The Best Slow Cooker Beef Recipe for Easy Family Dinners
This is one of those set-and-forget recipes that delivers big flavour with very little effort. The beef becomes beautifully tender after a long, slow cook and the rich cooking juices make a delicious gravy. Perfect served with mashed potatoes, rice or crusty bread.
Serves
6–8 people
Ingredients
1.5 kg beef chuck roast or gravy beef
2 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups beef stock
1 cup red wine (optional)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
For the Gravy
2 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp cold water
Method
Step 1: Prepare the Beef
Pat the beef dry with paper towel and season generously with the salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and sear the beef on all sides until nicely browned.
Step 2: Load the Slow Cooker
Place the sliced onion and garlic in the base of the slow cooker.
Add the beef on top.
In a jug, combine the beef stock, red wine, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary and thyme. Pour over the beef.
Step 3: Slow Cook
Cook on:
LOW for 8–9 hours, or
HIGH for 5–6 hours
The beef is ready when it easily pulls apart with a fork.
Step 4: Make the Gravy
Remove the beef and keep warm.
Pour the cooking liquid into a saucepan.
Mix the cornflour and cold water together to create a slurry.
Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer and slowly whisk in the slurry until the gravy thickens.
To Serve
Pull the beef apart into large chunks and serve with:
Creamy mashed potatoes
Steamed greens
Roasted carrots
Crusty bread to soak up the gravy
Tips
Leftovers make fantastic sandwiches or wraps the next day.
Add mushrooms during the last 2 hours of cooking for extra flavour.
The beef can be prepared the day before and reheated gently before serving.
A hearty, comforting meal that's perfect for cooler weather and guaranteed to have everyone coming back for seconds.
