Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Roast Beef (Video!)
Slow Cooker Roast Beef dripping with flavor and so easy made in your crockpot! This roast beef is wonderfully savory, mildly sweet and tangy, fall apart tender (literally!), crazy juicy, packed with flavor and smothered in the most delectable honey balsamic sauce you will be licking your plate! Are you drooling yet? This easy Slow Cooker Roast Beef recipe won't heat up your house this summer and is great for crowds. It makes an ideal make ahead filling for sandwiches or it's stand alone delicious with rice and potatoes. It can also be made ahead of time and reheated the day of and freezes beautifully! Any way you serve it, this Slow Cooker Roast Beef recipe is destined to become your new go-to beef!
Servings 8 -10 servings
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs. beef chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 14.5 oz. can 50% less sodium beef broth (approx. 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup quality balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons dry minced onion
- 1 tablespoon beef bouillon
- 1 tsp EACH garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper plus more to taste after cooking
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Heat vegetable over medium high heat in a large cast iron skillet. Using two forks or tongs to hold roast, sear on all sides until lightly browned. Add to slow cooker and top with all remaining ingredients.
- Cook on LOW for 7 hours or until fall apart tender.
- Remove roast to a cutting board and add all remaining slow cooker liquid to a large sauté pan/skillet with sides (NOT a small saucepan). Simmer 25-30 minutes OR until thickened. It will thicken very quickly the last few minutes so watch closely towards the end.
- Meanwhile, shred roast beef and add back to slow cooker. Stir in desired amount of thickened sauce.
- Serve as sandwich filling or with rice, potatoes, etc.
Notes
STORAGE
Slow Cooker Roast Beef Should be cooled to room temperature, then you can remove the pot from the slow cooker and put the whole insert (lid on) in the refrigerator. Alternately, you can also transfer your roast beef to an airtight container. Plan on consuming within 3-4 days or freeze for later.MAKE AHEAD
- I often will cook my Slow Cooker Roast Beef until tender, then remove the removable ceramic insert and refrigerate the roast beef in the juices without shredding.
- The next day, skim off all the hardened fat then cook on LOW in the slow cooker for 1-2 hours until warmed through then proceed with thickening the sauce.
HOW TO REHEAT
- Crockpot: To reheat your Slow Cooker Roast Beef from the refrigerator, place your ceramic crockpot insert back into your crockpot from the refrigerator, add a some water and heat on low for 1-2 hours.
- Stove: Alternatively, you can reheat large batches on the stove over medium low heat with a few tablespoons of water, stirring occasionally until the beef is heated through.
- Microwave: For smaller batches or individual servings, you can use the microwave. Transfer stew to a microwave-safe dish, cover with a microwave-safe lid or paper towel. Microwave for 1 minutes, stir, then continue to microwave for 30-second intervals, if needed.
HOW TO FREEZE
- Cool: Allow Crockpot Roast Beef to cool completely before freezing to preserve the integrity of the ingredients.
- Package: Transfer roast beef to an airtight freezer safe container or freezer bag. You can even use sandwich size plastic bags for individual portion sizes. Squeeze out any excess air to prevent freezer burn and label
- Freeze. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Defrost/Reheat. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator then reheat in the microwave, crockpot or stove according to aforementioned instructions.