Simply Mamá Pot Roast and Gravy (Slow Cooker)

Name: Easy POT ROAST Recipe | Pot Roast and Gravy | Simply Mamá Cooks
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 25 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 3 tbsp plain flour; 1.5 tsp seasoned salt; 0.5 tsp sea salt; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 0.5 tsp cracked black pepper; 1.1 kg beef chuck roast; neutral oil; 1.5 tbsp plain flour (for the roux); 0.5 small onion small onion, chopped; 410 ml beef broth; 1 stick celery; 3 potatoes medium to large potatoes, chopped into quarters and halves; carrot

Simply Mamá Cooks browns a flour-dredged chuck roast in oil, then builds a thick roux gravy in the same pan with onion and beef broth. In the original video everything goes into a covered roasting pan at 275°F for around 3 hours. Adapted here for the slow cooker: same sear and same gravy, then a long low cook with quartered potatoes, carrots and celery until the beef pulls apart. Slice or shred and serve in the gravy.

Slow cooker notes: Source is an oven pot roast (covered roasting pan, 275°F for about 3 hours). Adapted to slow cooker: sear and gravy steps unchanged on the hob, then transfer everything to a slow cooker for Low 8 hours or High 5 hours until the chuck is tender. Liquid kept to the one 14.5 oz can of beef broth as in the source; slow cookers retain moisture so no extra was added.

Ingredients

Seasoned flour dredge

3 tbspplain flour
1.5 tspseasoned salt
0.5 tspsea salt
1 tspgarlic powder
1 tsponion powder
0.5 tspcracked black pepper

Roast and gravy

1.1 kgbeef chuck roast
neutral oil
1.5 tbspplain flour (for the roux)
0.5 small onionsmall onion, chopped
410 mlbeef broth

Vegetables

1 stickcelery
3 potatoesmedium to large potatoes, chopped into quarters and halves
carrot

Method

Mix the plain flour, seasoned salt, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder and cracked black pepper on a baking tray to make the seasoned dredge.
~2 min
Dredge the chuck roast through the seasoned flour, turning to coat on all sides.
~2 min
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on all sides until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side, including the outer edges. Lift the roast out and set aside.
~15 min
Pour off most of the oil and fat from the pan, leaving a thin film. Add the chopped onion and sauté briefly, then sprinkle in the extra 1.5 tbsp flour with the leftover dredge so the total roux flour is about a quarter of a cup. Cook over medium heat to form a roux.
~5 min
Slowly pour in the beef broth, whisking, and let it thicken into a gravy.
~5 min
Transfer the seared roast to the slow cooker. Add the celery stick, quartered potatoes and carrot around the meat, then pour the gravy over the top.
~3 min
Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 5 hours, until the beef is tender and a knife slides easily through the thickest part.
Lift the meat out and rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Skim the fat off the gravy if you want a leaner sauce.
~20 min
Slice or pull the beef, return to the gravy with the potatoes and carrots, and serve.
~5 min

Frequently asked

Do I really need to brown the meat first?

Yes. Slow cookers steam rather than brown, so the colour and depth of flavour have to come from the sear before the chuck goes in the pot.

Can I skip the roux and just pour broth over the meat?

You can, but the finished sauce will be thinner. The roux in this recipe is what turns the broth into a proper gravy. If you skip it, thicken with a cornflour slurry at the end.

What if my chuck is bigger than 2.5 lb?

The source says 2 to 3 lb works directly. For a 4 to 5 lb roast the host cooks it 4 to 5 hours in the oven; in the slow cooker stay on Low and add an hour or two until a knife goes through easily.

How do I get the falling-apart texture?

The host says to add an extra cup or two of beef broth and cook longer. In a slow cooker that means keeping it on Low past the 8 hour mark until the meat shreds with a fork.

Can I add more vegetables?

Yes. The host notes you can add more potatoes and carrots, and onion is fine on top of what's already in the gravy. Add root veg at the start so it has time to soften.

Extraction notes (transparency): Carrot quantity not stated on camera (host says 'I've got carrot') so left as null. Half a small onion stated. Oil for searing given as a range (one third to one half cup); recorded as a range note with quantity null to avoid picking a number the host did not.