Make this Rosemary Balsamic Pot Roast Recipe with just 15 minutes of hands-on time and simple pantry ingredients! Begin by seasoning a chuck roast and searing it in a skillet, then let the slow cooker work it's magic! The result is extra tender, juicy meat infused with hints of balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, and rosemary. The perfect home-cooked dinner for the whole family!
This recipe is delicious served with served with potatoes, veggies, or your other favorite comfort food sides. For more cozy dinner inspiration, check out our full list of Chuck Roast Recipes.
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We simply will never stop making our favorite classic Crock Pot Chuck Roast Recipe. But if you want something different to do with chuck roast, this recipe is for you!
Inspired by our obsession with slow cooker pot roast, this is yet another excellent dinner recipe that is easy to make yet tastes impressive. It's been tested, approved, and served with great success!
Why this recipe is great
- You can have practically everything you need for this on stand-by for easy meal planning. Even the meat can be frozen and ready to thaw when you're ready.
- This is a new and fun flavor profile that both kids and adults will enjoy.
- This is a mostly hands-off recipe. Winning!
- Your house will seriously smell so good all day long.
Ingredients for balsamic vinegar pot roast
Most of these ingredients are probably already in your pantry, which makes this painless. Quantities are in the recipe card below, but these tips will help you be successful.
- Boneless chuck roast: This is genuinely our favorite cut of beef for pot roast. Choose one between 3-4 lbs with plenty of white marbled fat throughout. This will ensure it stays juicy and gets tender.
- Oil: I have a jar of olive oil and another of avocado oil at all times on my counter. Both work great for this recipe.
- Spices: You will need onion powder, garlic powder, dried rosemary, kosher salt, and black pepper. Fresh rosemary could be used, but I find that dried is easier to have on hand, cheaper, and just as flavorful in this particular recipe.
- Balsamic vinegar: If you're going to be particular about any ingredient, I suggest picking a vinegar you really like the taste of so that it shines through.
- Dijon mustard: A little goes a long way. You could substitute with stone ground mustard as well.
- Brown sugar: I prefer to use light, but dark would be fine as well.
- Cornstarch: This will be used at the end to slightly thicken the juices. This is an optional ingredient.
Kitchen tools you'll need
How to make rosemary balsamic pot roast
We have mastered the art of How to Cook Chuck Roast in the Slow Cooker, so you can find an abundance of tips to get it perfect. But it's super simple, I promise!
- Coat each side of your meat generously with oil so that the seasonings stick. Then mix together the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and dried rosemary in a small bowl. Sprinkle it all over both sides.
2. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Cast iron skillets are great for searing because they get hot enough to create a really nice crust. But a non-stick skillet is also good.
Once the pan is hot, sear each side of the roast for 2-3 minutes until it is golden brown. Then use tongs to place it in a 6 qt Crock Pot (or larger).
3. Into the hot pan, add the beef stock, vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar. Whisk the mixture well and allow it to simmer for 1 minute.
Make sure to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan as you stir for more flavor. Then pour the mixture over the meat in the slow cooker.
4. Cook it on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-4.5 hours, or until it is beautifully tender and easy to shred.
5. You'll know the meat is done when you can easily shred it into pieces with two forks. Once it has reached this point, move the meat onto a cutting board.
Use the forks to gently remove any large chunks of fat and discard it. Then pull the meat apart into bite sized pieces.
Before serving, I suggest straining the cooking liquids to remove the icky bits, then stirring the meat back in. This adds a lot of flavor!
Optional step: thicken the sauce
If you want a slightly thickened sauce, you can mix together cornstarch and water, then add it to the Crock Pot just as the roast begins to fall apart. For me that's often around hour 7 (or 3.5-4 if cooking on high).
Cover it and allow it to cook for one more hour (or 30 minute on high). This sauce isn't thick enough to be a true gravy, but it gives it just a bit of viscosity to coat the meat. I skip it if I am too busy and it still turns out delicious!
Storage instructions
If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat them in the microwave or in a pan on the stove. I highly suggest storing and reheating it with the leftover juices poured on top to retain the flavor and moisture.
Serving suggestions
Balsamic beef goes with any number of simple side dishes. Some of my favorite pairings are potatoes, veggies, and bread.
Variations
- Replace the dried rosemary with 1.5 tablespoons of fresh rosemary instead.
- Drizzle the finished roast with a balsamic glaze or reduction for more tangy flavor. You can make your own by simmering the vinegar on the stove until it is thick and syrupy.
- Add some creamer potatoes (or larger potatoes cut into 1.5 inch chunks) to the slow cooker when you have 2-3 hours of cooking time left. This is a hassle free side dish!
- Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.
FAQ
Chuck roast is almost exclusively the cut that I use because it is affordable (it goes on sale often where I live), freezes well, and is reliably tender. However, you can substitute with a top round, bottom round, rump roast, or even tri-tip instead. The cooking times may vary depending on the cut you choose.
I find that 3-4 lbs of raw beef roast generously serves about 6 people. You can make a larger roast to serve more, however you may need a Crock Pot that is larger than 6 quarts.
Tangy vinegar makes beef more tender and also adds flavor. In this case, it is mostly adding flavor since the meat is not marinating in it directly.
This is really a personal preference. Some people like the generic grocery store brands that are highly affordable, while others prefer more expensive, albeit higher quality brands. I suggest testing several over time to decide your favorite. I tend to find articles like this America's Test Kitchen Balsamic Vinegar Review or The Spruce Eats Balsamic Vinegar Options helpful to get started.
Tips & Tricks
- Trim the meat before seasoning if it has an excessive amount of fat around the outer edge.
- Make sure your skillet is very hot in order to get a good sear.
- Stir the cornstarch and water well before adding to the slow cooker. This will help you avoid clumps.
- Adding the cornstarch to make a gravy is an optional step; it is also delicious if you skip it!
More recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
This post was photographed by Rhadonda Sedgwick.
Recipe
Flavorful Rosemary Balsamic Pot Roast Recipe
Equipment
- 6 qt slow cooker or larger
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb chuck roast
- 1.5 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1.5 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 cup beef broth
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Coat each side of the roast with oil. Combine the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and dried rosemary in a dish. Sprinkle evenly all over both sides of the roast.3-4 lb chuck roast, 1.5 tablespoon olive or avocado oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1.5 teaspoon dried rosemary
- Heat a large skillet over high heat (I like to use cast iron, but any skillet will work well). Once the skillet is hot, sear each side of the roast for 2-3 minutes, allowing a golden brown crust to form. Place roast in slow cooker.
- Pour the beef broth in the hot skillet, then add the balsamic vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar. Whisk well and simmer for 1 minute, scraping up the brown pieces from the bottom of the pan as you stir. Pour the mixture over the meat in the slow cooker.1 cup beef broth, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-4.5 hours, or until it falls apart easily when prodded with tongs or forks.Around hour 7 (or 3.5-4 if your slow cooker is on high) begin checking for tenderness with a fork. Once the roast just begins to fall apart around the edges, dissolve the cornstarch in the water and pour into the liquid left in the slow cooker. Stir well to combine. Cover and allow to cook one more hour (or about 30 minute if it's on high).⅓ cup water, 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- After an hour, the gravy should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If it isn't, leave the slow cooker on high with the lid off while you prepare the meat in the next step. That will allow extra water to evaporate, thickening the juices.
- Use tongs to move the meat onto a cutting board. Use two forks to gently remove any large chunks of fat and discard it. Then use the forks to pull the meat apart into bite sized chunks.
- You can strain the remaining cooking liquids to remove chunky bits if needed, but it is optional. Stir the meat and liquids back together in the slow cooker, then serve with your favorite sides (mashed potatoes and veggies are our favorite!).
Notes
- Trim the meat before seasoning if it has an excessive amount of fat around the outer edge.
- Make sure your skillet is very hot in order to get a good sear.
- Stir the cornstarch and water well before adding to the slow cooker. This will help you avoid a clumpy gravy.
- Adding the cornstarch to make a gravy is an optional step; it is also delicious if you skip it!
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Lee says
Easy and flavorful twist on a classic pot roast!