Beef Chuck Roast Slow Cooker

Fresh or frozen beef chuck roast slow cooker style turns out great! How to cook it so it’s fork tender in your Crockpot with tons of flavor in every bite is here. You can cook this as a frozen roast in slow cooker, or a fresh piece in the same amount of time.

Chuck Roast in the Slow Cooker

This is one cut of meat we have a lot of. You see we buy half a cow at the beginning of each year from a local farmer. That means that easy beef recipes are our thang. Buying in bulk is where it’s at when it comes to saving money. It also decreasing trips to the grocery store (yay).

First we shared how to cook frozen roast Instant Pot style, that turned out great. Not everyone has that “magic pot” though. SO I thought I’d come up with the best chuck roast recipe in our Crockpot too.

FIRST – You should sign up for my free newsletter so you get new posts emailed to you twice a week and never miss out on anything! Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….

1. This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
2. If you just want to serve a few appetizers you should get this one that sit side by side one another.
3. I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.

Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉

Crockpot Chuck Roast

I will say this isn’t a cut I bought often. Used to scratch my head when I got a few with our delivery of red meat. I first made a really nice bottom round roast which was a first and then I was off to using this one. Both turned out fabulous right out of the freezer and you’d never know it was rock hard just a few hours before.

I figured this should work similarly but this time I wanted it to literally FALL APART with just a fork. That means it would need to become really tender so we could make shredded beef tacos for dinner. If it is defrosted it will take the same cook time but on low vs. high, that’s really it.

The biggest negative to chuck is that there are some big chunks of fat and bone you need to remove. If you get it really tender though you can just pull that out about an hour before. Then slow cook in the sauce before serving for 30-45 minutes.

How to Cook Frozen Chuck Roast

Crock Pot Roast

We will share both methods below. If you bought a fresh piece at the store that is great. In case you are Ms. Forgetful like myself and sometimes pulls it out in the morning still rock hard, this will help you too. The only real difference between the two in the Crock is using the high vs. low temperature control.

Obviously frozen will need 6-8 hours on high to get it to fall apart, whereas soft would use low. I prefer low and slow always but that always isn’t an option when I am having “one of those days”.

Alternatively you can follow our Instant Pot frozen chuck roast instructions. This is closer to a 2 hour wait time until your meal is done.

Chuck Roast in Slow Cooker

Let’s talk about this cut of meat first shall we? If you haven’t cooked this a lot you should know that it does have a strong beef flavor. Beyond that is is quite bland. That means you need to add a lot of seasonings to really amp up the goodness and make it a hit at the table.

If you want to make a really cheap meal this is a great cut to buy. In this case you can only cook one at a time or else it all won’t get done at the same time. If you have two crocks though you could double this.

Crock Pot Recipe for Chuck Roast

I have to be honest how I came up with this. Opened my deep freezer and saw that I had a few of these to use up. Then I just went to dumping. Sometimes this works out as a WOW meal, and other times it needs seasonings when done. This was the BEST chuck roast I have ever made, my husband and kids even agreed with me.

Literally I thought of all the flavors I love and threw in what I had. I love the taste of pepperoncini chicken. SO I used the juices and a few of the peppers leftover from the jar I used for that. Great add for sure! Dry gravy packets thicken whatever sauce you put together so I added that with some air fryer garlic and more garlic salt.

Slow Cooker Pulled Beef

Here is what you will need:

1. Frozen or fresh chuck roast, I will include cook time for both below in the printable recipe card.
2. Pepperoncini peppers and juice from that same jar
3. Packet of dry gravy mix
4. Beef broth
5. Minced garlic goes in everything I make
6. I sliced 1/2 an onion because why not

Garlic salt and pepper were the seasonings I threw in this time and worked fantastic. Garlic powder could be added. Potatoes and carrots can be added before the last hour is up to get tender. If you want more Mexican flavors, follow the sauce in our slow cooker beef barbacoa recipe but this timing.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

THIS is the biggest difference. If it’s frozen I let it go on high for 6-8 hours. Fresh just set to low for the same timing. Of course there will be a slight variation depending on how thick your piece is. That is why I have a range. For a smaller piece you might be able to enjoy it at hour 6.

• Place meat in side slow cooker. Slice onions and peppers and put into pot.
• In a bowl whisk together dry gravy mix, pepperoncini juice and broth together. Then pour into the pot.
• Sprinkle garlic salt and pepper on top, then add garlic. Cover and cook until tender.
• If defrosted slow cook roast beef and gravy on low for 6-8 hours, cook on high for the same time if frozen solid.
• You’ll get the best results if you are able to flip the meat after hour 4. Then remove all the bones and fat pieces and shred meat at hour 6.

Leave shredded beef inside juices 30 min-1 hour before serving to soak up juices. If you want to add carrots celery and red potatoes only do so 1 hours before it’s done.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe

Some would refer to this as pot roast, either way it is the ultimate comfort food when it’s chilly outside. If you have a defrosted piece you could sear the meat first over medium high heat on the stovetop. Add olive oil in a large skillet and just sear on both sides, then add into the pot.

I usually don’t bother because I am more of a dump and go type of cooker. This turned out so good from frozen without doing this that it solidified my “why bother” attitude on that. TONS of flavor I tell you, as is.

This will add a bit of texture to the meat and also sear in the juices while it cooks. This is not necessary but some prefer adding this step to the process. If you want to try another great beef recipe, give our Ninja Foodi roast beef dish a whirl.

Can you save beef?

Of course, I always recommend saving leftovers and using them in a beef stroganoff casserole or otherwise within the next few days. You want to keep it really moist though so don’t throw away that gravy at the bottom of the pot. In airtight containers, save as much as you’ll want to reheat later on WiTH juices.

If you save this or our air fryer chuck roast without any type of liquid it will dry out. After a day and there won’t really be any turning back. With the gravy mixed within it you can reheat in the microwave and keep it really nice and moist. Serve it over rice, mixed in with butter noodles or piled on slider buns for another meal within 3 days.

That means you will likely get two meals out of this one cheap dinner. That is a huge win for me. I mean it’s not like I don’t like cooking but some days I’m just over it.