Crock Pot Balsamic Beef recipe makes tender and juicy beef. Easy slow cooker beef recipe turns chuck roast into a delicious dinner with almost no work!
I love a good crock pot recipe that doesn’t take lots of prep and doesn’t call for a million ingredients. Most importantly, one that ends with delicious food.
This crock pot balsamic beef, my friends, is one of those recipes.
This dish takes less than five minutes to put together, and then the slow cooker works its magic.
Don’t worry that the recipe calls for a fair amount of balsamic vinegar. The vinegar helps to make the balsamic pot roast so tender, and the long cooking time and the little bit of brown sugar really mellows the vinegar out.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Boneless chuck roast
- Kosher salt – Kosher salt isn’t as salty as table salt. I like to use it on roasts because it adds flavor without making the meat taste salty. Sea salt would be a good substitute. If you’re using table salt, use half the amount of salt called for in the recipe.
- Beef broth – Beef stock also works well. I like to use reduced-sodium beef broth.
- Balsamic vinegar
- Brown sugar – Light or dark brown sugar will work.
- Worcestershire sauce
- Liquid smoke – This is optional. I find that it adds a bit of depth to the flavor, but feel free to omit it if you prefer.
What cut of beef is best?
I like to use a boneless beef chuck roast in this recipe. The fat in the roast helps to keep the meat tender as it cooks.
I’ve also used rump roast and arm roast in this recipe, and they both work well.
How to make crock pot balsamic beef
Place roast in crockpot. I use a 5 quart slow cooker. Sprinkle roast with salt.
In a small bowl, stir together broth, vinegar, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce.
Pour the broth mixture around the roast. Cover, and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.
Shred beef with two forks, and return to crockpot. Continue cooking for an additional 30-60 minutes.
FAQs
Not for this recipe! I’ve made this recipe both ways, and there was no noticeable difference between the browned and un-browned roasts.
Once the roast has finished cooking, remove the meat from the sauce. Place the sauce in a saucepan. In a small bowl, stir 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch, depending on desired thickness, together with 2-4 tablespoons of beef broth.
Stir the cornstarch mixture into the sauce. Simmer, stirring regularly, until it reaches the desired thickness. The gravy is great over the meat, over rice, or on mashed potatoes.
The balsamic beef makes a great freezer meal! Simply add all of the ingredients to a freezer-safe container, like a gallon-sized freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible. It will keep for up to three months in the freezer.
When you’re ready to use it, simply thaw in the fridge, and then cook as directed.
This juicy balsamic roast beef goes well with egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes or cauliflower to help sop up all of the delicious sauce. I also serve steamed green beans or broccoli on the side.
The leftover beef should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to four days when properly stored.
More crock pot beef recipes!
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Crock Pot Balsamic Beef Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless chuck roast
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup beef broth or stock
- ⅔ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Place roast in crockpot. I use a 5 quart slow cooker.3 pounds boneless chuck roast
- Sprinkle roast with salt.½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a small bowl, stir together broth, vinegar, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce.1 cup beef broth or stock, ⅔ cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Pour the broth mixture around the roast.
- Cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Shred beef with two forks, and return to crockpot.
- Continue cooking for an additional 30-60 minutes.
Notes
- Kosher salt – Kosher salt isn’t as salty as table salt. I like to use it on roasts because it adds flavor without making the meat taste salty. Sea salt would be a good substitute. If you’re using table salt, use half the amount of salt called for in the recipe.
- Beef broth – Beef stock also works well. I like to use reduced-sodium beef broth.
- Brown sugar – Light or dark brown sugar will work.
- To freeze: Add everything to a freezer-safe container (I use a gallon freezer bag). Squeeze as much air out as possible. Then, you can freeze it for up to three months. When you’re ready to use it, simply thaw in the fridge, and then cook as directed.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Kelly Fitz says
Can this be cooked on high in the crockpot?
Kate Dean says
I haven’t tried cooking it on high to say for certain how this recipe will do.
Gail Nicholls says
I haven’t tried this yet but want to cook it for our group of 10. Our rule is a 1 pot meal and others bring sides etc. So I would make this a day ahead then do mashed potatoes day of. How lo g would I heat this for?
Kate Dean says
Hi! I’m sorry, but I can’t say for certain. I’ve never made it ahead and then reheated it like that.
Ann says
I made this before, what I notice is the beef makes it’s own juices, so if you put extra broth in wont it be to much broth, for the other ingredients
Kate Dean says
You can absolutely adjust it if you feel like it’s too brothy. I thicken the sauce and serve it over the beef, so the amount of broth has never been an issue for me.
Lisa says
Fam loves it! Have made it repeatedly.
Kate Dean says
Thank you!
Emily says
Can this be put on high for 6hrs?
Kate says
Hi! Usually, high would be half of the cooking time, so 4-5 hours. If you need it to cook faster, I like to cut it into chunks and cook on low. It takes quite a bit less time when it’s in chunks, and the roast never dries out on low. I hope that helps!
Julie says
This is the best roast I have ever had. I love the flavor. So yummy, and super easy. Served with mashed potatoes, green beans, and sautéed mushrooms (used a little bit of the juice from the crockpot, added some salt, garlic, and black pepper to taste)….so good! Thank you for posting the recipe!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!
Lucy says
Okay I hate it when people sub a ton of ingredients then rate a recipe, but I just moved and it looks like some stuff got lost in the move. Namely my brown sugar and kosher salt.
I also had the wrong roast (sirloin tip roast) which I was gifted up on moving and thought was chuck.
And for super special bonus mode, I’m allergic to fish so I couldn’t use worcestershire.
So in effect I followed the recipe exactly…with only half the ingredients.
But if this was the result I’m pretty sure the correct recipe would blow me out of my shoes. And! I found some helpful workarounds for if say, you had to throw brown sugar and salt at an encroaching intruder, or something. Seriously, sorry.
So I used white sugar/maple syrup to replace the brown sugar, closest I could do.
Extra unit of soy to replace worshie.
Sirloin tip worked beautifully
And Hawaiian red salt.
I added those measurements in prescribed order, and my only other addition was a nice generous shake of powdered Aleppo pepper.
Came out perfect, pull apart tender, none of that bitter “zing” some crock pot meat gets.
I’ve sent this recipe to multiple people, and once I get the correct roast, salt, and sugar, ill need to cone back and eave about that.
I’m not giving up the Aleppo though. That was a good addition.
Kate says
Thank you! I appreciate when people share substitutions that worked well for them. There are a lot of people who have dietary restrictions, or they just need to work with what they have on hand, so it’s great to hear about the subs that work well.
Linda says
I would love it make this recipe, but I only need it for 2 people, so what would the time be in the crockpot?
Kate says
Hi! How many pounds of meat will you be using?
Linda says
If I double the recipe, do I double all the ingredients and double the cook time?
Kate says
No, you shouldn’t need to double the cook time. It may add some onto the cook time, but it shouldn’t be double. You can also cut the roast into large chunks, and that should help to reduce the cooking time down closer to the listed time.
Deb says
Correction to my last post on June 12th. I used a boneless chuck “tender roast”, this “will become” a regular on my menu!!! Can’t wait to share the recipe. Thank you!
Deb says
Wonderful! Had this tonight – made French dip poboys, hubby and I loved it. Full of tangy, sweet, beefy flavor (I added garlic). This be a regular on my menu!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that you enjoyed it!