Whilst I adore putting the slow cooker on the in the morning and having a meal pretty much waiting for me in the evening, one of the things I’m not keen on is when everything tastes the same. It’s all been cooking together for hours, and those flavours have been mingling, which means every mouthful can taste like the last. B-O-R-I-N-G! I don’t want greeny-brown green beans and potatoes that have no texture or bite to them. I want fall-apart meat, thick gravy, and veggies with flavour! This one-pot slow cooker roast beef with veggies has a lovely, juicy beef brisket, with vibrant, al-dente green beans, flavour-packed buttered carrots, rustic creamy mashed potatoes and a thick meaty gravy. If you are after a traditional Roast Beef or even a Roast Pork then i have got you covered too.
So how do make do it?
We start by seasoning the beef, then searing it in a pan, or your slow cooker if it has a searing function like my crockpot has (<– affiliate link). Then along with the beef we add garlic, thyme, red wine and stock. Bring to the boil (and transfer to your slow cooker at this point if you’ve been using a pan up until now). Add carrots, shallots and chopped skin-on potatoes, and cook on 😋. Add in the green beans for the last 20 minutes of cooking - this will ensure they’re hot through, but retain colour and bite. Once it’s all cooked, remove the brisket and veg from the pan and place in a serving dish. Pick out the potatoes (leave the skin on) and mash up in a bowl using a fork. Add a good knob of butter and a glug of double (heavy) cream and mash again.
You can thicken up the juices left in the slow cooker by bringing to a boil (either in the slow cooker using the sear function) or in a pan, and stirring in a little cornflour (cornstarch) slurry. Serve the gravy with your dish of brisket, veg and mashed potatoes.
That ‘maillard reaction we were talking about above? You can see the result in this close-up. A lovely dark, flavourful crust on the beef 😋
What joint of beef is best for slow cooker?
Brisket - from the breast or lower chest of beef. This is one of the most flavorful cuts of meat, but it can be tough if not cooked in the right way. It’s got a moderate amount of fat, but that helps keep the meat juicy. It’s basically made of the chest muscle and is a coarse-grained meat that needs long, slow low-temperature to tenderize. That course-grained type of meat means it’s often used for US-style corned beef, and it can crumble when cut (not in a dry way – rather in a juicy, fall-apart way when cooked slowly). So thick slices are the way to go if you don’t want it to fall apart when slicing. Chuck Roast (braising steak joint) - comes from the forequarter- Consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade, and upper arm. It’s a tough but very flavorful cut of meat. It has a lot of connective tissue, which needs long slow cooking to break down and become tender. Unlike the crumbliness of brisket, chuck roast can be shredded (pulled) into strips. Silverside (bottom round) - comes from the hindquarter - just above the back leg It’s a leaner, inexpensive cut of meat with little marbling. The lack of fat means it doesn’t have as much flavour as the brisket or chuck roast, so make sure you use good quality stock to cook it in. It’s good for slow cooking, but must be cooked with moisture/liquid so doesn’t dry out and become tough. Silverside can be sliced without falling apart too much.
The Slow Cooker Roast Beef Video:
The Slow Cooker Roast Beef Recipe:
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