Slow Cooker Roast Beef

Name: Slow Cooker Roast Beef
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 245 min
Ingredients: 1.5 kg beef joint; 1 Pinch sea salt and black pepper; 4 tbsp plain flour; 1 tsp olive oil; 2 shallots (diced); 2 garlic cloves (crushed); 500 ml beef stock; 10 g fresh thyme

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This Slow Cooker Roast Beef is going to become your go-to for an easy Sunday Roast. Tender, melt in your mouth slices of beef with a crispy crust in a rich and flavour packed gravy. Yes, this crispy roast beef is really cooked in the slow cooker. This is the perfect, fuss-free way to cook a beef joint and a great way to feed a hungry crowd.

Slices of roast beef on a wooden serving board with a bowl of horseradish sauce.

Very little effort goes in to preparing this Slow Cooker Roast Beef, and it is definitely worth the wait for the cooking time. You get perfectly cooked beef every time, but it is SO easy to make. It is literally fool-proof. Leftovers are delicious in a sandwich too, so make more than you think you will need.

Simply prepare the beef (it makes all the difference) and pop it in the slow cooker for a few hours. We usually do this before we go out for our long Sunday walk, and come back to our meat ready to carve.

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Why should you try it?
What you will need
Step by step
What cut of beef to use for Slow Cooker Roast Beef
What to serve it with
What to do with leftovers
FAQs
Extra tips
More slow cooker recipes
Recipe

Why should you try it?

The perfect easy roast dinner. Don't be put off making roast beef, as this recipe is fool proof. Obviously it isn't roasted, but a slow cooker version of roast beef.
Very little prep involved
It makes the BEST gravy at the same time
Leftovers make a delicious sandwich filling

What you will need

Beef joint - don't think that you need to use anything expensive, as when you cook meat in a slow cooker it makes it really tender, even if it is a cheap joint. We recommend topside or brisket.
Shallots - this helps to add loads of flavour to the gravy. We used shallots as they add a little sweetness, however, you could swap it for a small white onion and chop it up fairly small.
Garlic - this also adds lots of flavour. We always like to use fresh and crush our own, however you could use frozen or a jar of lazy chopped garlic.
Beef stock - we used a stock pot and added some water to it. Try to use a really good quality stock pot, as it will really make a difference to the flavour of the gravy.
Thyme - beef and thyme is a delicious combination. You could swap it for fresh rosemary instead. Make sure it is fresh and not dried, as you just won't get the same flavour.
Flour - this is what will thicken the gravy.

All the ingredients needed for this recipe laid out with text overlay labels.

Step by step

One: Coat the beef joint in the flour so that it is all covered. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and brown the joint on all sides.

Two shot collage of a beef joint coated in flour and that beef joint browning in a frying pan.

Two: Put in the beef in the slow cooker with the shallots, thyme and stock.

Two shot collage of a slow cooker containing a beef joint, one with herbs and shallots, then stock added.

Three: Cook on low for 7 hours or high or 4 hours.

A cooked beef joint in it's juices in a slow cooker.

Four: To make the gravy, sieve the juices in to a saucepan and then put on a gentle heat. Add a little cornflour (make a slurry first by removing a little liquid, mix in the cornflour to make a paste, and mix it back into the gravy) at a time, whisking, until it thickens.

What cut of beef to use for Slow Cooker Roast Beef

The great thing about this recipe is how adaptable it is, so you can use pretty much any joint of beef you like. We used a topside beef joint as it cooks well in a slow cooker and it's also a really good value joint of meat. However you could use brisket (although this will fall apart more) or even a cheap roasting joint.

Because it is cooked low and slow, it is really forgiving and you will end up with really tender slices of beef no matter what cut you use. We like to trim the visible fat off the beef joint just to make it as lean as possible.

The only thing that really matters is making sure that the joint is the right size for your slow cooker. If it is too big, you might struggle to fit it in your slow cooker.

Sliced roast beef topped with sprigs of thyme.

What to serve it with

This epic roast beef is a must when it comes to a Sunday roast dinner. But, what is a Sunday roast without all the sides? And do we have some side dishes for you! Take a look of some of these that go perfectly with our slow cooker roast beef:

What to do with leftovers

You are going to want to make more than you think you need, as the leftovers are amazing in a sandwich. We like the beef, with a little of the gravy, in between 2 slices of sour dough, with some horseradish, rocket lettuce and sun-dried tomatoes. It also goes well shredded in a pasta bake.

Slices of roast beef on a wooden board in front of a bowl of roast potatoes and mashed carrots.

FAQs

Is Slow Cooker Roast Beef healthy?

Whilst beef is not the leanest meat, it has lots of nutritional benefits including being a great source of protein and iron. We also trim off any visible fat so that it is as lean as possible.

Do you have to sear the meat first?

You don't have to, but we really recommend it as it adds such a depth of flavour. Depending on the size of your beef, it will only take about 10 minutes to do all side. Basically, you want to trigger the Maillard reaction. It is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its distinctive flavour. You don't have to though, and you can just throw everything in to the slow cooker and leave it if you are really short on time.

What slow cooker to use?

There really is no rule here, just make sure that the beef joint you are using can fit in your slow cooker. We use a Crock Pot DuraCeramic Slow Cooker ^(aff) and we love it. What I love most about it is that you can put the bowl insert on the hob too. So, we thicken the gravy on the hob, in the slow cooker bowl. You can also sear the meat in it first. I also love that it has a clear lid, as I am so impatient that I want to keep looking and seeing what it is doing. If you don't have a clear lid, then lifting it to see will release lots of the heat and add to the cooking time.

Can you prepare it in advance?

Yes, you can do some of the prep in advance. You can sear the meat and add it to the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients and then allow it to cool fully and then put it in the fridge (in your slow cooker pot) for up to 24 hours. You can then put it on the next day, but it might take longer to cook as it will be cold straight from the fridge.

Do I have to let the beef rest?

Yes, for best results you should let it rest. To do this, cover with foil and rest the beef for about thirty minutes. This is a great time to make your gravy.

How to store Slow Cooker Roast Beef

You can store sliced roast beef in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Extra tips

Pat the beef dry before you season it and add the flour. The dryer it is, the more is will brown.
If you want to add even more flavour to the gravy, then once you have taken the seared beef out of the pan, you can de-glaze it with either some stock of a glug of red wine. Once added to the pan, use a wooden spoon to scrape it and then pour it in to the slow cooker.
You can add even more flavour to the gravy by cooking some chopped carrots and celery at the bottom of the slow cooker.
Always slice the beef against the grain.
You can swap the fresh thyme for rosemary instead.
If your beef is still a bit tough after it is sliced, then you can put the slices back in the slow cooker in the gravy and cook for a further hour.
How long you cook the beef for depends on how you like it good. The best way to check it is cooked to your liking is to use a meat thermometer. As a general rule, it should be 50°C for rare, 60°C for medium and 70°C for well done. It will carry on cooking as it rests though.
If you have any gravy leftover, you can wait for it to cool and then pour it in to freezer bags and freeze flat.

More slow cooker recipes

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you!
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