Ah, the good old crock pot. I can't think of an easier appliance, and a much-needed appliance that we all should have in our kitchen. It honestly saves so much time and so many hours.

Literally just chuck everything into the crock pot in the morning, head out, and let it do all the work.

It's kind of like the stay-at-home nanny, but just in a crock pot form. These are thirty crockpot beef recipes that I think anyone can put together. Even your husband.

Quick Crockpot Beef Roast Cooking Times

These are the resting times that I follow when I'm using the crock pot. But because I have been using the crock pot for so many years and my time at culinary school, I kind of just gauge it with my eye nowadays. But technically, if we want to be down to the right time and size, I'd say if you have a 1 kg piece of beef, cook that for 6 to 8 hours on low, or 3 to 4 hours on high.

If we have a 2 kg size piece of beef, that's on low, 8 to 10 hours, and then on high about 5 to 6 hours. And then I think anything bigger, like I'd say from 3 kgs, 10 to 12 hours on low, and then 7 to 8 hours on high.

Roast Size	Low Setting	High Setting
2 to 3 lbs	6 to 8 hours	3 to 4 hours
3 to 5 lbs	8 to 10 hours	4 to 5 hours

1. Classic Sunday Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes

When I actually think of a crock pot, the first thing that comes to mind is the classic Sunday pot roast. I think the crock pot- I think this is how the crock pot actually probably got famous- was making a Sunday roast. And also easy.

You could put it all on in the morning and then go on with your day. We've got nippers on a Sunday, so we're out all morning at the beach, even in winter, and then we go into some chores, and then we come back, and there it is, a classic, classic Sunday pot roast. I don't even normally peel the carrots and potatoes.

I don't mind my stuff rustic, but it's totally up to you if you want to do that.

Then cut the carrots and the potatoes; I'd say the same kind of size so they can all cook together, they can all braise together. And then we really like to have these. We go and pick up some fresh baguettes from the daddy down the road, and then everyone just mops it up, mops up the gravy with the baguette.

It becomes, like, a stew; it's delicious.

2. Mississippi Crockpot Beef Roast

When I make this Mississippi crockpot beef roast, I'd say it's definitely a dump-it-in-the-morning kind of dish, and just leave it and let that crockpot do its work. This is delicious served with mash. My husband will make it through the ricer because he's very particular about his mash.

It has to be completely, absolutely not any bit grainy, or it must be 100% smooth for him.

Also, if you don't have beef, you could totally use pork here. It comes out kind of the same way, really good, and just melts in your mouth. You can use a fork, and it just falls off and falls altogether.

This is really good with some green veg, like some fine green beans that I'll just blanch quickly and then sauté in a pan with some butter and garlic. And if you've got broccoli, this will also go really well with that, I think.

3. Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

I would make these French dip sandwiches when everyone's feeling like something really decadent. It's not something I would normally do, and the beef would probably be sitting in the freezer from a previous crockpot. Or if we didn't have that, I could also just use some sirloin in that crock pot.

But typically, this is from frozen leftovers.

Obviously, this is really delicious with some French baguette, and then you make the delicious onion gravy, and you dip it in. Even better, if you've got some French fries in the freezer, you can just pop them in the air fryer to soak up all that gravy.

4. Shredded Beef Enchiladas

Another brilliant thing to do is to make these shredded beef enchiladas with your leftovers. If you're gonna be making a big crock pot of, let's say, a 3 kg piece of beef, you can let that crock pot go all day until it's absolutely shredded and soft, and you can pull it apart with a fork. Then divide it into little sections in different Ziploc bags, and then you can have one for you; just put that in the freezer.

Then basically, if you wanted to do your shredded beef enchiladas, just take it out of the freezer and then cook it up, or you could make it from scratch in your crock pot with all the herbs and spices and everything, gravy. You can even swap the beef or chicken, as I would, but the method here is definitely shredding, and I'd say definitely a freezer-friendly kind of meal.

5. Crockpot Beef and Noodles

A really comforting dish that I make for Roger when he begs me to make it is this crock pot beef and noodles. I'll typically use a piece of beef chuck, and then in the crock pot, I like to chuck in some black pepper, pasty, fresh thyme, rosemary if I've got it, and then stock. I think the stock really makes this really good.

And cream of mushroom. If you don't have cream of mushroom from a packet, you can even just add a splash of cream, but add it at the end.

And if you want to go all out, put fresh mushrooms in there. I know that it's a brilliant way to use up things like that, like mushrooms, onions, spring onion, and then obviously add your noodles at the end because you don't want it to go mushy. And yeah, egg noodles are the best here.

We call it pasta, egg pasta. And yes, it's delicious with just some tons of fresh herbs at the end, and if you wanted to make it a little bit juicier, you can just add a little bit of stock or cream at the end just to spruce it up. You could even add some white wine.

6. Balsamic Glazed Beef Roast

When I make this balsamic glaze beef, I'm definitely not using my aged Madeira balsamic here. I will just use a very average-priced balsamic because basically you're just reducing it down and cooking and cooking. And then you're also adding sugar and herbs and stuff.

So you're making a glaze, basically.

You do need to add that sugar because that's what helps with the glaze. And I definitely will add some rosemary. You've got to add a kind of hardcore herb that's not gonna completely disappear.

Thyme, some pepper, and some stock if you've got it. Yes, that makes it really nice and tender.

And this is really good with some creamy polenta and a roasted veg. And if you don't have that, some kind of maybe garlic bread or bread you can heat up in the oven with some melted butter on. I would just make sure to keep an eye on that glaze because it could catch fire towards the end because of the sugar.

Just keep an eye on that.

7. Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I think anybody who eats meat can enjoy a slow cooker beef stew. It's one of the easiest things to make in a crock pot or so. With this, you can use chuck cubes, any kind of meat, beef, actually, because it doesn't really matter.

When I make this, I like to add potatoes, carrots, a tin of tomatoes, and tomato paste, and then I stir in some flour and some stock, the herbs, thyme and bay, and then paprika if you've got it, and then you just let it go. And yeah, I like to do this low and slow.

This is what the one that I make in the morning, and I just let it go. If you really want to go the extra mile, you can make some dumplings and add some dumplings towards the end. You can't go wrong with this, and it's pretty easy to make.

8. Italian Beef Sandwiches

Another great sandwich to make when you've got that beef that you've already made from a previous crock pot in the freezer. You could just quickly whip it out and add it back to your crock pot, and then you just add some chili flakes, some basil, oregano, a little bit of stock, even some red wine, and then let that go.

Or you can make this from scratch; that's also cool. Suppose it is a crock pot recipe, and it's that you can make it with some chuck or topside and let it go all day. And it's delicious, obviously, with that roll.

You need a hoagie roll. My husband likes to have his quite juicy, so he packs it full of pickles and all sorts of things. It's really delicious with some slap chips or a side salad.

You could swap this out for pork, but either way they're really indulgent and good.

9. Garlic Butter Beef Roast

We all love garlic in this house, so there's no problem when we make this garlic butter beef roast. We cook it with chuck, a piece of beef, and then tons of garlic, lots of cracked black pepper, crack it in there, parsley, and then you add stock and butter. And what I like to do is actually add whole red onions here.

I cut them in half, so they're not actually technically whole, and then I add them in.

It's also really nice if you want to add some baby potatoes in and just let it all cook down, or you can add them halfway so they don't go to complete mush. But if you're not adding the baby potatoes to the actual crock pot, you can roast some potatoes on the side and serve it with some type of green vegetable.

I always go for fine green beans; I think they're delicious, and I also like to just blanch them and then fry them in with a little bit of olive oil so they still have that crisp.

10. BBQ Pulled Beef Sandwiches

When you're making these barbecue pulled beef sandwiches, you've got to do it right. So make sure you've got those brioche buns, the coleslaw, corn on the cob, chips- go the whole full meal here. When I make it also, I like to add tons of smoked paprika and garlic powder and mustard powder.

I just feel like it just adds to that barbecue flavor that you need so badly in pulled beef.

make sure you add some brown sugar, barbecue sauce, and vinegar. I think the vinegar definitely balances it all out. If you don't have beef, you can swap it out for pork.

It's just completely what you like, and then just shred it at the end. This is also so good to freeze in individual Ziploc bags, just to pull out for that random beef sandwich.

11. Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Another really satisfying meal to make during the week is this beef stroganoff. When I make it, I typically use rump or certain strips. And if you don't have beef, you could also swap it out with venison.

It's quite nice with venison. Even ostrich works well. I've had this with ostrich before, but I really like my ostrich seared off.

I don't like it too well done.

When you're making this, you've got to make sure that you do stir it. And then this is obviously traditionally always served with egg noodles, but you could totally serve this with any kind of side you wanted, like mash or rice.

I like to make a big green salad on the side. And it's also nice to use up all of those things in your fridge, like those mushrooms and the onion. I think if you've got to go to the shop for one thing with all of these crock pot recipes, it's the sour cream for this stroganoff.

I think sour cream really just makes it feel like a stroganoff.

12. Mexican Shredded Beef Tacos

I've recently made this, but I didn't make it with beef, which I always do. I made it with some chicken, and it came out really well in the crock pot. I let it go all morning, and then I just shredded it off the bone, and I then added cumin, some fresh oregano, some fresh coriander, chili powder, whatever I had in my pantry.

We ate it with some rice and beans. We didn't have tortillas at the time, and we actually didn't even have guacamole either, but I did have ingredients for a salsa, which I did make up. And then, of course, it was really good, but we also did have onion and tomatoes, so I did make a little bit of a salsa going on there.

13. Onion Soup Mix Pot Roast

Honestly, you can never go wrong with any kind of soup mix in a packet. Whenever I'm at the shops and I'm in that aisle, I will always grab an onion flavor, a brown onion flavor, a mushroom soup, or a chicken soup, because I know it's going to go into something that I'm making.

And this onion soup mix pot roast, it just works; trust me, it's delicious. When I make it, I will typically use chuck because chuck, I think, just works the best in a crock pot. But you can, again, swap out for venison.

Then I like to add carrots, potatoes, and celery. I also do add extra onion. I just find it bulks it up a bit.

Make sure you cut your potatoes and carrots about the same size so they can all cook at the same time. I think it just goes really well.

14. Slow Cooker Beef Ragu

My husband begs for this one because it is incredibly rich and very filling. And it's delicious on a rainy night.

I will start off by adding brisket to my slow cooker here. Then I like to layer it up with some chopped up basil and oregano, and then I add a few bay leaves and some chili flakes. Then I add a tin of crushed tomatoes, a splash of red wine, and then whatever you've got in the fridge, kind of like celery, garlic, carrot, onions.

Then you let it go and let it go slow and low.

Don't try to lift that lid too many times because it does defeat the whole object here. And then just season it when you do decide to lift the lid with some salt and pepper. Let this simmer.

You can swap it out for pork or so if you don't have chuck or brisket. And it's really delicious with some gnocchi. I like to add a splash of cream or so just to make it extra indulgent, and then tons of parmesan on top and some fresh herbs like Italian parsley.

I definitely make this one when my parents are coming to town. It just hits the spot.

15. Teriyaki Beef Roast

So when I make this one, I actually hardly ever use beef, but chicken, because this is when I'm also really craving something like Asian, but I don't want to get takeout. I'll start this in the morning. And it's super easy also, because I always have those ingredients, those Asian flavors, in my pantry or my fridge.

I like to add some grated ginger, garlic, and some sesame oil. Then I add my chicken, and on the bone is obviously best. And then soy, some rice vinegar, honey, teriyaki, whatever Asian vibe you've got going on in there, even a little bit of fish sauce, and then I add corn flour, because corn flour just makes everything, I don't know, tender, especially chicken, and then it obviously creates that stickiness, so it sticks to it.

It's a really good coating.

Of course, we will have this depending on the mood, but either with basmati rice or I will have it with some vermicelli noodles and then a green salad. It's delicious, it's not too heavy, and it's perfect just to chuck it in the morning and then forget about it.

16. Crockpot Beef Barbacoa

I don't normally call them beef barbacoas, but I suppose that is the traditional name. But when I make this, it's just literally crock-roast beef, and then I put it in a wrap with some cheddar cheese, some shredded lettuce, or a cabbage slaw, and some red onion.

You could have this also with a burrito bowl; you can have it with some rice or some pickled onions. I suppose it's totally up to you. It makes a great lunch.

I have made these wraps, and I've sent them to work with my husband.

17. Mushroom Gravy Beef Roast

Another Sunday kind of meal that you can make, which is pretty much like a Sunday roast but with a delicious gravy, is this mushroom gravy beef roast. It's obviously better to use chuck because it just goes so well and lasts so long without losing all its flavor in the crock pot. And then you build your flavors with the thyme and garlic.

I like to use those big field brown mushrooms, but any mushrooms are great here. You can even leave button mushrooms whole, which is what they used to do back in the day. And lots of black pepper, I think, is really delicious here.

Stock, cream, and then corn flour if you want it to all come together. If you don't have beef, you can always use venison. That also really works.

It goes really well with that kind of mash if you want to soak up all of it, that mushroom sauce, or you can do it with some roast potatoes, polenta, pasta, anything. Or you can just have it with veggies, like some broccoli or green beans. It's totally up to you.

18. Sweet and Sour Slow Cooker Beef

A much healthier version of your Chinese takeout here. This sweet and sour slow-cooked beef gives you pretty much the same results. It's nice to use chuck cubes here.

My son and husband really like pineapple added. I personally stay away from this. I don't like pineapple with my food, but I don't eat beef either.

Anyway, when I make it, I add canned pineapple, red peppers, and green peppers. I like to add some grated ginger and garlic also. Chuck in some tomato sauce, a little bit of soy; you can add some sugar also, and then just let that go for the whole morning.

If you don't have beef, you could totally use pork. In fact, both my son and husband prefer pork.

And of course, this is best served with some kind of sticky rice, and then maybe some sliced cucumber on the side, or some indamani beans, or just leave it as is, just like a typical Chinese takeout.

19. Pepperoncini Beef Roast

I love pepperoncini, but we don't actually get them very easily here in South Africa. So it is something that I would have to go out and search for. Although, in saying that, I have made a dish with them before, and it was really delicious.

For this one, it would be just a typical kind of stew. And if I didn't have pepperoncini, I would probably use some kind of pickled pepper, like maybe even a pepper dew, or maybe even a jalapeño, although that would be really hot. It's just delicious, obviously, with some garlic, butter, and stock.

20. Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas

Making these slow-cooker beef carnitas is really nice, actually, for when you are hosting quite a few people. Get that going early in the morning. Your chuck: just add that into the slow cooker, and then add some chili powder and cumin.

I like to add some orange juice to get that shredded beef that you're going to then add to all your tortillas. It's nice to have little bowls of guacamole; you can have some black beans, you can have pickled onions, some shredded cabbage, and then everyone can just help build it themselves.

21. Cola Braised Beef Roast

Because there's such a high amount of sugar in Coca-Cola, it does tenderize that beef or brisket, whatever you're using, a lot. I would sort of just make my own version, with maybe a splash of cola. And then, tomato sauce, soy sauce, and then I would fill it up more on the stock side than I would on the cola.

But this is totally up to you.

It's nice to add some extra flavors there just to build it up a bit, and garlic powder, onion powder, some smoked paprika, and then you can add some baked beans at the end and just mix it through.

You can have it with mash for your dinner. But personally, I would serve it with some very fresh steamed veggies, something that's completely clean and that's gonna cut all that sweetness out of your actual stew.

22. Crockpot Beef and Broccoli

A very healthy kind of crockpot beef and broccoli dinner to make for just your normal Tuesday night. Let your beef go all morning. I like to use a flank piece or a chuck piece, depending on whatever I've grabbed, and then let that beef go with some ginger and garlic.

I like to add a little bit of chili flakes because normally my son isn't eating this one, and then some sesame oil and some brown sugar and soy, just to bring it all together. Corn flour, I love adding corn flour to anything Asian. I just feel like when I am cooking with soy sauce and teriyaki or any of those sorts of things, the corn flour just makes it stick.

And then if you're completely wanting to go really healthier, you could serve it with some cauliflower rice or just as is. I think beef and broccoli go so nice together. I will have mine with chicken, but I'll just cook a chicken breast on the side and then have broccoli on the side as well.

My husband really likes this, and it is quite light, and he has huge amounts of it.

23. Root Beer Pulled Beef

Another dish here that we typically wouldn't make, just because root beer isn't already a thing here. I don't think I've ever tried this one, but I can imagine the flavors because I have tasted root beer before. I would just make this as a normal pulled beef, sort of like the recipes above where it's just stock, barbecue sauce, maybe smoked paprika, garlic powder, and then of course just a dash of root beer.

I would use chuck with this also, and so it would be a normal stew for us. You could swap it out for pork, of course, and I think this would go really well with a slaw on this side, maybe some brioche buns, or if you want to take it a completely different direction, you could have it with some mac and cheese.

24. Slow Cooker Beef Gyros

This is definitely one we've made before. We really like Greek-inspired food, so I'm always trying to perfect the flavors. If it's not Greek, it's Turkish or somewhere in the Mediterranean.

But yes, it really comes together when you're piling it all into those pitas, and you've made that tzatziki and olives and the spices, lemon, onion.

You can make a nice tomato onion salsa, and then of course you've got to have those Greek-inspired herbs, so oregano, cumin, paprika. It's also really nice with some real Greek yogurt if you can find that. If you don't have beef, I think the actually better version would be to use lamb.

25. Cranberry Beef Roast

Definitely one you'd be making over Christmas time because it is pretty much a Christmassy meal. You could use tinned cherries also for this. I have made it before, and it presents really beautifully.

You make it in a big piece of brisket or chuck, add it to your crock pot and let it go, and then you can serve it in a big cast iron pot with some baby carrots and some mushrooms in there as well.

It's also typically served with beans, roasted Brussels sprouts, which you could caramelize up separately. But I would definitely build this. It definitely must have a glaze.

So add in some cranberry sauce, onions, and some stock. I like to add a little bit of soy, and then I think orange zest also really makes this delicious, and then some fresh thyme, of course, and some rosemary if you've got from the garden.

This goes really well if you don't want to use beef, brisket, or chuck; you could use turkey. It really works well with turkey as well. It's delicious with some mash and roast potatoes, definitely one for a festive season meal.

26. Red Wine Braised Beef Roast

My husband likes to buy red wine and white wine straight from the wine farms here, but sometimes it's really hit or miss because he gets the deals where the farms have had the leftover bottles that they haven't labeled.

Anyway, sometimes we get a real dud red wine, and this is exactly where it goes. It goes into a crock pot: I just pour a whole bottle into it. I add some brisket, chuck in some thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, anything you've got going on there, a crack of black pepper, and then I let that go.

It's nice to add some pickling onions, the small ones, and carrots. You just cut them into the same size as your onions, and then let that go with some tomato paste and stock.

It's really a delicious winter meal to have. It freezes really well. You could swap it out with lamb if you would like.

Just keep an eye on that- not too high- and then it goes with your typical stewy sort of side, which could be crusty garlic bread or a good creamy polenta or crushed potatoes. If you want to stay away from too many carbs, you could serve it with some roasted root veg.

27. Crockpot Beef Tips and Gravy

So beef tips are sirloin or rump cubes. You can typically buy them already like this from a shop, or it's also best to keep these aside when you are maybe cleaning up bigger pieces of meat. That's what I like to do.

I used to do this at my shop when I was cleaning up bigger pieces like chuck, brisket, or whatever I was using. It was also sometimes lamb, and then you just put that aside, freeze it, and then I knew that I was going to turn it into some kind of stew.

Anyway, back to this. Chuck it all into a crock pot. I like to add some beef stock, onion, thyme, garlic, pepper, rosemary, and then what brings it all together is mushroom soup from the packet, or you can even use onion soup from a packet- whatever you've got.

That's just what gives it this flavor. Delicious again on some sweet potato mash, or just served with some roasted cauliflower, like cheesy cauliflower on the side, and some green beans.

28. Slow Cooker Korean Beef

A good one to have up your sleeve for when you really feel like something Asian-y is this Korean slow cooker beef. It hits all the cravings that you're craving when you're craving Korean.

I like to use short rib, and then you typically do need gochujang spice for this one; it just makes it taste even more Korean, and then some sesame seeds, sesame oil, rice vinegar. I like to use some spring onions, brown sugar, soy, and teriyaki. I chuck it all in there, and then I let it go.

I like to add some beef stock also, and then basically you shred it at the end.

It's delicious if you're gonna go all out to have it with some kimchi on the side. You can make a pickled cucumber with some red onions, or you can just have it with some jasmine rice or even lettuce wraps. It all depends on what you feel like: if you feel like something super light, or if you feel like something indulgent.

29. Rosemary and Thyme Beef Roast

This rosemary and thyme beef roast goes hand in hand with Yorkshire puddings. I don't make it too often, but when my husband really craves Yorkshire puddings, I'll do the whole Sunday roast and make the roast potatoes with the green vegetables and even Yorkshire pudding. It's also really nice if you want to swap it out with lamb.

But the key ingredients here are obviously those herbs, the rosemary and the thyme. This works really well if you've got that growing in your garden, which I do. And I also really like to have tons of garlic with this.

30. Spicy Jalapeno Beef Roast

A good one to make when you're really craving something a bit spicy is this Sicilian Jalapeño beef roast. It's really good to eat with the whole wam bam: tortillas, rice, beans. You can make a tomato and red onion salsa, or if you even got corn, you can make a corn salsa.

It's very easy to swap it with pork because it goes really well. Also, with pork, make sure that you've got some cumin, garlic, oregano, and then just let it go.

Nice one to have already shredded and in the freezer because you could also put this into baguettes. But definitely one not to give to your kids because jalapeños can be off the charts hot.

Keep reading

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• Crockpot Beef Dinners That Don’t Taste Like Leftovers
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