Savory Crockpot Pot Roast (One Pot)
This is my set-it-and-forget-it Sunday dinner — a chuck roast that goes in tough and comes out falling apart, with carrots and potatoes soaking up all that beefy gravy. I give the roast a quick sear first to build a little color and flavor, then everything piles into the crockpot and cooks low and slow while I get on with my day. The house smells incredible by the time it's done, and the only real decision is high heat or low heat depending on how much time you've got.
I open this video by telling everybody to dust off their crock pots, and I meant it — this is the recipe that earns the thing its counter space. The move worth stealing is what happens with the seasoning blend: brown sugar, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika get mixed together, most of it goes on the chuck before it hits the skillet, and the rest gets set aside on purpose — sprinkled over the carrots and potatoes later, so the vegetables get seasoned too, not just the meat.
I went with bacon grease for the sear instead of vegetable oil because it adds a little bacon flavor, and yes — that's Worcestershire going in, which I only ever call "W sauce" on camera, because we both know I'm not saying that word right. This one's for a day when you're home but busy: high or low heat depending on your day, then the crockpot does the rest.
Watch me make it — video from my YouTube channel
The recipe
Savory Crockpot Pot Roast (One Pot)
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pounds chuck roast, patted dry both sides
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (for the seasoning blend)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (for the seasoning blend)
- 2 teaspoons salt (for the seasoning blend)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (for the seasoning blend)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder (for the seasoning blend)
- 1 teaspoon paprika (for the seasoning blend)
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, or bacon grease (for searing)
- 2 pounds whole carrots, cut into halves or thirds
- baby potatoes, red and/or yellow (enough to sit on top of the roast with the carrots — I never weigh these)
- 1 pound onions, optional
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- dried thyme, to taste
- 3 cups beef broth (or chicken broth)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch (optional, to thicken at the end)
- 1/4 cup cold water (optional, to mix with the cornstarch)
How to Make It
- Pat both sides of the chuck roast dry to get the moisture off before searing.
- Mix the brown sugar, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika into a seasoning blend.
- Lightly season both sides of the chuck roast with most of the blend, spreading it evenly, and reserve the rest for the vegetables.
- Heat the vegetable oil or bacon grease in a skillet over medium-high heat. (If you're using bacon, cook it down first until the grease renders out.)
- Sear the chuck roast 2 to 4 minutes per side, until both sides are browned but not burned. It won't be cooked through.
- Transfer the browned chuck roast to the crockpot.
- Add the carrots, baby potatoes, and onions on top of the roast, keeping the vegetables sitting on top rather than underneath.
- Sprinkle the reserved seasoning blend over the vegetables and mix it in well.
- Add 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce over the vegetables.
- Add the dried thyme, to taste.
- Pour in the 3 cups beef broth (or chicken broth), distributing it evenly around the pot to knock the seasoning off the meat.
- Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours, or on low for 8 to 10 hours. It should come out falling apart — that's how you know it's ready.
- To thicken the sauce at the end (optional), mix 3 tablespoons cornstarch into 1/4 cup cold water and stir it in.
Curtis's Tips
- Pat the chuck roast dry really well — you don't want a lot of moisture on it before searing.
- The bacon grease is optional; you can use 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil instead. The bacon grease adds a little extra bacon flavor.
- Keep the heat on medium-high while searing — you want it to char, not burn.
- Searing only browns both sides; the roast isn't cooked all the way through at that point.
- Cut whole carrots into halves or thirds. Red or yellow baby potatoes both work — I like to use both.
- Onions are completely optional, so it's really up to you.
- Keep the vegetables sitting on top of the chuck, not buried under it.
- Try to distribute the broth evenly around the pot rather than dumping it all in one spot.
- Choose high (5 to 6 hours) or low (8 to 10 hours) depending on your day. It's done when the roast is falling apart.
- To thicken the sauce, stir 3 tablespoons cornstarch into 1/4 cup cold water at the end. You'll most likely need it on the 5 to 6 hour high setting; on the longer 8 to 10 hour low route you might be fine without it, but keep the cornstarch water on hand just in case.
Why this works
A chuck roast goes into this pot tough on purpose — the 5-to-6 or 8-to-10 hour cook is what breaks it down, and falling apart is the doneness test I give you on camera. The sear up front is a separate job: I pat the chuck dry because you don't want a lot of moisture on it, then brown both sides over medium-high heat — char, not burn. It comes off the skillet nowhere near cooked through — the crockpot handles the actual cooking. When the broth goes in, I pour it around the pot instead of dumping it in one spot, knocking the seasoning off the meat — maybe that's just me being weird, but I'd do it every time.
- Bacon grease — my pick over vegetable oil, because it adds a little bacon flavor; just cook the bacon down until the grease comes out before the chuck goes in.
FAQ
Should I cook this on high or low?
Whichever fits your day — that's genuinely how I decide. High runs about 5 to 6 hours; low runs about 8 to 10. The finish line is the same either way: the roast should be falling apart when you check it. The main difference shows up in the sauce — the faster high route usually leaves it thinner, so see the next question.
My sauce came out thin — how do I fix it?
The pro tip from the end of the video: stir 3 tablespoons of cornstarch into a quarter cup of cold water and add it in at the end. If you cooked on high for 5 to 6 hours, you're most likely going to need it; on the slow 8-to-10-hour route you might be okay without it. Either way, have the cornstarch water ready just in case.
Can I use chicken broth instead of beef broth?
Yes. I used beef broth in this video, but chicken broth works — it's completely up to you. It's 3 cups either way.
How many potatoes do I need, and do I have to use the onions?
Red or yellow baby potatoes both work — I used both in this video. I never weigh these; I just add enough to fill out that top layer next to the carrots, keeping the vegetables sitting on top of the chuck instead of buried under it. The onions are completely optional — I went with a pound, but it's really up to you.
Estimated nutrition, per serving (recipe makes about 5 servings): ~1088 calories · 64 g protein · 65 g fat · 61 g carbs. Computed from the ingredient list using standard reference values — an estimate, not a lab analysis; your exact brands and portions will vary.
