Stay At Home Chef Classic Sunday Pot Roast (Slow Cooker)

Name: How to Make Classic Sunday Pot Roast
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 15 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: beef brisket, seasoned with salt and pepper; salt; black pepper; 30 ml vegetable oil; 6 cloves garlic cloves, minced; 480 ml beef broth; 240 ml red cooking wine; 60 ml Worcestershire sauce; 2 whole sweet onions, chopped into large pieces; 900 g red potatoes, bite-sized; 450 g baby carrots; 1 sprig fresh rosemary

The Stay At Home Chef demonstrates pot roast three ways in this video, and the slow cooker method is built for brisket. The recipe relies on a long, low braise to soften a tough cut. A quick sear on the hob is recommended but optional if you are pressed for time. Everything else goes straight into the slow cooker: garlic, beef broth, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, sweet onions, baby carrots, red potatoes and rosemary. Eight hours on low and it is ready to fall apart on the fork.

Slow cooker notes: Source video explicitly demonstrates the slow cooker method for this recipe (one of three methods shown). No adaptation required for slow cooker preparation. Note the host also shows oven and Instant Pot variants which are not the focus here.

Ingredients

Main

beef brisket, seasoned with salt and pepper
salt
black pepper
30 mlvegetable oil
6 clovesgarlic cloves, minced
480 mlbeef broth
240 mlred cooking wine
60 mlWorcestershire sauce

Vegetables

2 wholesweet onions, chopped into large pieces
900 gred potatoes, bite-sized
450 gbaby carrots
1 sprigfresh rosemary

Method

Season the brisket all over with salt and pepper.
~2 min
If you have time, heat the vegetable oil in a pan over medium-high heat and sear the brisket on all sides for about 3 minutes per side to build a crust. Skip this step if you are short on time.
~12 min
Place the seared (or unseared) brisket into the bottom of the slow cooker.
~1 min
Add the 6 cloves of minced garlic on top of the roast.
~1 min
Pour over the beef broth, red cooking wine and Worcestershire sauce.
~1 min
Add the chopped sweet onions, red potatoes and baby carrots around the roast.
~3 min
Lay the rosemary sprig on top and put the lid on.
~1 min
Cook on low for about 8 hours, until the brisket is fall-apart tender.
~480 min

Frequently asked

Do I have to sear the brisket first?

No. The host explicitly says you can place the roast straight into the slow cooker if you are in a hurry. Searing builds a crust and adds colour, but the long, low cook will still produce a tender result without it.

Can I use a different cut of beef?

Yes. The video mentions chuck roast and bottom round roast as popular alternatives. The host notes that any cut with 'round' in the label works well, and that all the cuts used for pot roast are tough and benefit from low, slow cooking.

Can I swap red wine for more beef broth?

The transcript does not address substitution, but a common slow cooker workaround is to replace the wine with an equal volume of beef broth plus a splash of red wine vinegar or balsamic for acidity. Flavour will be milder.

Why use red potatoes instead of other potatoes?

Red potatoes hold their shape well during long, wet cooking, which is why they are a traditional pot roast vegetable. Waxy varieties such as Charlotte or Maris Peer are good UK equivalents.

Extraction notes (transparency): Brisket weight not stated in transcript; defaultServings of 6 inferred from typical brisket pot roast scale and the stated vegetable quantities (2 lb potatoes, 1 lb carrots). High-pressure timing for the Instant Pot variant ignored as out of scope. Vegetable oil quantity (2 tbsp) is stated for the oven method and reused for the optional sear in the slow cooker method.