Ingredients:

  • 3.5 lb beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 1.5 lbs yellow potatoes, halved or quartered
  • 1 large yellow onion, coarsely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp cold water

Instructions:

  1. Pat the roast completely dry with paper towels and season all sides generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
  2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear the beef for 4–6 minutes per side until a dark, mahogany-colored crust forms. Remove meat and set aside.
  3. Place the diced onions and smashed garlic at the bottom of the slow cooker.
  4. Layer the carrots and potatoes over the onions to create a vegetable bed, then place the seared roast on top.
  5. Whisk together beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste. Pour the liquid around the sides of the beef.
  6. Tuck the rosemary and thyme sprigs into the liquid, cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours until the beef yields easily to a fork.
  7. Remove the beef and vegetables to a serving platter and tent with foil. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan.
  8. Whisk cornstarch and cold water to create a slurry, stir into the saucepan, and simmer until thickened into a velvety gravy.