Beef · Slow cooker

AB's Holiday Pot Roast (Slow Cooker)

AB calls this one for the over-the-road truckers, and you can see why: a 4lb chuck browned hard in cast iron, then six hours in the crock pot with rosemary, thyme and a sneaky teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon. The au jus thickens into proper gravy at the end.

R By Richard · Adapted from Smokin' & Grillin with AB · Published 23 June 2026
👁 532.7k source views ❤️ 16.8k source likes
⏱Prep 20 min
🍽Serves 6
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AB from Smokin' & Grillin walks through his crock pot pot roast: a 3 to 4lb chuck seasoned, lightly floured and browned hard in cast iron before going into the slow cooker. The braising liquid is built in the same pan with soy sauce and Better Than Bouillon beef, then poured under the roast. Carrots and potatoes go in around the meat with sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Six hours on High, then the cooking liquid is whisked with an equal-parts cornflour slurry to make a proper gravy. AB notes you can add frozen peas in the last 30 minutes if you fancy.

Ingredients

Main
  • 1.8 kgbeef chuck pot roast
  • seasoning rub, whisked together and patted over the roast
  • plain flour, patted lightly over the roast to help browning
  • infused olive oil, for searing
Vegetables
  • potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
Braising liquid
  • 1 tspreduced-salt soy sauce
  • 1 tspBetter Than Bouillon beef base
Aromatics
  • 2 sprigsfresh rosemary
  • 2 sprigsfresh thyme
Gravy
  • 3 tbspcornflour, mixed with the cold water into a slurry (add late)
  • 3 tbspcold water (add late)
Optional
  • frozen peas (add late)

Method

  1. Whisk the seasoning rub together in a bowl, then sit the pot roast in it and rub it all over so it gets into every crevice.

    ~3 min

  2. Set a cast iron pan over medium heat with a little infused olive oil. Pat a light dusting of plain flour onto the roast to help it brown.

    ~3 min

  3. Sear the roast in the hot pan for about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Concentrate on the two flat faces; the sides do not need a full crust. You are building colour and flavour, not cooking it through.

    ~12 min

  4. Lift the roast out and let it rest off to the side. Skim out any large bits left in the pan if you like, but leave the fond.

    ~2 min

  5. Keep the pan on a medium flame. Stir in the reduced-salt soy sauce and the Better Than Bouillon beef base to start the gravy.

    ~2 min

  6. Turn the heat off and pour the pan liquid into the slow cooker. Sit the seared roast on top so the liquid comes up around it.

    ~1 min

  7. Arrange the large chunks of potato and carrot around the roast.

    ~5 min

  8. Tuck the sprigs of rosemary and thyme in on top of the meat so they sit in the steam and release their oils down into the pot.

    ~1 min

  9. Put the lid on and cook on High for 6 hours. Do not lift the lid during cooking; every peek adds about 30 minutes to the time.

    ~360 min

  10. Carefully lift out the vegetables with tongs and set them on a serving platter so they hold their shape. Lift out the roast and rest it.

    ~5 min

  11. Whisk equal parts cornflour and cold water into a smooth slurry (3 tablespoons each). Stir it into the cooking liquid and warm through, whisking, until it thickens into gravy. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

    ~5 min

  12. Optional: stir frozen peas into the slow cooker for the final 30 minutes if you want a third vegetable in the pot.

    ~30 min

Frequently asked

Do I have to sear the beef first?
AB sears the roast hard in cast iron before it goes into the crock pot. Slow cookers steam rather than brown, so the colour and depth of flavour come from that initial crust. Skipping it gives a paler, blander roast.
Can I cook this on Low instead of High?
AB cooks the 4lb roast on High for 6 hours. The video does not give a Low timing, so swap with care: a chuck this size typically wants 8 to 10 hours on Low to reach pull-apart tenderness.
Why cut the potatoes and carrots so big?
AB cuts them deliberately large because they sit in the pot for 6 hours. Small dice would turn to mush; big chunks hold their integrity and lift out whole at the end.
What is Better Than Bouillon and what can I use instead?
It is a concentrated beef paste sold in jars. In the UK, a heaped teaspoon of beef stock paste (Knorr or similar) or half a stock cube crumbled in does the same job.
How do I thicken the gravy at the end?
Whisk equal parts cornflour and cold water into a slurry (AB uses 3 tablespoons of each), then stir it into the cooking liquid over heat until it thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
Extraction notes (transparency): Grounded: 4lb (about 1.8 kg) chuck pot roast, 1 tsp reduced-salt soy sauce, 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon beef, cornflour and cold water slurry (host says '3 and 3' equal parts, interpreted as 3 tbsp each), 6 hours on High. Not stated: potato and carrot quantities, olive oil amount, flour amount, and the contents/quantity of the initial seasoning rub he whisks into a bowl (host says 'I just like to get this on here' without naming or measuring). Rosemary and thyme stated as 'a couple of sprigs'. Optional frozen peas mentioned but no quantity given.