Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast
Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast is a delicious pot roast recipe that’s a dinner the whole family is going to love. And in this post you’ll also find some great tips for Making Pot Roast in the Slow Cooker.
PIN the Balsamic Pot Roast to make it later!
When my friend Bonnie told me she made this Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast and loved it, I immediately realized I wanted to make it again just so I could take better photos! Bonnie was kind enough to say that she didn’t think the old photos were that bad, but trust me, these updated photos give you a much better idea of what a tasty recipe this is!
This pot roast is the perfect thing to cook on low all day in the slow cooker while you’re doing something else, and dinner will be ready when you want it. You can serve it without the onions for kids who don’t like them, but I bet the Balsamic Pot Roast will be a hit with the whole family.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- boneless chuck roast, fat trimmed
- Szeged Steak Rub (affiliate link) or your favorite steak rub
- black pepper to taste
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- onions
- homemade Beef Stock or canned beef broth (affiliate link)
- Balsamic Vinegar (affiliate link)
- tomato sauce (or tomato paste, see notes in the recipe)
Tips for Making Pot Roast in the Slow Cooker:
I’m not a pot roast expert, but I’ve made pot roast in the Crockpot enough times to have strong opinions about how it should be done. There are three things I think are important to remember.
- First, Brown the meat well before you put it in the Crockpot because browning creates flavor. DON’T skip this step!
- Second, don’t use too much liquid for crockpot cooking, but especially for pot roast.
- Third, be sure there is plenty of flavor in the liquids you’re using. All day crockpot cooking can make foods bland if there isn’t a flavorful cooking liquid.
Want a thicker sauce for this Balsamic Pot Roast?
Some people have wanted the sauce from this recipe to be thicker, and reader Tracy left a comment saying she substitutes a 6 oz. can of tomato paste for the tomato sauce and her family loves it that way.
Want more ideas for Slow Cooker Pot Roast?
All my slow cooker pot roast recipes are featured in this collection of 20 Keto Slow Cooker Recipes with Beef where you’ll find tasty recipes from Kalyn’s Kitchen and around the web.
How to make Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- I used a very thick chuck roast from Costco; here’s how my roast looked after I trimmed it. (I had to cut it to get the pockets of fat and get it to fit in my Crockpot.) I save all the scraps in a container which goes in the freezer, and then use them to make beef stock.
- Rub meat on both sides with steak seasoning and black pepper, then brown the roast very well.
- In a small saucepan on the stove, reduce 1 cup beef stock to 1/2 cup.
- While the meat browns, cut the onions and put them in the Crockpot.
- When the meat is brown put it in slow cooker on top of the onions, then deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup water, scraping off all browned bits, and add to reduced beef stock.
- Add balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce to beef stock and pour over the pot roast. (If you’d like a thicker sauce a reader named Tracy recommends using a 6 oz. can of tomato paste instead of tomato sauce.)
- Cook on low 6-8 hours, until meat is tender.
- I drained all the liquid from the Crockpot and used a fat separator to remove the fat. After the fat is removed, reduce the liquid by about 1/3 by simmering it on the stove to make a sauce. (You could thicken it with a little cornstarch mixed with water, but I didn’t think it needed it.)
- You might think they’d be too done from being in the Crockpot all that time, but the onions were just as delicious as the meat.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
This Balsamic Pot Roast would taste great with Pureed Cauliflower with Garlic, Parmesan, and Goat Cheese, Roasted Turnips, Turnip Gratin with Bacon, Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan, or Twice-Baked Cauliflower for a low-carb meal.
More Tasty Beef from the Slow Cooker or Instant Pot:
- Slow Cooker Corned Beef ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef ~ Taste and Tell
- Green Chile Shredded Beef Cabbage Bowl ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs ~ That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Slow Cooker Hungarian Pot Roast ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast
This Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast is a deliciously and easy dinner that’s made in the Crockpot. And this Balsamic Pot Roast is a recipe the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- 4 pound boneless chuck roast, fat trimmed
- 1 T steak rub (see notes)
- black pepper to taste
- 1 T olive oil (depends on your pan)
- 1/4 cup water to deglaze pan
- 2 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced
- 1 cup beef stock, reduced to 1/2 cup (see notes)
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (see notes)
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce (see notes)
Instructions
- Trim as much fat as you can from roast, and cut if necessary to fit into Crockpot.
- Rub meat well with steak seasoning and black pepper.
- Heat pan with small amount of olive oil and brown roast well on both sides. This will take a few minutes; don’t rush the browning step.
- While roast browns put 1 cup beef stock in saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup.
- While the meat browns, cut the onions and put them in the Crockpot.
- When the meat is brown put it in slow cooker on top of the onions, then deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup water, scraping off all browned bits, and add to reduced beef stock. Add balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce to beef stock and pour over pot roast.
- (Or you could stop at this point and refrigerate browned roast, cut onions and mixed sauce ingredients and then put them in the Crockpot when you go to work in the morning. Don’t refrigerate them in the crockery liner. Having the meat start out cold will add several hours to the cooking time, which will be good if you’re cooking it all day while you’re away.)
- Set Crockpot to low and cook 6-8 hours, until beef is tender. The meat might be partly submerged in liquid after this much time. (If I am home, I might turn the meat once or twice.)
- Remove meat from crockpot and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Drain liquid from Crockpot and remove as much of the fat as you can with fat separator or skimmer. Cook down liquid by about 1/3 by simmering in a small pan on the stove, and serve sauce with meat and onions.
Notes
I used a standard 3 1/2 quart Crockpot (affiliate link) for this recipe.
If you'd prefer a thicker sauce a reader named Tracy recommends using a 6 oz. can of tomato paste instead of the tomato sauce. This will be a bit higher in carbs for those who care about that.
I used Szeged Steak Rub and Fini Balsamic Vinegar but there are many good brands. (affiliate links) You can use one cup from a can of beef broth for this recipe, but be sure to reduce it by simmering until it's reduced to 1/2 cup.
Nutritional information is calculated using the entire amount of balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce that goes into the slow cooker, but you're probably not eating every bit of the sauce, so actual carb counts are slightly lower.
This recipe created by Kalyn, and it's been hugely popular on the site!
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 786Total Fat 49gSaturated Fat 20gTrans Fat 3gUnsaturated Fat 26gCholesterol 253mgSodium 374mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 1gSugar 6gProtein 76g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This recipe for Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot roast has about 9 net carbs per serving if you’re eating it with the onions. Balsamic vinegar and onions both have some carbs, so concentrate on the meat and go easy on the onions and sauce if you’re eating this for a low-carb diet. If you make it with the fat trimmed well and served with the onions, Balsamic Pot Roast is suitable for any phase of the original South Beach Diet,!
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Slow Cooker Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Balsamic Pot Roast recipe was first posted in 2007! It was updated with new photos in 2012, and was last updated with more information in 2023.
182 Comments on “Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast”
From the comments, I see that some are trying to thicken the sauce. I think I have a good solution that works great for me. I have made this recipe many times, it’s my favorite pot roast recipe! The only change I have made is that I substitute a small, 6 ounce can, of tomato paste for the tomato sauce. I whisk it in with the reduced beef stock and vinegar then pour over my meat and cook in my crockpot. This results in a thick sauce, almost like a steak sauce. It’s so good with mashed potatoes! My family loves it!
I like that Idea! I’m going to add it as an option to the recipe.
I think I may have reviewed already, but want to add a new one. We always enjoy it, but the liquid at the end has not been thick. Tonight I poured some liquid in a saucepan, just dumped in some cornstarch, and whisked and cooked til nice and thick. So yummy, my husband said it was spectacular!
Yes, that will work if you want a thicker sauce.
Can I make this recipe with a tip roast?
Thanks!
Sorry I missed this comment. I moved my site to a new web host, and the site was up but I just realized today that no comments were coming to my e-mail for NINE DAYS, yikes.
I wish I could answer that. But I have only cooked Tri Tip on the grill, haven’t ever roasted it.
Love this pot roast recipe. I cut down on the balsamic and at the end add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of xanthan to thicken, this keeps it low carb.
So glad you are enjoying it!
I love this recipe!! Has anyone had luck thickening the sauce at the end? I’ve never had much luck with reducing.
So glad you have enjoyed it. If you don’t mind adding carbs I would use the fat separator to remove fat, put the sauce in a pan on the stove and start to simmer, then mix a few tablespoons of cornstarch into some cold water and stir to dissolve, then stir into the sauce and cook until it thickens. I don’t thicken sauces much so I can’t tell the exact amounts, but you could google “how much cornstarch do I need to thicken a sauce” when you see how much liquid you have.
I love so many of your recipes, and this might be my new favorite. I had planned it for my husband and I to feed us for a few meals during this quarantine, but we were on the phone with our son and his fiancé who live nearby, and they didn’t know what they were doing for dinner. So I packed up 2 servings and they dropped by to pick it up. I also saved a portion for a single friend who doesn’t cook and is lonely and hungry during this time. Can’t wait to drop it off at her house this week. Thank you, Kalyn, for all you to to spread health and happiness through your wonderful recipes. Now I’m going to figure out a a couple of new ones to try this week!
Hi Amy, thanks so much for that nice feedback. It’s definitely a challenging time for everyone. Sounds like you are spreading a lot of health and happiness yourself, how lovely of you!
I cannot put into words how great this was. I used a rump roast because I cant stand the stinginess of a chuck roast. I did add a few carrots and a red potato for the carb eater in our house but other than that followed your recipe. Tasting the sauce whilst cooking it reminded me of something I couldn’t put my finger on…it really was delicious…thank you for sharing even if it was from 8 years ago!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
I used sweet red wine to deglaze my pan instead of water and also added 5 smashed garlic cloves to the onions. I also didn’t have enough time for a crackpot so used my induction cooktops instead at level 3 adjusting as the time went. So we will see how it goes, smells amazing tho.
Hope you enjoy! Fun hearing how you switched it up.
What is the calorie intake for this recipe?
I am currently not able to add nutritional information to the site. More than a year ago I switched my site to WordPress, which created the need to edit by hand to add more than 2,000 recipes to the preferred format for google. I have been working on that (with three assistants) for more than a year, so there is no possibility of me being able to calculate nutritional information until that project is completed. And I know that once I start doing nutrition info on one recipe people will expect to see it on every recipe, which is why I have decided to keep these two projects completely separate.
If you look after the recipe itself, I give two links (where it says “Nutritional Information”) for suggestions of two ways to get that information. That’s all I am able to do at this time.
The crockpot and Instant Pot are my new best friends during renovations! I can’t wait to try your fabulous pot roast!
Yes, I know what you mean about that! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Such a helpful post! That potroast looks SO TENDER!
Thanks Erin; one of my long-time favorites!
Pingback: The BEST Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Roast Beef Dinners - Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker
Wow, wow, wow!! This is a phenomenal recipe! Soooooooo delicious though I don’t know how low carb it is after we ate ALL the onions in one meal! 🙂
I followed the recipe exactly cooking it in my 5 in 1 pot…starting it in the slow cooker for 6 hours and finishing it off by pressure cooking because it would have still needed a couple of hours. It was melt in your mouth tender and had fantastic flavour. Thanks so much…this is going on the permanent rotation!
So glad you enjoyed it! Yes the carbs in those onions can add up.
Pingback: 25 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Dinner Recipes Your Family Will Love
I want to try it now. Thank you!
Hope you enjoy!
I have some venison to use up. Do you think this recipe would work?
I've never cooked venison, so I don't think I can answer that, sorry!
This was delicious!! I used a creole seasoning on the meat, so it was kind of spicy. Small can of tomato purée. Deglazed the pan with some of the balsamic vinegar mix. Added carrots. Couldn't be better. Thank you!!
Thanks Debra; so glad you enjoyed it!
I'm not on south beach but I know a good recipe when I see one. I made this exactly as instructed until the end. The day before serving I separated the meat, onions and remaining liquid and refrigerated over night. Next day skimmed the fat off the top and with an immersion blender mixed half of the onions into the liquid to make a sublime gravy. Served the remaining onions on the side with sautéed mushrooms. May never use another pot roast recipe. Perfection. Thank you so much.
Julie, so glad you enjoyed it! And your idea of using pureed onion to thicken the sauce is quite brilliant.
Looks like a good one.
Rachel, I have made it many times; hope you enjoy!
This was soooo good. Cooking down the juices from the crockpot was the finishing touch.
So glad you enjoyed it!
After years of trying "new" pot roast recipes, none could ever beat my tried-n-true original. But, this turned out perfectly and the flavor was out of this world! I only wish I had made more gravy at the end, it was so incredibly good. Thank you, Kalyn!!! I am so glad I stumbled across your blog.
Sharon, so glad you're enjoying the recipes!
Wow. My husband and I are just finishing our SBDphase 1, and we couldn't have done it without all your fabulous recipes, Kalyn! This pot roast is just utterly fantastic – probably the best thing I've eaten in months, let alone just on South Beach!! I've made a document containing all the recipes I used for phase 1, and about 3/4 of them are Kalyn's Kitchen! I made the pot roast exactly as you wrote (you've never steered me wrong!) but served with some broccoli and toasted spaghetti squash – I felt like I was eating a wonderful roast, not at all "diet food".
So glad to hear you liked it!
Kalyn, thank you so much for the recipe! I was looking for a good low carb crockpot recipe, and came across this. A HUGE hit in my household tonight! Definitely going on the "will make again for sure" list.
Sarah, so glad you liked it, and thanks for the pin!
Oh my STARS, I made this last night, and it's gooooooooooooooooooood. So delicious. I did add the carrots (about half a bag of baby carrots). I didn't have plain tomato sauce, so I substituted some Classico Cabernet Marinara, and I used Grill Mates Steak rub. I wondered if those flavors would go together, and they DID. Thank you so much! This recipe has been shared AND "Pinned."
Helen, so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Kalyn,
Made this for dinner tonight in my crockpot. It was soooo good!! A new favorite. Another wonderful recipe.
Katherine, thanks for that nice comment!
Made this last night as I was looking for something different than the usual onion mix/carrot/potatoes pot roast. WOW! Delish. Mine came out a just a touch dry, but I take 100% of the blame for that. I got stuck at work so instead of the recommended 6-8 hours mine was a little more than 9. But OH MY GOSH those onions! Perfect!! I could just have had a crock pot full of those. Amazing! This will definitely be going on the monthly dinner rotation! Oh, and if anyone reading this has NOT made Kalyn's stuffed peppers, stop what you are doing and go make them immediately. Still one of my all time favorite recipes. Thanks Kayln!
Colleen, I think that should work out fine. Hope you enjoy it!
I was looking for a crock pot roast beef recipe on Pinterest and stopped at your picture! I've read the ingredients and all these great comments and can't wait to try it. I plan to use a 6+ lb roast as I'm feeding 4 strapping men and 2 women. Should I just double all the ingredients and figure less is more when in doubt?
Genna, of course you *can* cook it on high for less time, but the meat will be more tender when it's cooked for a longer time on low. Probably still good though.
Hi, I can't wait to try this recipe! Can I also cook it on high for lesser time?
This was our dinner tonight. Yummy! Thanks!
I just use plain yellow onions, but I think sweet onions would be fine.
This looks absolutely amazing! I've only used my crock pot a couple of times for fondue & pulled pork recipes, and have been looking for other tasty recipes to try. My mom made balsamic onions in the oven one Thanksgiving and they were incredible, so I can't wait to try this!
What kind of onions do you suggest for this recipe? I love Walla Walla, or sweet Vidalia onions, but I'm wondering if they would be too sweet?
Thanks!
So glad people are still enjoying this!
Just finished my plate full. Holy s*it. best tasting roast I've had!! Roast if my bf's favorite so I have been trying to perfect a recipe for 3 years, but I think I can stop now 😉 thanks!
Got this in the crockpot as I type…the onions smell wonderful! I can't wait till it's done! We're having baked potatoes with it so the onions and sauce will be a great topping for them!
I think either way would work, since you want the meat to be complete thawed before you make the recipe. If you're short on time in the morning though, I'd brown before freezing.
This recipe sounds delicious! I got the link for this recipe off of "The Test Kitchen of Melissa Fallis." She has an entry about freezer crockpot meals. In her entry, she buys ingredients for 5 meals, freezes 4, and makes this one. But I was wanting to freeze this one too. Should I brown the roast before I freeze it? Or remove it from the freezer, brown and thaw, and then put it in the crockpot? I am not sure what to do! Thank you in advance for your advice!
Gerry, reduce means to cook the liquid on the stove until it's partly evaporated. It makes the flavors stronger. (Google can often answer questions like this too if you get stuck again on a recipe.)
great looking recipe. i am not a new cook but i never understood some of the lingo like reduce 1 cup to half cup is this a duh question or what?
I have a bit of an addiction to vinegars! I have half a pantry full of various vinegars; different prices, flavors, etc. I have found that the acidityand sweetness varies between bottles. All balsamics are not created equal! Thank you Kalyn for such an amazing site!
Tesla, did you add the full amount of liquid, both stock and water? If so I would probably use less vinegar next time.
Well I made this recipe tonight and I was very excited about it. It smelled so yummy, but when I tasted it it was very tart and strong. I don't usually cook with balsamic vinegar, but I didn't expect it to be so very sour. I decided to add some brown sugar to help mellow it out and that helped, but the sweet, tart and acidic combo just really suit my taste. I did enjoy the overall flavor, so I may try and make this again and tweak it a little more to my taste.
Hi Kalyn, found this recipe on Pinterest. Just wanted to trying something new instead of the same old meat, carrots and potatoes. I definitely think this is the one and I am looking forward to making it in a couple days!
Hey Kalyn! I made this roast a few weeks ago and finally wrote up my own blog post about it. Delicious recipe! Thanks!
http://twentysomething23.blogspot.com/2012/03/kaylns-balsamic-pot-roast-remix.html
I browned both sides well. I think you can tell from all the comments here that the post roast is going to get tender. Cook it for the rest of the time without lifting the lid and I bet it will be great.
So I'm 4 hours into the 8 hour roast and I am very nervous. My hubby and I cut the pieces down, since that is what the picture shows and I "browned" the meat but it looks SUPER tough right now. I'm staring to think up a back-up dinner plan because I don't see how this will tenderize from where it is at right now. What did I do wrong? I didn't cook the meat through, but how would you define "browning well"… I browned top and bottom.
As far as I know, carrots are still not permitted for phase one due to the sugar content. The newest book that has a foods list (South Beach Diet Supercharged) has them on "Foods to Avoid" for Phase One.
Why not carrots? Are they not permitted now in Phase I?
Kalyn,
My kids absolutley loved the roast! They ate it with vigor and smiles.
I made it without the steak seasoning just a smidge of pepper and garlic salt in its place. Then instead of reducing the broth used the broth anf leftover meat as a vegtable soup base. It was a hit.
So thank you for sharing this recipe it made two delicious meals for my family.
Thanks, so glad you liked it!
I always hated pot roast, but I figured I would try this recipe since it seemed simple and didn't include many ingredients. IT IS HANDS DOWN THE BEST POT ROAST I HAVE EVER HAD. It was so easy to make, and I think it's now my favorite meal. Thank you!
Jeanny, so glad to hear you have been enjoying the recipe that much!
I don't know if I've ever posted a comment here, but I think I first made this pot roast 4 or 5 years ago. I haven't used any other pot roast recipe since. I try not to let anyone I love use any other recipe, either!
The meat and sauce are delicious, but ohmygoodnessthoseonions!!!!!!!! The onions are fantastic. If I had room, I'd slice up about 5 onions' worth, just to have the leftovers.
Thanks so much!
We just finished eating this. The meat was SO tender and tasty. I loved the gravy on the meat, but didn't care for it on the mashed potatoes that I made separately. It had too much tang. I put carrots in with the onions and they were delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi…made this recipe Saturday. Wowserz it was yummy. We didn't keep it strictly Phase 1 and added baby carrots, mushrooms and celery into the mix. It was a complete, delicious meal. The leftovers are perfect for roast sandwiches for my hubby this week. Thanks for all your recipes!
Linda, so glad you are enjoying the Ziplist option. Ziplist is great to work with.
K, I love the fact that you use ZipList. It is one of my favorite apps. I don't print out recipes anymore, but turn on my iPad and use the recipes right off the screen. Thank you for doing this…it really makes my day to be able to save your recipes all in one place…Linda Hester
Lily I haven't made it in the oven so I can only guess, so you must promise not to blame me if it doesn't turn out as well as the CrockPot version. I would brown meat and follow other directions as above and then cook in the oven on about 250-300F in a heavy dutch oven type pan with a tight fitting lid. I'm not sure how long it would take but I'd guess 3-4 hours, maybe a bit longer.
Hi Kalyn, I want to make this pot roast but my crock pot doesn't function properly. Is there anyway I can make this in the oven? if yes, what temperature and how long?
Thank you so much, Kalyn.
Cindy, so glad you enjoyed it so much!
i made this Sunday & OH MY WORD, it was the best pot roast i've ever had & made in my life! WOW! we didn't have leftovers, b/c there were seconds. it was so good i stood by the crock pot picking off the last of the meat around some of that fat…LOL! my daughter, who is 4, doesn't eat onions, but she devoured these onions as well as the hubby & i…so so so so so good!!!!!!!
In general, the crockpot needs to be at least half full to cook properly, so you would need a roast that was a lot bigger. I don't think the timing would be much longer.
Hi there! All I have is a 5 quart crock pot. How should I change the timing/tempature on this roast? My roast is just under three pounds!
Sounds yummy, thank you!!!
So glad you liked it!
That was DELICIOUS!
Another fun thing to do w/pot roast is to shred it to make street tacos. I like to add beef stock, cilantro, lime juice, white onion, and salt and pepper and slow cook my roast in that. Once it is done and you take it out and cool shred your beef and you can either have it on some rice or in a small flour or corn tortilla with a little fresh cilantro and chopped white onion. Yum!
OMG this pot roast looks incredible. I'm getting my crock pot out as soon as I finish this message! Thank you!
J, very glad you liked it!
Holy Cow! This recipe was totally yummy! The only reason I wouldn't classify this as a diet recipe is because it is so darn good, you'll overeat on portion size LOL! (and I even burned mine a little and it still rocked!)
Sofia, so glad you liked it.
This is by far the best pot roast recipe I have ever made! I hadn't ever used a crock pot to make pot roast before. After making this for dinner, I'm definitely a convert!
I took another commenter's advice and used a 6oz can of tomato paste in place of the tomato sauce. I think it added a nice sweetness to the finished sauce.
Danielle, would love to hear how that works, thanks!
Thanks for the super quick response, Kalyn! I plan to reduce the balsamic vinegar and add a couple tablespoons of Worcestershire and a heaping tablespoon of brown sugar. I'll come back and let you know how it worked out! Just to be safe I think I will make the potatoes on the side even though I've seen recipes with it in there – don't want to mess it up!
Danielle, I don't really know how this would taste with the addition of brown sugar and Worcestershire. It's already got a lot of flavor from the balsamic vinegar, so I might reduce that a bit if you add other things.
I'm not sure how the sauce would be with potatoes either. They would probably taste okay together, but I wouldn't cook the potatoes in the crockpot.
I'm going to try to make this tomorrow! A couple questions: I've seen pot roast recipes with brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce, and it sounds a little of each in this recipe would be nice if you aren't strictly SB! My husband likes strong flavor. What do you think of those additions? Also, would red potatoes be compatible with this sauce? I know they aren't SB but my husband also happens to love meat and potatoes 🙂 Thanks, Kalyn!
Erica, thanks for letting us know that worked for you.
I tried it tonight with a small can of tomato paste instead of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes. It worked great! The gravy was nice and thick and I didn't have to reduce it. It was sweeter, though, so I had to add more salt. Definitely recommended though!
Slow cookers are widely variable in how hot they cook (it's maddening to try to write recipes.) If there is rapid bubbling, I'd probably turn it down to low for the rest of the cooking time.
Hi Kalyn,
My crockpot has three temp settings: High, Low and Warm. Three hours into this and I am beginning to feel like my slow cook might be too fast cook. Should there be rapid bubblings alongs the edges? Reduced the liguids and it seems to have plenty left.
Thank you,
PM-Hinsdale
Made this yesterday for dinner. It took 15 minutes to get it in the Crock Pot and another 15 to finish it after the cook time. So easy and with such a fabulous result! Thanks for this easy recipe. Making the left-overs into a pot pie!
Julie Trekker
Linda, I don't want my recipes posted in other places like that. (People copy them from groups like that and post them on other recipe sites, which ends up hurting me in search engine results.) You're welcome to post this link to the recipe though:
http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/01/how-to-make-pot-roast-in-crockpot.html
Thanks for asking and I appreciate your understanding.
Kalyn, would you mind if I posted this recipe on a slow cooker yahoogroup I belong to? I'd attribute it to you of course!
Linda, so glad you liked it!
Dinner's over and it was dee-lish-us!! My only complaint is that there aren't enough leftovers–just one small piece of meat left. My son and his friend both loved it as well! I'll definitely be making this often and will use a bigger roast next time. Finally in the crockpot I got the 'so tender it just falls apart' meat that I hear about so often.
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe and that you're finding the blog to be useful!
I made this last weekend and it was wonderful. Had what I think ended up being unseasoned fajita meat from local farmer's market, but it worked. I will definitely make again with a roast cut of meat. Thanks for all of your wonderful SB friendly recipes. Your webite is just my favorite!
Linda, sounds like you were meant to make it!
This is in my crockpot now and the house smells heavenly! I've never been a balsamic vinegar fan, so I balked at buying it and looked for another recipe. Then I saw that my boyfriend had given me a bottle so I said, what the hey! Can't wait to eat it!
Minda, You would probably need a bigger crockpot for a 6 pound roast. If you're adding mushrooms I'd probably keep the liquid about the same as it is here even though there is more meat. I would probably cut the mushrooms quite thick for a long cooking time like this.
I'm afraid I'm not enough of a pressure cooker expert to give recommendations on adapting this to the pressure cooker without trying it first.
This looks grand! I'd like to add mushrooms, too but my roast is 6 lbs. Should I increase the other liquids or will the liquid released from the mushrooms balance it out? Also, any tips for using a pressure cooker with this vs. a crock pot?
Thanks!
Melissa, so glad you liked it. I think mushrooms would be a nice addition. Remember they release a lot of liquid though, so I'd reduce the other liquids.
This was great!!! About an hour into cooking I thought of adding mushrooms to it. Too late but definitely next time. 😉 I dipped bites into a coarse ground mustard. Yummy!
Paul, sounds good; thanks.
I wanted to share this recipe, I don't know if you have it or not. It is a chicken and black bean casserole.
Pre-heat oven to 350
or you can use crock-pot, 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
Several cans of black beans
Small jar of picante sauce
1 package of raw chicken tenders (or u can cut up chunks from breasts)
If serving larger crowd add more beans and chicken.
Mix all together in a casserole dish and cook on 350 for 75 minutes.
Put in bowls and top with shredded low fat mozzarella cheese.
Salt and pepper to taste, hot sauce goes well too.
If not on a diet, goes well with cornbread.
Erica, I cook the sauce down at the end but tomato pasta might work. I'd love to hear how it turns out if you ever try it that way.
This is in the crock pot right now…can't wait! I think that next time I will use a small can of tomato paste instead of the tomato sauce; the braising liquid looked to be rather thin.
Corinna, so glad you are enjoying the recipes. Thanks for the nice feedback.
I made this for dinner tonight, but can't wait to post– my house smells so delicious!
Thank you again, Kalyn, for making SBD such a pleasure!
I have just the roast for this recipe. Have been looking around all morning wondering what to do with it and didn't want the same old again. Thanks so much, will let you know what the judges think.
WOW, that looks amazing! Can't wait to try it!
Rachel, so glad you enjoyed it.
Delicious! We'll definitely make it again!
Dara, I've had people "complain" because I said they needed to brown the meat in a crockpot recipe, but I agree, it makes a HUGE difference.
I have yet to cook a pot roast in my crockpot, but you have inspired me to do so. I completely agree with your three tips. Browning the meat is so important for any crockpot cooking and I'm always surprised how often this step is missed in many crockpot recipes.
Shirley, I do think you get the prize for the most slow cookers! I know what you mean; I have a "Soup Party" every Christmas, so that's how I ended up with so many myself.
I don't know about the previous photos, Kalyn, but these sure make my mouth water! I'm a big fan of balsamic vinegar, onions, and pot roast so I'll be making this recipe when I get back from traveling next week. (Chili is in the slow cooker for dinner today.) Thank you as always. I'll report back, of course. Oh, and BTW, at last counts I had 8 slow cookers. We entertain a lot so I need them. 😉
Hugs,
Shirley
Anonymous, I don't set the policies at Amazon.com, so nothing I can do about that. (I have their Prime shipping, where you pay so much per year and all shipping is free, so I don't even see the shipping cost when I click on the items.) You can use any kind of steak rub for this recipe though. I first discovered this brand in a discount store in Utah, but lately I've only been able to find it online.
The price for the spice is less than $4 at Amazon and shipping is over $8. What kind of sense is that?
Andrea, it's true that collecting crockpots can get to be an obsession! A couple of mine are from the thrift store (when I saw a deal I couldn't pass up!) Get one; you'll love it!
Anonymous, glad to hear this was a hit. Thanks for letting me know you're enjoying the recipes!
TW, both of those are good crockpot recipes but I vote for the pumpkin chili since it's Halloween! (See this is why you need more than one crockpot!)
Great tips! I just pulled out the crockpot again, hoping to make your pumpkin black bean chili, but the idea of a pot roast flavored with balsamic has got my taste buds in overdrive!
Made this last night for my granddaughter and her boyfriend and it was delicious. Thought I had way more than we could ever eat and I'd have leftovers for me this week, but two hungry teenagers polished all of it off except one small piece of meat! Love your site and use it all the time–am on SB and it's my go to site every day to see what else I can add to my recipe file. Thanks.
Oh my gosh you guys are so funny with all of your Crockpots! My Mom had one when I was a kid (more than a few years ago!) but I have not bought one yet. I have been collecting my recipes for Crockpots and I did my research (the All Clad looks pretty good to me) but so far I have not gotten one because I don't know where I would keep it (I have a lot of stuff in my kitchen!) This recipe totally inspires me though- hmm- maybe it's time to really buy one!
Paula, I have TWO of those old crockpots where the base doesn't separate. They seem better for all-day cooking than the newer ones. I actually have eight crockpots (including two tiny ones) but not an All-Clad one. Will have to check that out, lol!
Kalyn, I have 5 crockpots myself so this is right up my alley. My favorite is my newest (All-Clad) and my oldest. The others are prone to burn/overcook food around the edges. Oldest is gold and the pot does not separate from the heating element. Do you have one of those? Still works fabulously but a pain to clean.
Love the onions-on-the-bottom idea.
Frieda, thanks for that tip about salting the meat and letting it sit overnight. That makes a lot of sense; I'll definitely try it.
BevvBevv, definitely use the crockpot if you're super busy. I used to use it all the time when I was teaching school!
Thank you so much for all your lovely recipes! I have you on my RSS feed because of your many fabulous SB items, but this post was particularly timely as literally five minutes ago today I decided that my only method of survival as a first year teacher is to pull out the crock pot!
Your roast looks fabulous! I just recently made a pot roast in my dutch oven (which one of my readers made in a crock pot) and it is really good.
A tip I learned is to salt your meat and let it sit overnight in the fridge. This tenderizes the meat throughout. I then cut back or omit salt throughout the recipe. This recipe made a fantastic shepherd's pie…I'm sure yours would too!
A lot of the flavor from the pot roast is the liquid that comes out of the meat. You don't want to add more liquid, because it just dilutes that flavor. You reduce the broth by putting it in a pan on the stove and cooking it until it's reduced by half or so. That concentrates the flavor, including the broth that's come out of the meat.
I'm confused. How do you "reduce" the broth? Why not just mix twice as much powder with that amount of water?
Anonymous, I haven't tried sirloin roast, but thanks for the tip.
I've done a sirloin roast in the crockpot. Much less fat to trim than a chuck. It is a little more dry, so you definitely need a little liquid, but it's just as delicious.
Thanks, so glad you liked it!
Made this today. MMMMM!!!!
(I published this comment from my phone and accidentally hit reject, so my apologies that I had to copy and paste it!)
I made your pot roast today and there are no adequate words to describe how much my family enjoyed it. I will definitely put this recipe in my keeper file! I just found your blog today and I am certain I will be perusing it daily! Many thanks!
Great idea to use a pressure cooker; thanks for letting me know it turned out well!
Having limited time, I followed your pot roast recipe using the pressure cooker and YUM; so fast, tender, and wonderful! Thanks so much for your excellent website!
Carol, good luck this time around. You can do it, and if you stick with it, I know it will work!
i am thrilled to have found your site!!!..this is my second time jumping on south beach and i think this time i have fully accepted i need to eat this way for the rest of my life…i lost 27lbs the first time and this time i need to lose a total of 48lbs to get to a healthy 150lbs i will reach my goal this time…i have been very ill and put on oxygen 24/7, so if i ever want to get off it…there is hope i can get off it in the daytime…anyway this is day 5 and i have already lost 6lbs hooray!!!!…all your recipes look so delicious and such a nice selection of different things you are a gift to those of us who need to get off the sugar once and for all and need variety…thank you so much…i will check in every day…carol fuller
Virginia Bluebell, goad to hear you enjoyed it!
Kalyn, I found your website a couple of weeks ago and I'm so glad! This recipe was delicious, and you're quite right about this: the key is reducing and concentrating the liquids, both before and after cooking. After doing that, the sauce was perfect. Thank you so much for all your hard work posting these recipes- you've certainly made Phase I much, much more pleasant!
Anonymous, I’m sure there are thousands of good ways to make pot roast. You could definitely use liquid in this recipe too.
I’ve actually never added liquid to my pot roasts. I’ve done a “spanish” themed one, but drained the tomatoes used and reserved the liquid to make the spanish rice we had with it. (That was pre-SBD), but even still, I’ve never added liquid and have always managed to have a very juicy and flavorful roast.
Jennifer, so simple and I bet it’s delicious. I’ll remember this and give it a try.
Hi there – just stumbled across your website and love it 🙂 Great low-carb ideas!
I work full-time, plus am a nursing student so live out of my crock-pot. In a hurry one day I created this totally simple roast recipe and my parents swear it’s the best roast they’ve ever tasted (although they haven’t tried any of your recipes yet…) and we will never cook a roast in the oven again.
I take the roast out of the freezer (no thawing req’d) – take a steak knife and literally stab it in various places about 10 times (great for bad days!). Then I place a half a clove of garlic into each little stab hole, sprinkle Mrs Dash across the top, and go to work or school. I heat it on low anywhere from 7-10 hrs, mostly depending how long I am gone for. No added liquid, as it soaks in it’s own juices for several hours. Comes out super tender, nice flavour, and super simple for when you are really rushed 🙂
So that’s my recipe, although I am sure yours is much better, and am anxious to give it a try when I actually have a few minutes to myself 🙂
Love your blog
Jen
I made this yesterday and it was wonderful! I even cut the fat off the meat like a good girl and it was still fabulous. So tender. The flavor was great, but then isn’t the flavor great in everything that’s been cooked in 10-year-old balsamic vinegar? (Balsamic vinegar is one of my favorite things, and once you start eating the good stuff you can’t go back!) Served it with asparagus with its own balsamic marinade.
I made this pot roast last night and it was delicious…..very flavorful and tender. Best pot roast we’ve had!!
I made this pot roast last night and it was so flavorful and tender…the best pot roast we’ve had!
Anonymous, I’ve always read it’s not safe to do that because the crockery liner makes it so the fridge doesn’t keep the meat cold enough and bacteria can grow.
This looks great – one question – why do you say not to refrigerate the meat in the crockpot liner overnight? I do that a lot… what am I doing wrong?
I’m glad people like the sound of this. I had it for lunch yesterday and it was great even after being frozen for a week.
Julie, I LOVE the idea of cutting slivers in the meat and putting pieces of garlic, thanks! I bet the garlic is so sweet after being slowly cooked all day.
Hi Kalyn,
When I make a pot roast I cook it just the way you did in the recipe, except I cut small pockets into the roast and place whole garlic cloves into the pockets. I usually cut 6-8 pockets depending on the size of the roast. I also add carrots, new potatoes and onions about an hour and a half before serving. My husband loves for the onions to have a little crunch. : )
Happy Day!
Julie D.
I’ve never cooked a pot-roast, but this looks so good I’m inspired to give it a try
I too, find it difficult to believe that it could look so good and be a diet dish
🙂
Kalyn, this looks soooo good! I wouldn’t think it is a diet dish! And your photos look great!
I have roast on the menu this week, but wasn’t sure which recipe I’d use. I know now!
How timely. I just got back from Trader Joe’s where I picked up one of those premade potroasts and then put it down because I wanted to make my own. Now I can make it in my crock pot! Thanks.
This is my type of cooking! I have an old slow cooker and would like to invest in something newer but it still does the job.
I like the idea of the vinegar I believe it breaks down the meat fibers a bit more, don’t quote me, not a scientist.
Love the smell of crockpot onions cooking all day. Thanks
That looks so good Kalyn.
I am doing a quick stew right now with trimmed chuck steak but it isn’t browned first.
I agree a lot of the flavor comes from the browning.
Sometimes lazy days can cost flavor.
I love pot roast, so my mouth is watering. It looks yummy. And I commend you for saving the scraps for beef stock. I need to do that more often. You’re inspiring me, because I hate the way store bought beef stock tastes.
awww…what fun is trimming the fat off the steak?
Tanna and Lydia, you’re going to laugh, but I actually have six Crockpots! Mainly it’s because every year when I have my holiday soup party they’re on sale at that time of year, so I keep buying another one! All the Crockpots I have are Rival brand, and they seem great. I haven’t tried any other brand though, so there may be other good brands. There is a big difference in the newer crockpots and the older ones (which were called “slow cookers.”. The new ones cook a lot hotter. Keeping that in mind, I do have two that I bought at a thrift store, both seemed brand new when I got them.
Tanna, I have one of those 1.5 quart ones too. I use it for dips and veggies mostly. It’s great to cook squash. (Cut up the squash in cubes, spray crockpot with non-stick spray, put in a few cubes of butter, salt and pepper and cook until the squash is soft.)
I know how I'm doing my squash next 🙂 ! Great idea! Ruby.
Ruby, hope you like it!
I’m still looking for the “perfect” crockpot, so I can make recipes like this one. Anyone have brand recommendations? I’d probably want something in the 5-6 quart range. Kalyn, this pot roast looks wonderful!
I love my Wolfgang Puck crockpot. Picked it up on Overstock.com. Can sear my meat, saute, and slow cook in the same pot. Wonderful
Umm…yeah, I do need a bigger crockpot (all I have is a 1.5 qt for my grits). I keep looking at the ones in Sam’s. Used to have one a really long time ago, it died and didn’t get replaced.
Yes, love the way those onions look. Just has to be good.
Hi, this recipe was included in your "freezer cooking – slow cooker meals!" But how can I freeze this for later?
How can this be frozen? This recipe was included in you "freezer cooking -slow cooker meals!"
My label "Can Freeze" means that you can freeze leftover of this to make for later, not that it's a freezer meal (to freezer before you cook it.) I don't have any experience with freezer meals, so I'm not sure it would work to freeze the ingredients and cook later, sorry.