a separate dish because I was worried about the vinegar overpowering those and it was perfect! Five stars! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Hi Julie – I am SO GLAD that I am not alone when it comes to tweaking recipes! I don’t know what it is, but no matter the recipe, I always have to change/add something to make it mine. For this one I think I will cut the 1/2 balsamic to 1/4 and use 1/4 red wine. Plus add in bay leaves and whole peppercorns. Even when I bake, I always somehow adjust the spices. Thanks for the input!
This was absolutely delicious! I made this for supper last night and my husband complimented several times how good this was. I didn’t have any honey so I used brown sugar. Thank you! And it was gluten free 🙂
Does it have to be completely covered in the liquid??
Not as good as I wanted it to be. The beef shredded but was dry even with juices. It needed more seasonings. Kinda bummed.
Made it last night and thought it was ho-hum Not as much texture or nuanced flavor as I thought it would be. Thanks for the inspiration though!
Sorry it wasn’t what you were looking for.
Awesome. Will make again soon!
Used beef consommé instead of broth….didn’t use Worcestershire sauce … But us the BEST roast beef ever. .
Very easy , but delicous!!!
Can u use regular vinegar or some other substitute? I don’t have balsamic.
Thanks
Hi Angie,
I’d really recommend waiting until you have balsamic for this recipe.
I just made this – can you tell me – do I make the gravy out of the meat juice or is it the juice you use as gravy? If so how do I make the gravy ? Anybody?
Please help!!
you can make a gravy either on of two ways. Heat sauce in a pan on stove top and add a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with a little water to thicken. Or, melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in saucepan, add same amount of flour and cook for a minute or two (to remove floury taste) and then add the sauce. Stir till thickened. Enjoy!
I haven’t tried this yet, just found it today and plan on giving it a whirl. I have seen several people ask if the meat needs to be covered in liquid, but no reply to them. Does anyone know if the liquid needs to cover the meat or not in order to keep it moist or cook properly? I don’t have money to mess up any recipes and throw it away like one lady did on here. I want it to turn out as good as most everyone else’s did. I have a 3# top round roast. Just want to know if the liquid will need to cover the meat?
The liquid does not cover the meat.
thank you 🙂
I just got done making this! Excellent! My kids tasted it and really like it too! I did double the liquid recipe part though. I was thinking that with the lean piece of meat that I was using, it would need more liquid to cook in since there would not be much, if any, liquid from the fat in the pot. It worked out perfect! Thank you for the recipe!
I might take a little of the liquid out and make the “gravy” a little bit thicker for going over mashed potatoes. I think someone mentioned that in an earlier post. Thank you!
this was awesome! thanks, I like ur recipes
Delish. My husband couldn’t stop raving. Thank you for a fabulous recipe!
I’m so glad you and your husband loved it, Lynette!
Sorry to say but I did not like this at all. I followed the recipe exactly. I had a really busy week planned and wanted to cook a big meal on Sunday so I wouldn’t have to cook all week. After 8 hours it still was not tender so I let it go overnight. Next morning t fell apart. However, I just did not like the taste – and I usually love pot toast. I even tried using it different ways (tacos, sandwiches, etc) but just did not like the taste. I ended up throwing most of it out.
I love what a snap it was to throw this together and just forget about it! The house smelled amazing during cooking and after. This kind of recipe is the whole reason I bought a crock pot to begin with; most recipes I’d previously found or used seemed to call for too much prep, kind of defeating the whole lure of a crock pot for me.
I didn’t have beef broth, so I just used vegetable broth. It still turned out delicious; I’m sure it’d be even richer and more flavorful with beef broth. I used a 3lb chuck roast and after about 2.5-3 hours on high, I flipped over the meat so that the other side would be submerged in the liquid. I also cut the meat into chunks with the hopes that it would absorb more of the moisture & flavor of the jus. I then turned the heat down to low and let it do its thing for another couple hours. The only other modification I made was adding a leftover red onion half I had that I wanted to use up. I just sliced it up and tossed it in before adding the beef. I was hoping that since I didn’t use beef broth that it might help add a bit more depth of flavor.
So many ways you can serve this–over mashed potatoes, as sandwiches–endless leftover/ next-day lunch ideas…
It screams for house-made, thick-cut dill pickle chips if you’re doing sandwiches. Hoagies with some of the onions, melted chz & a side of jus for dipping would be killer. It would also be dynamite on soft brioche buns w creamy blue chz.
I definitely plan on making this quite often in the future. Next round I might give the Dr. Pepper recipe a try before coming bk to this one.
https://addapinch.com/cooking/2011/09/06/dr-pepper-slow-cooker-roast-beef-recipe/#axzz2wlpu9q00
Thanks, Robyn!
Hi! This recipe is so happening this week in my house. Looks wonderful! I have a question about the balsamic, though. I’m new to it. What kind do you use?
This was soooooo good! Tender, scrumptious, & EASY!! Thanks for posting! I reduced some of the liquid and added some sour cream to make it smooth and savory! I will most certainly make this again!
Am planning to make this overnight and serve for Sunday lunch tomorrow for guests. This is a first, so I am hoping its as good as it sounds! My question is, how do you keep the roast from drying out while reducing the broth/marinade? Or maybe I should ask, how long does it take to reduce it?
I’m going to make this tomorrow. What sort of veges would you use as a side. It’s an entertaining meal so I would like something impressive 🙂
Hi Chloe,
I love it with potatoes, carrots, roasted cauliflower, asparagus, or green beans.
I made this the other day and it is now my favorite roast beef recipe and I wasn’t even a fan of roast beef. Truly delicious! Thanks!!
Just tried this recipe and it is awesome! The only change I made was the type of meat…I substituted the roast for 6 Rib Steaks I just picked up.
Thank you for sharing this Robyn!
Made this recipe, and it was delicious – roast beef was exceptionally flavorful and tender. This one is going into my recipe box – it is a keeper. Thank you for sharing it!
I was looking for a good but simple recipe to use on a chuck roast when I came across your’s. So many recipes leave the meat coming out gray, mushy and bland. When I saw your pics I doubted that mine would come out that beautifully colored. But it did and the flavor was beyond compare. This is my new favorite defacto pot roast recipe. No carrots, no celery, no potatoes, no cream of anything soup, no onions, no powdered mixes, no chemically derived packets for slow cookers, no bay leaf and yet it was AMAZING. Thanks you for sharing. Super yummm!
You are 100% correct…this recipe was GOOOOOOOOD.
(This has been my ONLY successful roast beef, ever!)
Def trying more of your fab recipes.
Just tried this…mine doesn’t pull apart…what did I do wrong?
you might not have cooked it long enough or hot enough, so I suggest to you the next time you cook a beef roast, because this is a no fail way, cook it on the stove top make sure your liquid covers the top of the roast when you start. and make sure you have a lid on the pan, cook @ medium heat for about an hr or 2 if that, your roast will fall apart, also for a really beefy flavorful taste add au jus flavor. good luck.
I plan on making this tonight because it sound so fantastic but do not have a slow cooker. How can I prepare this on the stove in a Dutch oven? Thanks.
I’m so excited to try this recipe. I have a 3 lb. round roast that’s been sitting in my freezer for quite some time that I couldn’t think of what to do with!
Looks yummy, wish I could pin it from her
I’m currently making this with a 4 lb roast and I wanted to confirm that the liquid is not supposed to cover the meat. Should I turn it at any point?? Thanks!!!
Hi Jenn,
The liquid does not cover the meat and you won’t need to turn it at all. Just leave it to cook in the slow cooker. I hope you enjoy it!
My roast has a fat side, which side do I put up, fat or lean?
Also, my roast is 3lbs, do I double the ingredients (balsamic, honey, etc) or no?
Hi George,
I recommend to cook this with the fat side up. I think you’ll be fine with the original amounts for the balsamic and honey.
Thank you for a great recipe. I cooked the roast for 4 hours but the meat was still tough so I added another hour and it came out perfect. I also used some extra seasoning as a rub in the roast before adding the other ingredients. Nice side to go with it: while the roast is resting, cut bacon into lil pieces, fry them, throw them in the remaining gravy, and cook Brussels sprouts there for another hour or so. Amazing …enjoy
This was sooo good! Thanks for sharing! I did find that the beef needed to be salted after cooking but otherwise turned out perfect!
This is a winner!! You know I pinned it!
Yummy.
I cooked this with a 2.2Kg rump roast for 4.5 hrs on high. Topped up the liquid with 1 cup of cheap dry sherry.
Day 1 it tasted awesome.
Day 2 it became even awesomer.
Day 3 it will be all gone 🙁
It was cooked through but was a little tough to shred. Next time I’ll cook it on slow for 7 hours.
Highly recommended.
I really want to try this recipe but my roast is bone in. Can i still make it following these instructions or should i cook it longer? Or can it not be made with a bone in roast?
A new family favourite! Thanks!
Would you please suggest a side or two to go with this recipe? I am making it for company tomorrow and have never tried it before but I am trusting you!!! 🙂 It looks amazing!! Can you eat on rolls/buns? Thanks for your help!
Hi Julie! This is great for serving when entertaining. You can dress it up or serve it as casual as you like. To serve it with rolls, you might want to check out my French Dip recipe using this recipe as the base. You could serve mashed or roasted potatoes, a salad, and roasted vegetables would also be delicious!
Julie, I often serve pot roast on a bed of white or brown rice with a side of pan seared veggies like carrots and onions. Just put some butter in a pan and cook the carrots on med heat for about 5 mins and then turn up the heat to hight and add the onions for 5 more minutes or until the veggies start to brown. Don’t crowd the pan – do the onions in a separate pan if needed – or they won’t brown as nicely. Hope that helps!
This recipe sounds so good. The honey always scares me though. My family does not like meat the least bit sweet. Does the honey mix in with the other ingredients or is there a sweet undertone. Thanks very much.
Tried this out for the first time yesterday on a 2.5lb grassfed chuck roast. Cooked it for 8 hours on low in the crockpot. It then sat on the warm setting another hour until I got home from work. The meat just fell apart and was delicious. I’m not a fan of traditional pot roast…bleh. Thank you for a recipe that made me like pot roast again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Emily!
I love two-fer crock pot meals! You mentioned a followup recipe….but since you don’t have an archive to search by month/year….could you add a link to the recipe you were going to share on the next day? Thanks!!
Hi Cassie,
Here’s the French dip sandwiches that I shared as a follow-up to this recipe >> https://addapinch.com/cooking/2012/11/01/balsamic-roast-beef-french-dip-sandwich-recipe/
You can search the archives by month and year, if you’d like as well. Simply choose the middle drop down section in the search area to choose the date you’d like to search >> https://addapinch.com/cooking/recipe-index/
Thanks so much!
I want to make this recipe so bad however I only have chicken and veggie broth at home, could I substitute either one of those for the beef broth and still expect a great result?
I am wondering the same thing! I only have chicken broth but want to make this today. Did you try it? Was it good? Thanks!
Either broth should be okay, but won’t give the full flavor profile that the beef broth does to the recipe. I hope that helps!
This looks amazing! I recently bought a slow cooker specifically for recipes like this, I can’t wait to try it out!
Robyn
I hope I’ll get a reply before Sunday! I’m supposed to go to my friend’s house and make her dinner. I got her a slow cooker, and she requested a roast. I stumbled upon your recipe and love it! I wanted to ask if I needed to add more of the ingredients. She wanted mushrooms, baby carrots, as well as red potatoes in the roast. Will adding those veggies affect how much of each ingredient I need to put in? Thank you so much!
Sounds great but can it be done in a regular oven if a slow cooker is not available? If so, any adjustments for the recipe?
I’m usually leery of recipes I find randomly online, but this one was nothing short of amazing. I thought the balsamic was a bit overwhelming on the first day, but either it calmed down after that or I just became accustomed to the taste – I’m just in love with this recipe now! I particularly like how easy it is…no cream of this, packet of seasoning that, etc etc. Thanks!
If I don’t have a slow cooker, could I do it in the oven on a low heat for several hours?
Have made this Balsamic Roast Beef recipe several times and love it! I added a large sliced onion (on bottom of crockpot), only used 1/4 c balsamic vinegar, and sprinkled a full packet of Italian dressing mix on top. Gives it so much extra flavor.
Your additions sound delicious, Jen! I’m so glad you enjoy it!
This was delicious. I’m so glad I chanced upon your website, and I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes. I live in Canada, so your “down home Southern cooking” seems new and exotic to me. 🙂
Yum!
I used this recipe and the meat was so tender and tasty. I actually had a 2 pound roast, used balsamic vinegarette salad dressing (I didn’t have balsamic vinegar on hand) and I forgot the honey, and used black pepper (didnt have the red pepper flakes). But I used the amounts of everything as indicated in the recipe and the meat came out perfectly tasty, perfectly seasoned and so moist. I cooked it on High for 4 hours in the crockpot. Thanks for such a flexible and wonderful recipe!
Hi!
I have a wee roast. It’s just under 2lbs, meant for 3ppl. Should I keep all the marinade amounts the same as well as cook times?
Very excited to make this. Serving it with double smoked-bacon brussle sprouts and a light pesto gnocchi.
Hello Robyn, i don’t have a slow cooker please can you tell me if it can be made in a pressure cooker or in the oven?
Hi! I can’t wait to try this recipe. I am always looking for something different when it comes to roasts. I was always taught to sear the roast prior to placing it in the slow cooker and was wondering what your thoughts were on that. What is your method of choice?
You can if you prefer, but I just add it straight to the slow cooker! Hope you enjoy it!
Can you put freeze the ingredients together to cook in the crockpot at a later date?
Congrats Robyn! I have followed you for a long time and to find you on Parade magazine is great – you deserve it!
Thank you so much. I made your recipe this weekend. it was awesome. The only thing I added with a red onion and cooked it on low for 8 hrs. I am definitely making this again. My boyfriend and I loved it.
Hi. I posted a comment yesterday about this recipe not being gluten free, and I see that it does not appear on the page. Is there a reason for that?
Hi Shannon,
I’m not seeing a previous comment from you either. As far as the recipe not being gluten-free, I’ve not marked it as being gluten-free based on the ingredients included. Of course, you could easily make it gluten-free if you prefer, you’d just need to sub out a few of the items with gluten-free options.
Thanks so much!
I just made this and my roast turned out tough as rubber and dry as a bone. What on earth?!
So I’m about to attempt to make this for only a little over one pound roast, I hope I portion the ingredients right..
Maybe I’ll wait until the fiance is up to help me with that but, in case you can reply soonish:
I would change the amounts of the additives to the meat right? 1 compared to 3-4 is quite a difference.
Made this once for an easy weekday dinner. It was amaazing- I made it exactly as written.
Making it again to bring to a Thanksgiving dinner with a massive 7 lb’er. I doubled the rest of the recipe as well. (As beef sliders)…mmm. Here’s hoping it works out as well as the first time! This meat is slightly fattier so I will definitely be cooking down the gravy to lean it out a bit.
I just made this roast in my new crock pot. Oh my… I only have two settings.. low and high. So. I cooked it on low for seven hours. I had a 2.75 pound chuck roast, 5 small potatoes, 6 small carrots, one sweet onion, several celery stalks and cut those all into big pieces. Added one can of beef broth, 1/2 cup of BVinegar, 2 tbs worcestershire, 2 tbs honey, one tbs pepper flakes, one tbs thyme, one tbs soy sauce. Oh my goodness… it is so moist, falling apart, delicious. I did add more salt and pepper at the end. I thought the soy sauce might add a bit of salty flavor but it really didn’t. I am amazed how moist and flavorful this roast is. Thanks so much for this recipe. !!! Love it.. Learning as I go !!
Hi Everyone. This looks amazing and I will be making this for dinner, however I do have one quick question. What are some ideas as a side for this if your not going to make sandwiches out of it? Garlic mashed potatoes with some fresh carrots? We really dont like rice, however i suppose rice would be good with this as well. Any thoughts welcomed. Thanks and have a great day!
I made this the other day and was so excited to try it! Sadly, when I took my meat out of the slow cooker it was gray, and so tough it was actually hard to cut through with a knife — two forks did nothing to shred it 🙁 I had cut the recipe back slightly (about 2.75lbs of chuck beef, and used about 2/3 of all the other ingredients) — do you think it overcooked?? Do you normally use closer to the 4 lbs of meat so that it doesn’t overcook? Let me know — I’d love to try this again and hopefully be more successful!
Made this today with 2 chuck steaks. I had never cooked this cut of meat before but it came with my side of beef so I went searching for a recipe and this one popped up. Very nice. We had it on homemade buns with a side of coleslaw. Kids loved it!
Can anyone tell me what she means when adding gravy when the meat is done cooking. Am I making gravy, is there a recipe for this or am I using leftovers from the meat juices? Thanks!
Hi Noelle,
You are right that you are using the juices from the meat and the balsamic mixture to make the gravy. I hope that helps!
I’ve tried maybe half a dozen pot roast recipes in my more than 50 years, and each was so awful that – well, I’ve only tried half a dozen recipes in my more than 50 years.
Your recipe was so simple – and I don’t do pseudo-foods from grocery aisles – so I gave it a try tonight. Looking for something really easy… yours was almost too much so! I put sliced onion in the bottom as another reviewer suggested. Otherwise, seemed like hardly anything at all went in besides that big piece of beef, a cut I never buy.
Can’t tell you how much we enjoyed dinner tonight. Pot roast, mashed potatoes, roasted veggies. Yum!
What a wonderful compliment that you would try my recipe, Andie! I am so honored that you did and excited that you enjoyed it!
For the moistest roast – Do you prefer to use the chuck or eye round roast?
For the moistest roast – Do you prefer to use the chuck or eye round roast?
We are going to be using the beef for sandwiches tonight! just finished loading the crock pot and I am sooooo excited to try this!!!!! Smells delicious already!
Made this a few times it is wonderful! I have replaced my Italian Beef with this recipe!
Thank You
Thank you so much, Carol. I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe!
Hi!
Can I substitue Vegetable Broth instead of Beef Broth? Would it change the flavor? Also, all i have left of my Basalmic is about a couple tablespoons, is that okay, or would that change the flavor? Can I use another type of vinegar?
This was great and so easy! I didn’t make any changes other than the fact that it needed to cook for 5 hours on high before the beef would shred. I served with your buttered potatoes and some steamed green beans. We made French dips the next day. Will definitely make again.
Thanks for the recipe! This was my first beef roast attempt. It came out well, but I did find that it needed to cook much longer than 4 hours (I had a 3.5lb round roast). The meat came out pretty tough, and not able to break apart as pictured, so we’re throwing it back in the crockpot on low overnight for some french dip sandwiches. I also added a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar to the broth.
I made this last night and it was AMAZING!!
I doubled the liquid, and cooked it for four hours on high, and a further three on low, and out of the slow cooker came the tastiest, most moist roast ever!!
We had it last night with bread rolls and dipped it..
And tonight we’re having it with veges and potatoes.
Yummo.
I’m so glad you loved it, Lisa!
How would you cook this in an oven?
What temperature and how long?
Would love to try this recipe! Can I use beef cubes for this? Thanks!
Sorry for sounding silly. I’m new to roasting! I don’t understand what you meant by boneless roast beef. Does that mean the beef has to be cooked beforehand? Or can I use raw beef? Can I use beef cheeks or beef cubes for this recipe? Thanks! 🙂
No, the butcher takes the bone out before you buy it. It will say on the package, bone in or boneless. depending on what you want.
I think that would be okay just add water. The broth is what’s helping to make this tender!
Grace, Raw beef. Round roast is what I’m using right now.
The beef cubes are great for stews. It may be hard to shred apart cubes. I think it’s a tougher meat. I’ve never used beef cheek. So, I’m not sure what the cheek may turn out like.
I used 4 beef cubes
planning on making this but want potatoes and carrots, would you recommend cooking them with the roast and doubling the sauce? Thanks!
I really like balsamic vinegar. The meat turned out very good. It was interesting because it had a dry taste due to the vinegar despite being very moist and soft. I mixed in some of the liquid and made the french dip sandwiches linked in this recipe and ate some alone. I cooked mine in a slow cooker on high for 8 hours. I also wanted veggies like many people posting on this recipe so I went ahead and doubled the ingredients besides the roast and added carrots, potatoes and parsnips. While the meat was delicious, the veggies were really vinegary tasting and not to my liking. I am not picky and I love veggies and balsamic vinegar, but I covered my veggies in salt and cheese and ketchup to make them more edible – something abnormal for me. Similarly, the flavor was quite strong for the French Dip sandwiches when dipping. I would prefer the meat cooked like this but my bread soaked in a mix without vinegar. Mostly I wanted to post to warn people to cook veggies separately – I strongly recommend not cooking veggies with the roast using this recipe. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks so much for the veggie tip! I was debating on adding them for this very reason.
I have this cooking in the crockpot right now! Can’t wait for dinner!
Thanks Kathryn!
I tried this recipe a few weeks ago and it was delicious. I e-mailed the recipe to my daughter. She tried it and also thought it was super. I have just sent it on to my next younger sister (who is skeptical) and I can hardly wait for her to try it and respond. It was a most unexpected recipe and I am very glad I decided to try it because I like vinegary things. A 10 out of 10 from me! Thank you
Thank you so much, Ruth. I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
I recently stopped eating beef, but I am interested in doing this with a pork shoulder (AKA pork butt). We always make pulled pork in the crock pot, but this recipe really sounds interesting. Totally bookmarking this. 🙂
I don’t have a slowcooker but would love to try your recipe! Do you think it would work to roast it in the oven for a couple hours instead?
I was just about to ask the same question! This sounds really good and I’d like to see how it turns out.
The pictures look like the beef was browned before slow cooking. Are you saying “do not brown it first,” or, “you don’t have to brown it?” Plan on making it this weekend.
Hi Joe,
The beef wasn’t browned before adding to the slow cooker. In my slow cookers, not saying it happens in all, when you cook the meat for an extended time like recommended, the meat darkens as shown. I hope you enjoy it!
I always season and sear the meat first
This turned out really delicious! I thought it tasted like sauerbraten, except without the 2-3 days of marinating the beef beforehand. Very simple, but the results were awesome.
Should I do anything different if my rump roast is still frozen? Less liquid… more liquid…. thanks
What side dishes would you recommend serving with beef cooked like this? I’m planning to make it on Sunday and am very excited about it!
Hi Chelsea,
We love it served with potatoes, mashed or baked, and a simple salad or even roasted vegetables. I hope you enjoy it!
I cooked mine with carrots and celery. I’m serving with mashed potatoes. The gravy is good on the taters. Also in serving a spinach salad
This sounds AMAZING! I’m going to cook it for my whole family for my birthday! I think it would go splendidly with the German sides I’m planning! Thank you!
Tried this tonight with beef chuck flat iron steak. SUPER Yummy and tender!! Great recipe that will be added to our files. Thank You!!
I have tried this in the slow cooker and my fiancé and I gobbled it up like little pigs. So yummy! I was given an amazing electric pressure cooker for Christmas and would love to try this recipe in it. Do you have any tips for that? Thank you!
Whoever that was that answered Beth’s post was mean! I hate to see full grown adults talk like that
to other adult! I would have tried to use a leaner meat also because I am trying to lose weight.
Honest mistake- no need to put anyone down.
That being said, I am anxious to try this recipe! It looks yummy!
THANK YOU for sharing this recipe. I made this tonight and my hubs and I devoured a huge sandwich. After the 4 hour mark, I cut the meat into chunks with my scissors directly in the pot and let it go for another hour and a half, totalling 5-1/2 and it was very tender and the sauce was plentiful too for left overs. I also did half a tablespoon of regular soy sauce and half reduced because I didn’t want it too salty. My hubs is notorious for adding salt, but he said it was perfect. I’m definitely adding this recipe to my favorites. Thank you again. XOXO!!!
So I just cooked this up, and the meat came out “fallin off the fork” incredible. I used an arm roast, that had a lot of fat on it. The roast was about 2 1/2 inches high, and fit perfectly in the bottom of the slow cooker.
The first thing I did before throwing it in the slow cooker, was browning the roast in a pan with basalmic vinegar, because I love a little charred taste.
I then cooked it for 3 hours on high, turning it half way through. then turned the cooker to low and let it cook for another 3 hours.
I am now in the process of tryin to make a really good gravy with the juices before it is served tonight.
Thanks for the recipe. It was a perfect mixture.
This is really excellent. My husband made homemade buns and we used the juice like au jus. Delicious! I tried it because it didn’t use onions, which are giving me problems. Better than my previous recipe 🙂
I found this recipe on Pinterest and am making it tonight since my family loves a good roast from the crockpot. I’m even more excited when I saw that we’re both Southern wives and moms and Robyns with a “y”!
I hope he loves it! How cool that we’re both Robyn’s with a Y!!! I feel like we have a special bond over that Y! 🙂
I tried this recipe and it was superb! I loved it so much this is the 3rd time to make it
I’m so glad you enjoy it, Jaclyn! Thanks so much! xo
I made this for dinner tonight with the only deviation that i browned the roast prior to adding it to the slow cooker. regardless, it was excellent. My wife commented that the recipe was a “keeper”. thank you for sharing!
Thanks for a beautiful, easy recipe! Can’t wait for it to finish!!
Help! I tried this yesterday but after 4 hours on high I also had a tough block of meat and no chance of pulling it all apart with forks. After reading the comments (Beth’s above) I wish I had given it more time on low too because it sounds like that did the trick for her.
Instead I sliced it but I don’t know if it’ll get eaten. So I just wanted to check – is there anything else I could have done wrong? Is there any way of saving all those slices and reviving this one?
Hi Susan,
I’m so sorry it didn’t work for you on the high setting. Here’s what I’d do. I would chop it, thicken the sauce and make something else from it, like a balsamic pork BBQ sandwich. I’ve never had luck with saving an overcooked pork tenderloin other than using it a little differently – stuffed in mushrooms or ravioli, use it in a soup or salad, or slather it with more sauce for a sandwich or tacos.
Hi there!
I would like to try this today, would it still work with a Boneless Bottom Blade pot roast?
I think it should work just fine, Kristen. I hope you enjoy it!
Has anyone ever done this with the potatoes and carrots thrown in? I have a small dinner party tomorrow after work and wanted to be able to come home and just plate it and not have to worry about cooking anything else as I only have about a half hour in the door before my quests arrive.
I do it with carrots and celery. I make mashed potatoes and use the gravy
I do it with carrots and celery. I make mashed potatoes and use the gravy. I serve it with spinach salad. Makes great French dip sandwich with the left overs. Also is good stuffed in peppers with fresh mozzarella.
Can i substitute apple cider vinegar for the balsamic? I have all the ingredients on hand, but the balsamic vinegar. 🙁
Thanks!
Do you think this would work with brisket of London broil?
Thanks,
Jessica
What size slow cooker do you use? I’m new to slow cooking and not sure which size is best. thanks!
Hi, will this recipe turn out good with London Broil Meat? Or should I stick with the Chuck or Round Roast?
Thank you!
I want to make pulled beef with bbq sauce. Which would be best, the balsamic or regular recipe? I plan to drain the au jus and save for another day and return the pulled meat to the crock pot with bbq sauce.
Do you suggest cooking this a different way if adding carrots and potatoes???
I love this recipe and am making it again today. One thing… My chuck roast had a surprising layer or sheath of fat on the entire underside of the roast when I took it out of the package. I haven’t had that happen before… Should I place that side down or up in the slow cooker? I am cooking on low, all day. I’ve already put it in the cooker, presently fat down.
I always like to place the fat side up so that as it renders, it helps to flavor the meat.
This looks like a fantastic recipe to try. Thank you!
Meh. I thought the flavor was underwhelming. I was expecting a more full and savory flavor but was disappointed. I won’t be making this again.
Sorry it wasn’t to your liking.
thank you i allways love to find good beef and meat recipes
Made this and it is delicious: Beef is so tender it almost melts in your mouth : I did let beef marinate overnight and only used half the marinade in crockpot. It shreds w/1 fork LOL
Excited to try this tomorrow! But I will be at work all day and am wondering if you (or anyone) has cooked this on “low”heat and if so, for how long? And did it turn out as good?
great flavor but DRY
I was planning to make this recipe already a week ago for party that happened this Sunday. I was thinking to put beef in a slow cooker in a morning, and by 2 pm it will be ready, but I got scared what if beef will turn our not as good as everyone described. As a result, I marinated beef chuck (4.5 lbs) on Friday only with a salt. Covered and put into the fridge. on Saturday, I pan seared beef, and put into the slow cooker on low for 7 hours. First of all, I was scared because I was thinking it will be to salty even if I am using low sodium soy sauce, but it wasn’t – which is great. After 7 hours I put beef into the serving dish and let it cool down and after it to put into the fridge for overnight and just warm it on Sunday. When i tried beef, I did not like it. because it wasn’t falling apart. I was so disappointed. but then I was like let’s finish up in the oven for another an hour before party and will see how it will turn out. Well, I did it. Feedback from 14 people that tried this recipe: “Oh your beef is so delicious, how did you make it!”, ” I like your beef recipe”, “how did you make that beef it turned out so good not to salty and not spicy”. ok my beef gone. No leftovers, I was disappointed … So thank you so much. Definitely will keep this recipe… Came out very good and delicious.
I have made this recipe countless times… it is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! Has been my no-fail, go-to, slow-cooker recipe! My family is thrilled to have it as part of our menu repertoire!
Hi Robyn, This looks great! Do you ever put veggies in to roast with it? Or do you make those separately?
Thank you!
Hi Emily,
I do not add veggies to this roast as they tend to soak up so much of the marinade that they do not taste good to me.
Made this tonight and its amazing! Definitely a keeper. Only thing different I did was add a packet of onion soup mis.
I found you on pinterest and had to add you to one of my boards. It’s so hard to find nightshade free recipes for the slow cooker and yours is perfect (as long as I don’t add the chili flakes). It’s so yummy I think this will be a new weekly staple. Plus I had plenty left over to make into other dishes. xxx
I have a Venison Roast and I was wondering if that would work well with the recipe as well, or if you have any suggestions for a recipe that would work well for a venison roast. I have made the Balsamic Pork Roast and that came out great.
It is fabulous with venison, Tanya! I hope you enjoy it!
I made this last night. It was so easy and a huge hit! My husband really loved the big, bold flavors. Thanks for the terrific recipe. I will definitely make this again!
I’m so glad your family enjoyed it, Liz!
Absolutely a keeper for future crock pot roasts!! My husband told me this recipe is a definite keeper!
I put twice the liquid(mostly extra broth) with a 1 Kg (2.2lbs)round beef for 3hrs on high and 4 hrs low. The meat as described fell apart and was excellent with boiled vegetables in vegetable broth!
Thank you for this recipe!
Will an eye of round roast work well??
I have made this recipe numerous times, and it has never failed me. Perfect roast every time. I usually use beef broth as the recipe states but have used water and sometimes chicken bouillon in a pinch. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so glad you love it, Meagan!!!
Just wondering if you have the nutritional facts for this recipe. Particularly the calories per serving?
I don’t have a slow cooker. How do I do this in an oven. Is the beef broth necessary in the oven?
Does the entire piece of beef need to be covered by the liquid? Sorry if already asked and answered!
Hi Kara,
It doesn’t have to be entirely covered. I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks so much for this – I made it last night and happened to have all the ingredients on hand. I think next time I would add some onions, otherwise it was delicious and my husband loved it – and with very little effort on my part.
How long do you cook in the oven and at what temperature?
This came out wonderful. I actually added some dark brown sugar and some onions. Absolutely mouth watering. BTW I cooked it on low for about 8 hours. Meat just fell apart without barely shredding it. Cheers!
I am not a cook..by any means..I found this while looking for a recipe for dog treats! How do you serve this, like barbecue? It looks like a barbecue recipe I make in the crock pot. Or do you serve it like a regular meat entee? It soundsgood , does it half well..freeze well? (Single!)
Yikes. I can only assume this comment is a joke, or generated by some automatic blog commenting bot.
Amy, you could do hot au jus beef sandwiches on buns or a pot roast dinner with mashed potatoes and veggies. I would say anything goes, even use as taco meat!
Hi
I just found your recipe
I am going to try it for Sunday dinner tomorrow
Caro
Thanks!! We loved it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Heather! xo
Do you recommend searing the chuck roast on all sides before putting it in the slow cooker?
Hi Allison,
I skip searing the roast and just add it right on into my slow cooker. Of course, you can if you prefer.
This is in the crock pot now for dinner tonight. Very excited to get home and try it!
I hope you enjoy it, Chrissy!
This was so delicious! More enjoyable than standard pot roast by all means. I served with creamy horseradish sauce, so deliteful
Thank you for sharing this! Will make again!
I have a 2.5-lb roast that I want to try this with. Would you increase all of the ingredients proportionately or make any adjustments? I was thinking especially of the red pepper flakes, which could become overpowering, but any other thoughts you have are appreciated.
Hi, if I cook covered in the oven, what temperature and how long should I cook for please?
I was so so excited to try this recipe today. My mouth was watering just looking at the photo! But I have to say I was a little underwhelmed. Mine had no balsamic flavor to it. At all. Not even a little. It just tasted like a regular roast. I used the full 1/2 c of balsamic even though my roast was a little less than 3 lbs. What could I have done wrong?
Oh no! I’m so sorry it didn’t have that full balsamic flavor, Leigh-Ann. Did you reduce the drippings and it still wasn’t enough flavor for you?
Can this be made in an instant pot pressure cooker?
It smells DELICIOUS! I am currently cooking this in the slow cooker and have to wait at least another hour! Uuuuhhhhh :: drool::
My question is – what sort of side do you suggest serving this with? Probably too late now, but I guess for the next time I make it…
Can i prep this meal by putting all the ingredients in a bag with the meat or will having the meat sit in the sauces marinading essentially overpower it?
Im all about prepping my corck pot recipes on a sunday so i can pull them out the freezer or fridge each day, dump it all in in the morning and have it cook while I’m at work.
You absolutely can, Ivanna!
Does the meat have to be thawed or can I put it in slow cooker frozen? Sorry, I’m new to this.
I would definitely thaw it out first. For a 3 to 4 lb roast I would let it thaw in the fridge for about 3 or four days.
This was delicious. I needed to make some substitutions (below) to avoid a trip to the grocery store and it still turned out great. My husband, three year old and 19 month old all ate it happily. Also, I just realized I forgot the garlic! Oops! I did add some onion powder at the end because it needed a little something, but that’s only because of my substitutions and accidental omission. When I make it next time (correctly!) I most likely won’t add the onion powder.
Necessary substitutions: red wine vinegar + sugar = balsamic vinegar ; 1 cup beef bouillon + 1 cup water = beef broth.
Thanks!
Can I add potatoes and carrots to the crockpot with the meat?
Yum this dish was great full of flavour the hubby was impressed and he is hard to please when it comes to food..Thank you
What is the “insert” you are referring to in step 1 of the instructions?
It is the stoneware part of the slow cooker. Some Crockpots have removable stoneware and others don’t, depends on the brand.
If I want to add potatoes and carrots at what point would I put those in?
We LOVED this recipe! My three young kids ate it up, no problem. Super tender and falls apart as you touch it with a fork – and we had trimmed most of the fat off of the roast before cooking, too. The flavour was excellent. I reduced the amount of red pepper flakes to 1/4 tsp because I was worried about it being too spicy for the kids, but I didn’t even notice the red pepper flakes a bit so next time (and there WILL be a next time) I will add the full 1/2 tsp amount. I served it alongside corn-on-the-cob and a fresh green salad. An incredible and simple, no-fuss, recipe with great results! Thank you for sharing.
SO GOOD!! I even think the meat taste better the next day. The only thing I did different was seared the meat with a little pepper. I didn’t do the reduction. Great as is to my family. I will make again. Recipe is a total keeper.
Excellent recipe and so easy. Thanks for sharing. I will be making this again.
Did you serve as is or make into sandwiches?
I love it both ways. I generally serve it as is the first day and then follow up with the french dips or use it another way for leftovers.
Thanks! Made it this morning and had it tonight, very good! My mom stopped by and she loved it too. Thank you again for sharing!
Would you recommend trying this with a pork shoulder, for balsamic pulled pork perhaps?
This one is similar and I use it for pork roasts so I would think you could
I made this with a pork shoulder and it worked great.
Would adding potatoes and carrots to it work good with this recipe? If so when should I put them in?
Will this recipe work with a very lean eye of round roast? Or would it work best with a fattier cut?
Please help! I made this in my crock pot this morning. I put it on low for 8 hrs & the meat was so tough! What did I do wrong? I think I have now ruined a huge roast!
Just had this happen to me, too. I used a 3lb chuck roast and it came shriveled and very tough. Like, a considerable amount was needed to pull the meat with a fork. Not sure what happened… So many comments saying it turned out perfect. Was your meat previously frozen? I had bought it from Costco last weekend, immediately froze it then pulled it out two days ago to thaw in the refrigerator.
Can this be done with a Dutch oven?
This sounds delicious. Sorry if this is a silly question but when you say ‘roast beef’ does this mean that the beef needs to be roasted first before creating this recipe? I’m confused by when you say that the beef doesn’t need browning first. Thanks. I’m looking forward to trying this out.
Hi Jay,
Sorry that was confusing. You won’t need to cook your beef beforehand, I was referring to the selection of the beef.
i loooooooove this recipe! I found it a couple years ago and make it all the time. Everyone who tries it loves it – adults and kids. Plus it makes the house smell delicious! The hardest part is waiting for it to be done!
WOW!! So Delicious and so Easy!!!
The only problem is it’s so good, we aren’t going to have the leftovers I’d like for a second meal!
I will definitely be making this for company!
Thank you!
I’ve had this recipe saved and finally made this. Not sure why I waited so long. I don’t think a recipe can get much simpler than this with good result. Will definitely not wait so long to make again. Excellent for french dip style sandwiches.
I used maple syrup instead of honey I also added chopped onion and celery to the sauce. And a dash of liquid smoke it is delicious
This was fantastic! Just made it today. Slow cooked for 8 hours and it was so tasty.
I’m so glad you loved it, Michelle!
Could I use water instead of beef broth?
Hi Kim,
I’ve never used water in this recipe, but I wouldn’t think it would be as flavorful as it is using broth. Thanks! xo
What is the best way to serve this recipe as a full meal?
Hi Denise,
I like to serve it with vegetables or a salad, as well as either potatoes or rice. I hope you enjoy it – it’s delicious! Thanks! xo
I have used stew beef for this recipe as well, and I like the results just as much! My kids LOVE this recipe. I serve with mashed cauliflower and green beans. Thank you for this yummy and easy recipe!
So glad you liked it! Thanks so much!
Has anyone had a problem ending up with a very tough roast? I tried this recipe with a 3lb chuck roast that had been previously frozen and it came out very tough after being on low for 6 hours. My wife and I were upset that it took quite a bit of effort to pull the meat with two forks, definitely not the “falling apart” meat that we’re used to from the slow cooker. Most of our meat goes in to the slow cooker with very little added liquid and turns out perfect. Not sure what everyone else is doing different from the recipe that caused their roast to end up being soft and falling apart.
I think you did something wrong because mine came out fine. Make sure you cook it long enough for it to fall apart.
The first time I made this I used round roast and we had the same problem. Next time I purchased a Chuck Tender Roast and it really did have that “falling apart” effect. Hopefully it’s a simple as changing the meat for you! It really is a great dish.
There’s also a really thin line between perfectly cooked and over cooked. Contrary to popular belief you can OVER cook a slow cooked piece of meat. I would suggest checking it at 6 hours next time seeing if it’s cooked through and pull apart.
I don’t have a slow cooker. Can you use a covered roasting pan (Dutch oven style) and what temperature would I use and how long? This recipe is perfect for today.
Hi Tina,
My Pot Roast recipe gives instructions for cooking in a Dutch oven, slow cooker or oven. These instructions should help you find your cooking time based on the size of your roast. Thanks!
Could you add potatoes, carrots, onions? If so, should the other ingredients be doubled?
Could you add potatoes to the crockpot too? If so would it change the timing or amount of sauce needed?
New to this! Does the meat have to be completely submerged in liquid? I am using chuck roast and it is not completely submerged. Worried about the meat being tough!
Hi Rheena,
No, the meat does not need to be completely submerged in this recipe. I sure hope you love it!
Would balsamic vinaigrette work if we have no balsamic vinegar? Thanks in advance!
Hi Janice,
I haven’t tried it with balsamic vinaigrette. It really would depend on what all the vinaigrette has in it and I”m not sure what it would do to the flavor. If you try it, let me know!
Hi Janice,
I’ve not tried it with vinaigrette, so I’m not sure of the result. Thanks!
How much is 3-4 pounds of beef in kgs?
Google is great for conversions. In answer 3 lb – 1.361 kg, 4 lb 1.814 kg
What side items do you suggest with this
I like to serve it with vegetables or a salad, as well as either potatoes or rice. I hope you enjoy it – it’s delicious! Thanks!
Could you use a pork roast with this recipe?
I am sure a pork roast would work great. Even an oven stuffer 6-8 lbs. would work. I haven’t used a small turkey yet but normally turkey goes well with a sweeter or vinegary background.
Does the cook time and temp change if I use a frozen rump roast instead of thawing it out?
Almost all meat recipes are better if thawed out as a general principle.
Excellent and easy, this is a great recipe
Amazing!!! I followed the recipe but for lack of time i cooked the roast for 2 hours on high and then 2 1/2 on low. The roast was so tender. I just sliced it and put some of the jus on top. Will make this again!
Hi could I use a spoon roast for this?
I LOVE this recipe and make it all the time! Sometimes I add onions, carrots and/or potatoes about halfway through. Whatever my fam is in the mood for!
I’m thrilled you enjoy it Laura! Thanks so much! xo
This recipe was Fantastic 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Steffani! Thanks so much! xo
This is the fifth or sixth time I’m making this recipe in the past year, it is an absolute favourite! I’ve tried other slow cooker beef recipes and I keep returning to this. From serving it as a family main, to bringing along to a New Years Eve party, it is loved by adults and kids alike, which surprised me (balsamic, fussy kids). Crazy easy to make. The house smells delicious all day. Thanks for this one 🙂 P.S. I have never seared the roast prior to placing in the slow cooker, has anyone else? Does it make any difference?
I’m so glad you enjoy this roast, Lorraine! It is one of my family favorites as well! Thanks so much!!! xo
I made this for the first time several months ago and it was awesome. Ever since then, it never turns out!!!! I’m so frustrated! It’s always extremely tough. What am I doing wrong?!
Hi Katie,
I’m so sorry that is happening for you. Since it was great when you first made it, I’m wondering if you could have possibly changed cuts of meat, or changed any step? It shouldn’t be tough…I wish I knew what it could be. If you find out what could have changed, I’d love to hear. Thank you so much!
Hello! I’m hoping to make this on the weekend for dinner guests but need to use about 7pounds of beef. I’m wondering if the cooking time will need to be changed and if so by how much? Thanks 😉
Hi Chelsea!
I hope that you love this recipe! It is just wonderful for serving large groups! I often make two roasts at the same time with this recipe so that I have plenty for a crowd or to serve as another meal later in the week. When I do, it generally is done is about the same amount of time as the recipe as written. Occasionally, I will have to let it go just a little bit longer in the slow cooker until the roast(s) pull easily with a fork for shredding. I hope that helps! xo
I am making this for Easter dinner. Since I am using two 3.3 lb round roasts,do I double the other ingredients?
I wanted something different from ham or turkey for a holiday. This sounded easy and delicious!
Hi Laura,
I usually double the ingredients when I double the amount of roast. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks so much!
Hi Chelsea
I am going to start this recipe today to have tomorrow on hoagie buns. I will look for a fat separator as I will be doing a blade roast which I think will produce a lot of fatty oil. I love Balsamic Vinegar so this sounds so good. I will get back to you soon and let you know how it turned out.
Wayne & Mona
Nakusp, B.C.
We LOVE ❤️ this recipe. It is my go to recipe when we’re in the mood for roast beef! We usually always serve it as a French dip. Thank you so much for sharing this ☺️
Very good! Made this for dinner tonight. Beef was so tender and the flavour of the sauce really good. Paired it with mashed potatoes and roasted carrots, parsnips and onions. (can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow)?
So happy you enjoyed this, Sandra! It’s one of our favorites! Thanks so much! xo
Going to the store now ~ what do you recommend for side dishes?
Hi Sammy,
We love vegetables and potatoes or rice. Enjoy it! Thanks!
This is one of my go to roast recipes. My family loves it!! I’m curious how you think this would be with a pork roast instead of beef. I have only made it with beef but pork roast were on sale this week so I picked one up. Has anyone tried this with pork?
Hi Lauren,
I’m thrilled that you enjoy this roast – my family loves it too! I have a recipe for Balsamic Pork Roast that you might want to try.
Thanks so much!
Wow we had this for Easter Sunday dinner today and it was divine. Thought the kids wouldn’t eat it but they loved it. Served it with salt and pepper roasts and puréed carrot and parsnip. Delish ?
Thanks so much! So glad you liked it! xo
This recipe uses too much beef broth. Chuck roast renders so much yummy liquid, that I found this addition of a cup of beef broth to dilute out the flavor I was hoping for. Even after straining and rendering the broth, I had to add additional salt and pepper to the final dish. I wish it turned out more flavorful, but it wasn’t what I’d hoped for. (i can’t change the rating stars below, as it’s automatically set to 5 stars, but I would give this recipe 2.5). The addition of salt and pepper is so important for this dish!
Hi Ginny,
I’m sorry it didn’t have the flavor you preferred. It is definitely one of my family’s favorites, but I completely understand that everyone’s tastes are different!
Can you use frozen meat or is thawed preferred for this recipe? I forgot to take my meat out last night.
Hi Krystle,
I think the thawed roast gives the best results. I hope you enjoy this recipe! It’s one of my favorites – and a another tip – save the gravy with any leftovers for a tasty French Dip sandwich another night! Oh so good!
Enjoy! Thanks! xo
Would chicken broth work with this instead of beef broth?
Made this recipe today and I have to tell you,this is one of the best roasts I’ve made.Thank you
Hi Linda,
I’m so thrilled to hear that you enjoyed it! It’s such an easy yet delicious recipe that I love to make for busy nights – and I love those French Dip sandwiches with the leftovers (if there are any!). 😉
Thanks so much for letting me know you liked it! xo
OMG!!!!!!! This is just the best slowe cooker roast…..ever!!!! I had a small roast so i decreased the vinegar to 1/4 cup and the beef stock to half cup. After it was done i took it out of the crock pot, sliced it and put it in a shallow bowl with some of the juice poored over, added coarse salt, covered with foil and put in a 350 defree oven until the potatoes were done! Perfect! Enough leftovers for tomorrow! Yhank you!
Do you think this would work as a “freezer meal”? So, put all the ingredients in a freezer bag, thaw when ready to cook, then cook in a crock pot? I’m going to make this for Mother’s Day dinner next week, but I’m also trying to put together freezer meals for my niece who is expecting a baby at the end of May. I think she and her husband would love this.
What a thoughtful idea! Yes, it should work wonderfully as a freezer meal. Thanks!
Loved it. We have a fussy eater in the house in the form of my father, very much a meat and 3 veg kinda guy, he enjoyed t. The flavor hangs around for a surprisingly long time and makes it incredibly nommish, Had beside mixed vegies and mashed potato with the gravy poured over.
Thanks so much Steven! So glad you liked it! 🙂
This recipe looks so yummy an I can’t wait to try it! However I had a question
Could I add veggies into the crockpot which the roast while it cooks? I usually do that with other roasts I make but just thought I’d check and see what your opinion is!
Hi Annamay!
I hope you enjoy this – its one of our favorites! If you decide to add the veggies, I would suggest waiting until toward the end of the cooking time so that the veggies don’t absorb all of the balsamic vinegar. Thanks so much! xo
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to give it a try ☺️
I hope you enjoy it! xo
Hi, do you think you could use beef chunks like a casserole instead of a roast?
Hi Ellie,
I’ve not tried that, but I’d say try to make sure the weight of the beef is similar so the rest of the ingredients are in proportion as written in the recipe. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out! Thanks! xo
This sounds so good can I use a Dutch oven
I added a small shallot. Cooked on low for 6 hours and was divine! So moist and tender!
So happy you enjoyed it, Brittany! Thanks! xo
I’ve made this regularly over the last few years and it’s a great recipe. Simple ingredients for a great tasting dinner goes well with everything.
So glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe! I like how easy it is to make for my family as well – glad you feel the same! Thanks so much for letting me know you like it!
Where is the gravy recipe that goes over the top
Hi Amber,
The gravy forms when cooking the roast according to this recipe. Enjoy! Thanks!
Can’t wait to try this ! How long would you reccomend cooking a 2lb chuck roast on low ?
I hope you enjoy it Megan! I would cook it the amount of time in the recipe instructions – 6 to 8 hours on low. The recipe is for a 3 to 4 pound roast, so your 2 pound one may be done to your liking at lower end of the cooking time or so. Thanks! xo
I have an eye of round roast- is that the same thing?
Hi Lee,
You can use eye of round. You will cook on LOW for 8 hours or until tender. Thanks!
Love this recipe. Have used it heaps. The flavor is just divine. Thank you so much for it
I’m delighted that you enjoy it, Tash! It’s one of our family favorites too. Thanks so much! xo
What potato recipes would you use with this beef recipe?
Tina,
I like to serve this with Twice Baked Potatoes and any mashed potato recipe. Hope you enjoy! xo
What do you recommend for side dishes?
Jean,
I like to serve it with vegetables or a salad, as well as either potatoes or rice. I hope you enjoy it – it’s delicious! Thanks! xo
Can I use top sirloin Roast? And what would be th cooking time on low for a 4 lb roast. Thinking 8 hours on low?
Jacqueline,
You can use top sirloin roast in this recipe. I would cook on low for 8 hours in the slow cooker. Hope you enjoy! xo
WOW!!! You’re not kidding. This is so delicious. I used a really expensive and delicious balsamic vinegar and had to modify the worcestershire sauce since store bought brands have gluten and my homemade recipe includes nightshades (both of which i’m avoiding right now) but even winging it a bit with that worked out just fine. This will be in the regular rotation for sure. (And I usually don’t like slow cooker roast recipes). THANK YOU!!!
Hi Dede!
Doesn’t this taste amazing! It is one of our family favorites and definitely on rotation in our meals too! I love the flavor and how easy it is to make! Thanks so much! So glad you enjoy it! xo
Would I be able to use London broil for this recipe.
Thanks
Grave
Cooking time for chicken? Good stuff.
Hello,
Can I use a pressure cooker instead?
It’s in my pressure cooker right now, I will let you know how it turns out.
I hope you enjoy it, Cindy! Thanks so much! xo
I have a ton of hamburger meat but want to try this recipe. Any chance I could use it in this recipe?
Hi Cassie,
This recipe is one of our favorites – it’s really delicious. I’ve never tried it with ground beef, so I can’t say how it would turn out. Thanks!
Robyn, I tend to make palette extending recipes my family tends not to eat much off.
My wife who refuses to more than taste most of my meals had doubles and thirds. Paid with a broccoli and key lime infused oilive oil (from Fiore in Maine )roasted fingerling potatoes
Thank you for the family counsel. 🙂
I’m so thrilled that your family enjoyed this – it’s one of our favorite dishes!
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Mr. Lawson
I hope you find many more recipes here that you will enjoy! 🙂
Delicious!! My husband loved it, and my 2 year old actually ate it! She doesn’t usually eat beef… SO glad I tried it, and will make it again!
It’s always such a great feeling when you cook something the little ones will eat – they do go through a picky stage it seems! I’m so happy that you enjoyed this – it’s a regular dish I make in my house too! Thanks so much, Audra! xo
What slow cooker do you use? I use a crock pot and 4 hours makes this really overdone
Hi Catherine,
I use various sizes and brands so that I’m testing recipes with different equipment. My favorites though are All-Clad and Hamilton Beach. I hope that helps!
I thought that too at first when I made this the first time, but you have to cook it beyond that point and it will start to fall apart like pulled pork ????
Hi
Can I use a rump roast for this recipe? If so, is cooking time the same?
Hi Marian,
You can and the cooking time would be the same. I hope you enjoy it!
Hi can i add my veggies straight to the crock pot to cook with the meat? would i need to adjust any ingredients?
What if I need to do a double recipe? Any idea of cook time in crock pot or slow cooker?
what side would you serve with this??? I was thinking if plated mashed potatoes and some type of veggie, or if on a sandwich with potato salad or Macaroni salad…
Those are some of the sides I serve too…they will be delicious with this! Enjoy! Thanks Viviana!
Pretty much made this yesterday. I didn’t have beef broth so I used water. Added onions. About 4 hours in I decided to try adding some left over organic tomato soup I had from the night before. It turned out really well, the beef was pull apart, no knife needed. I will definitely be making this again.
Thanks Candace! xo
i’m going to make this today, but i use the ceramic pot from the slow cooker in the oven. how long and on what temp would you recommend? thanks
What kind of gravy are we using at the end? Or do you just mean the liquid remaining in the pot? I’m a newbie cooker, so please excuse my dumb question.
There should be a gravy (liquid) from cooking the roast (or the liquid in the pot). Thanks so much Josh – I hope you enjoy it!
I was looking for the most tender beef to use, can this be made with prime rib roast ?
The cheaper cuts are better in slow cooking the lean meat will dry out
What cooking adjustments would you make if you added cut up potatoes and carrots to this? Just put the potatoes on the bottom and cook for 8 hours on low? Increase seasonings at all?
Hi David,
I wouldn’t recommend adding the potatoes and carrots to the slow cooker to cook the full time with the meat in the balsamic liquid as they’ll absorb too much of the balsamic and have a more vinegary flavor than what I think you might want. I wish it would work, but when I tested it, we found that it just wasn’t great that way. What was great was to roast the vegetables in the oven and then serve a bit of the reduced balsamic liquid with them. YUM! xo
I have a much smaller roast that was in the freezer (1.5 lbs) and was searching for a new recipe to try wth it.. how much would you adjust roasting time?
Hi Emily!
You should be fine to use the same cooking time in the slow cooker. With the balsamic liquid in the slow cooker, your roast should be tender and falling apart! You will have more of the balsamic liquid remaining in your slow cooker once your roast has cooked, but I would reduce it on the stove to serve with the roast and then store any leftover of the balsamic liquid in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week for use. I hope you enjoy it! xo
I LOVE this recipe and have made it several times. It is always a hit. I want to make this for a company potluck next week, but don’t want to get up in the middle of the night to start the slow cooker. I’m thinking of cooking it one day prior, then refrigerate overnight (juices and all) and then set on low for 4 hours prior to serving. Any better ideas? Have you tried this before?
Hi Lauren,
I am so glad that you enjoy this recipe! It’s one of our favorites too – so much so I made sure to include it in my cookbook!
I’ve not tried reheating it this way before, but it should work fine. You can also take the beef, place in pan, tent with foil and reheat in a 350 degree oven until warmed through – about 20-30 minutes.
I hope everyone enjoys it! Thanks so much!
Use a household light timer. That’s what I do. Keep crock in fridge till you go to bed. Pop it in slow cooker with outlet timer set. Go to bed and wake up smelling it in the morning.
I just put this in the crockpot for dinner today; we are going to be having it with some roasted acorn squash from our garden. I cannot wait to report back the amazing results.
Yum! This sounds like a delicious supper! xo
My son is allergic to soy, is there something I can substitute it with or would it still taste okay if I leave it out entirely?
Hi Patra,
You can substitute with coconut aminos. I am sensitive to soy as well and use it in place of soy in recipes that call for soy. I hope you enjoy it! xo
TAMARI is a gluten free soy sauce sub. Not all tamari is gluten free, but most.
Can I cut it into cubes instead of shredding it?
Sure, you can serve it any way you prefer Shelby. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks!
Place in slow cooker thawed or frozen? I’ve seen both.
Hi Elisabeth!
I think the thawed roast gives the best results. I hope you enjoy this recipe! It’s one of my favorites! Thanks!
How long does it take for the roast to get a bark or get brown on the edges?
Do you prefer cooking on Low or high?
This smelled so delicious while cooking but I was disappointed with my results. I cooked it for 4 hours on high but it was tough when done and did not fall apart at all.. I’ll try again sometime and cook on low but any idea what my problem could have been?
Hi Lauren,
I’m sorry your roast was tough. I make this all the time and mine is not tough. I always use a chuck or round roast according to the recipe and mine always pulls apart and is so tender. Thanks!
Most likely just needed to cook longer. All crocks are different. Some cook hot some don’t.
Mine was also tough, even after cooking a very long time, I’m making it today with a chuck roast. The first time I used a round roast( with the string around it, I cut the string before putting in crockpot????
Delish
Thanks Mike! Glad you like it!
Do you ever put carrots and potatoes in the crock with this recipe?
If I were to double the roast size, how much longer would I cook it for?
Do you know how you would convert this to a pressure cooker recipe?
Hi Lauren,
I’m so glad you loved this! I reworked the recipe for the pressure cooker and shared that recipe here: https://addapinch.com/pressure-cooker-balsamic-roast-beef-recipe/
xo
Can you make this in a roaster in the oven?
Trying this tomorrow when my son and his girlfriend are here. Looking forward to it!
I hope they enjoy it, Beth!
I am making now but didn’t have soy or worstchester,,,, any substitutes or shoud I run to the store???
I need help! Making this right now and i have no idea what it means when she says to put the meat into the insert of the slow cooker? Is that the metal rack insert? I have a way of messing up everything I cook, so I need exact directions, lol!
Thanks!!
Hi Ashley, it’s just the inside, sometimes called a “crock” or some slow cookers have a removable “insert”, or inside that you place the food being cooked. It is not a rack. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks!
Second try! I love this recipe! I mix flavors of balsamic, using half regular & half cherry or even some pineapple balsamic. You can serve this with oven roasted potato wedges seasoned with salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, etc., or made from scratch rice pilaf & fresh green beans, broccoli, etc.
I’m getting hungry just thinking about it, Elyce! My family loves this dish too! Thanks! xo
Made this the other day, turned out great. Chuck roast cooked for 8 hours, fall apart tender. Great taste,will make again!!!!
Made this the other day. Turned out great, fall apart tender and great flavor! Will make again! Cooked on low for 8 hours, didn’t disappoint!
So glad you enjoyed it Rosanne! Thanks!
Totally agree with Rosanne above! This was a spectacular good-tasting and easy recipe. I have added to the top of the list for the next time I am on the meal train for those needing a meal from our church. We had some leftover frozen shredded hash browns which we cooked over some carmelized sweet onions. Thanks Robyn!
I made this recipe today with a round roast. It was like tearing apart a 2×4. Not sure if the 3.8 roast was supposed to be cubed? I have 3 different sized crock pots and used the middle one for the 4 hour slow cook. There was no flavor in the meet. I reduced the sauce and skimmed the fat but it still did not make up for a $22 piece of super dry slow cooked meat that was supposed to be fork tender.
I’m sorry your roast was dry, Chris. I’ve never had that problem so I’m not sure what happened. Mine is always as pictured and shreds easily with a fork, has loads of flavor from the ingredients in the recipe. I’m wondering if you cooked yours on high for the 4 hours or on low for longer as given in the recipe. Thanks.