The Best Fluffy Pancakes recipe you will fall in love with. Full of tips and tricks to help you make the best pancakes.
That’s the roast I keep coming back to, and it’s the one I’m handing over today: bottom round, browned hard, then left alone for eight hours until it falls apart under a fork.
This isn’t a fussy pot roast. No searing in three stages, no reducing wine, no fifteen ingredients you’ll use once and forget about. It’s a floured roast, a hot skillet, a crockpot, and enough time for a Tuesday to turn into a Sunday dinner without you doing much of anything in between.
Why This Works
Flouring the roast before it hits the skillet isn’t decorative. That thin coat is what lets the surface actually brown instead of just steaming and going gray — and that browned crust is where most of the flavor in the final gravy comes from. Skip it, and the meat still cooks fine, but the sauce ends up thinner and flatter, missing that deep color you want pooled around the potatoes.
Placing the roast fatty-side up matters too. As the fat renders over those long hours, it bastes the meat from above instead of just sitting in the broth doing nothing.
Boiling the water before mixing it with the bouillon paste isn’t fussy either — it’s what actually dissolves the paste instead of leaving little concentrated pockets of salt at the bottom of the crock.
Ingredients
- 3 pound boneless bottom round roast
- 2 teaspoons Montreal Steak Seasoning (or 1 ½ teaspoons salt + ½ teaspoon pepper)
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ⅓ cup boiling water
- 1 ½ teaspoons Better Than Beef Bouillon paste
- 10.5 ounces cream of mushroom soup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 24 ounces baby yellow potatoes, halved if large
- 1 envelope Lipton Beef Onion Soup Mix
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
- Spray the inside of an 8-quart slow cooker with cooking spray and set it to low.
- Layer the potatoes, carrots, sliced onion, and minced garlic in the bottom of the pot.
- Season the roast all over with Montreal Steak Seasoning, then coat it in the flour.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Brown the roast on all sides, about 3 minutes per side — don’t rush this part, it’s doing real work.
- Set the roast into the crockpot, fatty side up.
- Whisk the boiling water with the bouillon paste in a medium bowl until it dissolves.
- Whisk in the cream of mushroom soup and Worcestershire sauce.
- Pour the mixture over the roast and vegetables.
- Sprinkle the Lipton Soup Mix evenly over the top.
- Tuck the rosemary and thyme sprigs in around the roast.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the roast pulls apart easily with a fork.
- Serve with the gravy spooned over or on the side.
Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 8 hours Total time: 8 hours 20 minutes Servings: 6
Tips
- Don’t skip browning the roast, even though it adds a dirty skillet to the mix.
- Cut the potatoes so the pieces are roughly the same size as the carrot chunks — otherwise the potatoes turn to mush hours before the carrots are done.
- If your crockpot runs hot, check at the 6-hour mark. Some do finish the meat before the full 8.
Variations
Swap the cream of mushroom for cream of celery if that’s what’s in the pantry — it works, though the flavor leans a little more vegetal and less rounded. I wouldn’t bother subbing in a red wine reduction for the broth mixture here; it fights with the Lipton soup mix’s saltiness rather than complementing it, and the extra step isn’t worth what you get back.
Make-Ahead
The roast itself doesn’t hold up well made a day ahead and reheated — the meat dries out and toughens once it’s been pulled apart and cooled. What you can do ahead: chop the onion, mince the garlic, and cut the potatoes and carrots the night before, then store them in the fridge until you’re ready to load the crock in the morning.
FAQ
Can I use a different cut of beef for pot roast?
Yes — chuck roast works too, and honestly browns a little better than bottom round because of the extra marbling. Bottom round is leaner, so it’s a good pick if you want less grease skimmed off at the end.
Why is my pot roast tough after 8 hours?
It usually means the cut was too lean for that long a cook, or the crockpot ran cooler than expected. Bottom round needs the full low-and-slow stretch to break down; cutting the time short is the most common cause of toughness here.
Do I need to sear the roast before slow cooking?
You don’t have to, but I always do. It’s the difference between a gravy with real depth and one that tastes like the soup mix packet by itself.
Can I cook this on high instead of low?
You can, in 4-6 hours, but low is the better call if you have the time. The slower cook gives the connective tissue more time to break down, and that’s what gets you meat that shreds instead of slices.
Closing Thoughts
Once the roast is out, don’t toss the liquid left in the crock — strain it and you’ve got a gravy base that’s better than anything from a jar.
Crockpot Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
This Crockpot Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots features tender slow-cooked beef, buttery baby potatoes, carrots, onions, herbs, and a rich savory gravy. Browning the roast first adds extra flavor, while the slow cooker makes the meat tender enough to fall apart with a fork.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Prepare the Slow Cooker
- Lightly coat the inside of an 8-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray and set it to LOW.
- Place the baby potatoes, carrots, sliced onion, and minced garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Season and Sear the Roast
- Season the entire roast with Montreal Steak Seasoning.
- Sprinkle the flour over the roast and coat all sides evenly.
- Heat 1–2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the roast and sear for approximately 3 minutes per side, or until deeply browned on all sides.
- Transfer the browned roast to the slow cooker and position it over the vegetables with the fattier side facing up.
Prepare the Gravy Mixture
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the boiling water and beef bouillon paste. Whisk until the bouillon is dissolved.
- Whisk in the cream of mushroom soup and Worcestershire sauce until smooth and well combined.
- Pour the gravy mixture evenly over the roast and vegetables.
- Sprinkle the dry beef onion soup mix over the roast.
- Add the rosemary and thyme sprigs around the roast.
Slow Cook
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6–8 hours, or until the roast is very tender and easily pulls apart with a fork.
- For a faster option, cook on HIGH for 4–6 hours. Cooking on LOW is recommended for the most tender result.
Serve
- Remove and discard the woody herb stems before serving.
- Transfer the pot roast to a serving platter with the potatoes, carrots, and onions.
- Spoon the cooking juices and gravy over the meat or serve the gravy on the side.
Notes
- Yield: The original recipe does not provide a serving yield, so the servings field has been left blank.
- Slow cooker setting: Cook on LOW for 6–8 hours for the most tender roast. HIGH for 4–6 hours may be used when needed.
- Searing: Browning the roast before slow cooking develops a deeper savory flavor and improves the finished appearance.
- Flour coating: The light flour coating helps the roast brown and also contributes slightly to the thickness of the cooking juices.
- Seasoning substitute: Replace the 2 teaspoons Montreal Steak Seasoning with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
- Bouillon substitute: Instead of the boiling water and beef bouillon paste, use 1 1/3 cups prepared beef broth.
- Potatoes: Leave small baby potatoes whole and cut larger ones in half so they cook evenly.
- Doneness: The roast is ready when it is fork-tender and easily breaks apart. Tough meat generally needs additional slow-cooking time.
- Storage: Refrigerate cooled leftovers with some of the gravy in an airtight container for up to 3–4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat gently with some of the gravy to help keep the beef moist.
- Freezing: Freeze the cooled beef and gravy in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Potatoes may become softer after thawing.
