How To Cook Roast Beef In A Slow Cooker The Ultimate Guide

  references
  
      USDA: "Cook Slow to Save Time: Four Important Slow Cooker Food Safety Tips"
    
      USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: “Slow Cookers and Food Safety”
    
      U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: “Meat and Poultry Charts”
    
      North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: “Recipe: Pot Roast in the Crock-Pot”
    
      USDA: “Beef, Roast, Roasted, Lean Only Eaten”
    
      USDA: "Slow Cookers and Food Safety"
    
      USDA: "Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart"
    
      USDA: "How Long Does It Take for Beef to Thaw?"
    
      Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: "Slow Cookers — Times, Temperatures and Techniques"
    
      The Prime Smokehouse
    
      University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources: "Beef Meat Identification"
    
      USDA: "Roasting Those "Other" Holiday Meats"
    
      Certified Angus Beef: "Degree of Doneness"
    




Making slow cooker roast beef lets you set it and forget it for an almost effortless dinner.

Image Credit: LauriPatterson/E+/GettyImages

Food Safety
Defrosting
Roast Beef
Top Round
Rump Roast
Without Liquid
Cooking Temperatures Chart

Do not place frozen meat in a slow cooker. Official advice from both the USDA and Crock-Pot is that you should not slow-cook meat from frozen. Putting frozen meat (or poultry) in a slow cooker may only thaw the meat, as opposed to cooking it to a safe internal temperature. “All of our slow cooker recipes call for starting with fresh or thawed meats," Crock-Pot’s press office tells LIVESTRONG.com. If beef doesn’t reach the safe minimum internal temperature, eating it could result in a foodborne illness. That’s because bacteria grow most rapidly in temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees F, per the USDA. In this environment, called the “danger zone,” bacteria can double in as little as 10 minutes. Plus, meat that’s cooked from fresh or thawed will cook much faster in a slow cooker than meat that’s cooked from frozen. And when you’re talking about a large roast, you can save a lot of time by thawing it first.

If beef doesn’t reach the safe minimum internal temperature, eating it could result in a foodborne illness. That’s because bacteria grow most rapidly in temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees F, per the USDA. In this environment, called the “danger zone,” bacteria can double in as little as 10 minutes.

Plus, meat that’s cooked from fresh or thawed will cook much faster in a slow cooker than meat that’s cooked from frozen. And when you’re talking about a large roast, you can save a lot of time by thawing it first.

The USDA warns against thawing meat on the counter. That’s because even though the center of the food may be frozen, the outer layers could be in the “danger zone” temperatures, where harmful bacteria can rapidly proliferate.

3-pound roast beef
Potatoes
Carrots
Onions
Mushrooms
½ cup of broth or water
¼ cup of Worcestershire sauce
Olive oil or cooking spray
Salt
Pepper
Cutting board
Knife
Frying pan

The cooking times change depending on how much meat you’re cooking. For example, a 3-pound roast can cook faster than a 5-pound roast when set at the same temperature setting. Foods cook faster on the high settings than on the low settings. Still, cooking times can vary depending on the size of the meat (if it’s cut into cubes), whether there are other ingredients in the pot and so on, according to the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Still, cooking times can vary depending on the size of the meat (if it’s cut into cubes), whether there are other ingredients in the pot and so on, according to the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

“Generally, I’d suggest marinating or pounding out a cheaper cut of meat like a top round, but the best technique for turning it into a succulent, savory, fork-tender meal is taking your time,” Wiley says. “Although you’ll be putting your roast in a slow cooker for 5 or 6 hours and forgetting about it, you should still give it plenty of love beforehand.”

One top round, 3½ to 4 pounds
1 pound soft butter
3 large sweet onions
8 large cloves of garlic (rough cut)
2 large rutabagas
2 large sweet potatoes
3 or 4 parsnips
2 large russet potatoes
3 or 4 large carrots
Fresh thyme
Fresh rosemary
Fresh cracked black pepper
Kosher salt
3 cups of beef stock
3 cups of dry red wine
Cutting board
Knife
Cast-iron skillet
4-pound rump roast
1 cup onions
3 raw carrots
3 medium-sized white potatoes
1½ stalks of celery
16 ounces beef broth
Salt
Pepper
Cutting board
Knife
Frying pan

It’s important that you let the rump roast cook. Even on the high setting, a 3- to 4-pound rump roast takes nearly 6 hours to cook, according to the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, so it may not be possible to cook in 4 hours.

Beef roast
Garlic
Onions
Salt
Pepper
Chili powder (optional)
Fresh or dried herbs (optional)
Knife
Skillet
Paper towels

Try not to open the Crock-Pot while the roast is cooking. Releasing the heat lengthens the cooking time. (Hot Crock-Pots are safe to leave unattended.)

Doneness How It Looks Temperature Rare Cool red center 125 degrees F Medium-rare Warm red center 135 degrees F Medium Warm pink center 145 degrees F Medium-well Slightly pink center 150 degrees F Well done Little or no pink 160 degrees F

Source: Certified Angus Beef

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      USDA: "Cook Slow to Save Time: Four Important Slow Cooker Food Safety Tips"
    
      USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: “Slow Cookers and Food Safety”
    
      U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: “Meat and Poultry Charts”
    
      North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: “Recipe: Pot Roast in the Crock-Pot”
    
      USDA: “Beef, Roast, Roasted, Lean Only Eaten”
    
      USDA: "Slow Cookers and Food Safety"
    
      USDA: "Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart"
    
      USDA: "How Long Does It Take for Beef to Thaw?"
    
      Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: "Slow Cookers — Times, Temperatures and Techniques"
    
      The Prime Smokehouse
    
      University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources: "Beef Meat Identification"
    
      USDA: "Roasting Those "Other" Holiday Meats"
    
      Certified Angus Beef: "Degree of Doneness"