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Home / Beer Roast Beef Slow Cooker With Gravy

Beer Roast Beef Slow Cooker With Gravy

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Let the crock pot work its magic with this Slow Cooker Beer Pot Roast. After simmering away all day, you'll be left with flavorful, fork tender beef and vegetables.

Marry Me Pot Roast with Beer

Large rectangular platter stacked with carrots, potatoes, and beer pot roast.

Many moons ago, Mr. NeighborFood wooed me with this roast. It was a good strategy. It's difficult to resist a man who makes a good roast, particularly when you're a poor college student used to eating microwaved noodles and Cheez-its for dinner.

One Sunday evening, Mr. NeighborFood came over to the house I shared with seven other girls and made this roast. All day, the smells of slow cooked beer and pot roast floated through the air. At dinner time, he set the table (with real plates!), and ladled out big portions of juicy beef, tender carrots, and buttery potatoes for all of us.

I was smitten. With the roast, with him. Am I saying I married him because of the roast? No. Was it a factor? Of course it was!

Beef gravy being poured over pieces of slow cooked pot roast.

Now, nearly 15 years later, we're still making THE ROAST. It's a recipe he borrowed from his mom, who's been making it for twice that long. Here's why I think you're going to love it as much as our families do:

  • It's made with simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry already.
  • It only requires 15 minutes of prep, but you get to enjoy the delicious smells all day.
  • It's a whole meal in one pot! You've got your meat, potatoes, and veggies all right here!

Key Ingredients in Slow Cooker Beer Roast

Crock Pot filled with browned pot roast, potatoes, onions, carrots, and garlic.
  • Chuck Roast– Anywhere from 3-5 lbs. is perfect.
  • Onion soup mix– Listen, I've tried my own seasoning blends, but the onion soup mix really does add amazing flavor to this.
  • Garlic
  • Carrots– I prefer them cut into thick sticks, so they don't get too mushy in the crock pot.
  • Potatoes– I love using baby potatoes, because they don't require any prep. Just toss them in! That said, you can use larger potatoes cut into quarters.
  • Yellow onion
  • Beer, lager or ale- More on this below!
  • Beef broth– I'm a huge fan of Better than Bouillon.
Can of beer being poured over a pot roast in a crock pot.

How to Make Beer Roast in the Crock Pot

  1. Prepare the crock pot. Spread half of the onion soup mix in the bottom of a slow cooker. Top with the vegetables. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper.
  2. Brown the roast. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Season the beef on both sides with salt and pepper, then add it to the skillet. Brown on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.
  3. Deglaze. Add a splash of the beer to the pan and use it to scrape any browned bits off the bottom. Turn off heat.
  4. Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the beef to the pan, nestling it in amongst the vegetables. Sprinkle with the remaining onion soup mix and sliced garlic.
  5. Add liquids. Pour the beer and beef broth over all. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
Slow cooked pot roast, potatoes, and carrots, shown in a crock pot.

Quick Gravy for Pot Roast

If you prefer your pot roast with gravy, this is a super easy cornstarch gravy you can make in just a few minutes.

  1. Combine three tablespoons of juice and fats from the crock pot with 1 cup of beef broth in a sauce pan over medium heat.
  2. Whisk together two tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup water. Whisk the mixture into the broth, then bring it to a boil. Heat until thickened, then season to taste and serve. If the mixture gets too thick, whisk in up to another 1/2 cup of beef broth.
Slow cooker pot roast smothered in gravy.

Tips for Success and FAQS

Do you have to brown a roast before putting it in the crock pot?

You won't be struck by lightning if you don't brown your pot roast, but we recommend browning the roast first if at all possible. Taking 10 minutes to brown the beef really helps build the flavor and gives the beef a lovely, caramelized crust.

What's the best cut of beef for pot roast?

While you can get away with using a round or bottom roast for this recipe, my favorite cut is chuck roast. It's the classic choice for pot roast for a reason!

You might see chuck roast called Chuck Eye Roast, Chuck Pot Roast, or Chuck Roll Roast at the grocery store. Look for a roast with good marbling (the white, fatty part) throughout the beef. The fat keeps the beef tender and flavorful. After slow cooking, you'll be left with succulent, fall apart tender beef!

Carving fork shown stabbing a piece of roast.

What beer should I use for pot roast?

Choose a beer that you like the flavor of, since it will feature prominently in the recipe. We have successfully used the following:

  • Lager, such as Pilsner or Yuengling
  • Ales, including pale ales or IPAs
  • Stout, such as Guinness. Stout will have the strongest flavor, so only use it if you really love this style of beer. If you do love it, try it in this Guinness Beef Stew.

We have also successfully made this with gluten free beer if you need that option! Note, you'll also need to substitute the onion soup mix for a homemade gluten free onion soup mix.

What if I don't like beer? What liquids can I use for a pot roast?

Since this is a crock pot roast with beer, we obviously recommend beer, but you can use all kinds of different liquids to make a roast.

One of our favorite substitutions for beer is ginger ale! I recommend a dryer ginger ale, but some of my family members prefer a sweeter ginger ale, like Vernors.

Beef broth also makes a fine substitute, as well as red wine. If wine is more your speed, I recommend trying this Red Wine Pot Roast with Mushrooms.

Is it better to cook a roast on high or low in the crock pot?

We've included instructions for cooking on both high and low in this post, but if possible, we recommend low and slow. In our opinion, more time on a lower setting produces the most tender roast!

That said, we often forget or run short on time and don't hesitate to use the high setting. You can also start your roast on high to jump start the process then switch to low if you need to shorten the cooking time by an hour or two.

Tender pieces of pot roast piled on carrots and potatoes on a rectangular platter.

What to Do with Leftover Pot Roast

The best part of homemade roast might be the LEFTOVERS! Try them piled high on these Leftover Pot Roast Sandwiches, or use them to make the best Pulled Roast Beef Sliders!

You can also use leftover pot roast to make Skillet Shredded Beef Nachos, burritos, or quesadillas.

More Delicious Chuck Roast Recipes

This Slow Cooker Shredded Beef is the most popular recipe on our site, and for good reason! It's easy and so versatile.

If you're looking for something with a little more heat, try our Crock Pot Barbacoa Tacos. The leftovers of that also make an excellent Mexican Beef Stew.

This Crock Pot Beef and Noodles is the ultimate in comfort food. Serve it over creamy mashed potatoes for all the cozy vibes.

Ingredients

  • 4 large carrots, chopped into thick sticks
  • 3 lbs. baby or red potatoes
  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced thick
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 3-5 lb chuck roast
  • Kosher salt and pepper
  • 1 package onion soup mix
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 12 oz beer, lager, or ale
  • 1 cup beef broth

For the gravy (optional):

  • 3 Tablespoons juices and fat from the crock pot
  • 1- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  1. Prepare the crock pot. Spread half of the onion soup mix in the bottom of a slow cooker. Top with the vegetables. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper.
  2. Brown the roast. Heat a cast iron skillet , or other heavy bottomed skillet, over medium high heat. Season the beef on both sides with salt and pepper, then add it to the skillet. Brown on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Leave the heat on while you transfer the beef to the slow cooker, nestling it among the veggies.
  3. Deglaze. Add a splash of the beer to the pan and use it to scrape any browned bits off the bottom. Add all the pan juices to the crock pot.
  4. Season. Sprinkle the remaining onion soup mix and garlic over the roast and veggies.
  5. Add liquids. Pour the beer and beef broth over all. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

To make the gravy:

  1. Heat excess juices over medium heat in sauce pan along with 1 cup beef broth.
  2. In a small measuring cup mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/4 cup water until smooth.
  3. Whisk mixture into warmed juices and bring to a boil. Continue to whisk until thickened.
  4. Add additional 1/2 cup beef broth to thin, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

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Source: https://neighborfoodblog.com/tender-beer-soaked-crock-pot-roast/