There are two dishes that us Brits do better than anyone else on the planet – fish and chips, and a roast dinner. Anyone that tries to argue otherwise – well, they’re wrong. This Slow Cooker Roast Beef can’t be beaten for convenience or taste!
If you do some research you’ll find many “one pot roast” recipes for the slow cooker that involve throwing everything (potatoes included) into the crockpot and leaving it to cook. Boiled potatoes in gravy? No thanks. It should be illegal to eat a roast without proper oven-baked roast potatoes! Also, they usually use a brisket cut of beef – which works better for pulled beef style recipes (like our Slow Cooker Spicy Beef Tacos), and doesn’t slice too well.
Bec and I have spent a long time refining this recipe. We’ve tried different cuts of beef, different gravy, different ways of serving the veg with it. When we had that “OH MY GOD THIS IS AMAZING” moment, we knew we’d nailed it!
What cut of meat should I use for Slow Cooker Roast Beef?
After much experimentation, we can confirm that the best cut to use for a Slow Cooker Sunday Roast Beef – is topside of beef. Topside is a lean cut that comes from the top of the cow’s rear-end. It works so well slow cooked as the long cooking times break down the meat, and it literally melts in your mouth as you eat it.
Topside also cuts really nicely. Rather than falling apart once cooked (brisket – I’m looking at you) it’s possible to cut beautiful slices (as you can see from our pictures!) – but it’s still really tender and flavoursome.
In terms of price you’ll find topside is at the cheaper end of the roasting joints that you can find in supermarkets, so it makes for an excellent thrifty Sunday roast. Brilliant if you have a lot of mouths to feed!
Note for our US and Canadian friends: Over on your side of the pond cows are butchered and named slightly differently. Look for a “top round”.
Top Tips for Slow Cooker Roast Beef
- Searing the meat well before you start cooking is probably the single most important thing you can do to ensure an amazing flavour. You’re not sealing the meat to “lock in moisture” as many believe! By searing the outside of the meat on a high heat you’re initiating the “Mailliard Reaction”, which adds to the beautiful meaty flavour.
- Whilst we add vegetables to the crockpot to add flavour to the gravy and meat, no roast beef is complete without a good selection of vegetables freshly cooked and served with the beef. Nobody wants carrots that taste exactly the same as everything else!
- No Roast Beef is complete without Yorkshire Puddings. If another Brit tells you otherwise, they’re a – wrong, or b – lying about being British 😉
What’s the best gravy for Roast Beef?
The most flavoursome gravy is made with the meat juices produced whilst cooking the meat. This recipe cooks the beef in red wine and beef stock, which is then reduced, seasoned and tweaked at the end – so literally nothing goes to waste. I can’t explain to you how good the red wine gravy in this recipe is!
It’s important that the gravy is the right thickness, too watery and it won’t have much taste, and too thick it won’t pour – so ensure you reduce it adequately after the meat is cooked. If you go too far either way you can either add some boiling water, or reduce further till you reach a consistency you’re happy with.
It’s really not necessary to use an expensive bottle of wine – don’t be fooled into thinking that using a more expensive bottle will make the gravy taste better. Any bottle of red you have in the cupboard will be absolutely fine.
What vegetables should I serve with Roast Beef?
You can serve whatever vegetables you like with roast beef – the list is pretty much endless. When we ate the beef you can see in the pictures (yes, we do eat everything we make!), we served it with roast potatoes, winter greens, and carrot and swede mash.
You could also serve roast beef with:
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cauliflower (or cauliflower cheese!)
Vegetables aside, don’t forget your Yorkshire Puddings!
Topside Beef in Red Wine Cooking Times
The cooking times stated in the recipe card are for a 1kg rolled topside joint, cooked from room temperature. Whilst this is a good starting point, the best way to determine if your beef is cooked to your liking is by checking the internal temperature of the meat using a meat thermometer.
The following temperatures are a good guide. Don’t worry if you go slightly over, and bear in mind the temperature of the beef will continue to rise as it rests.
Rare: 50C
Medium: 60C
Well done: 70C
Slow Cooker Roast Beef
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) topside or top round beef
- 500 ml (2.1 cups) beef stock
- 187.5 ml (0.8 cups) red wine ¼ bottle
- 2 carrots roughly chopped
- 1 onion sliced
- 6 tbsp cornflour
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Add the carrots and onions to the slow cooker, then add 3 tbsp of cornflour and stir to ensure an even coating. Rub a little oil all over the beef and season well with salt and pepper. Sear the beef all over in a hot pan, and transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add the beef stock, red wine, tomato puree and sugar, ensuring that the beef is mostly covered by the liquid. Cook on low for 5 hours, or high for 3 hours. Once cooked, remove the beef from the slow cooker and cover with foil to keep warm. Rest the beef for up to 30 minutes. If you want to be sure about cooking times, use a meat thermometer – one is linked in the equipment list.
- Reduce the remaining liquid and vegetables in the slow cooker to a gravy consistency, adding 3 tbsp of cornflour to thicken (remove a little liquid, mix in the cornflour to make a paste, and mix it back into the gravy). If you've got a slow cooker with a metal pot (see the equipment list for a recommendation) you can do this by transferring it straight to the hob, if not, you'll need to transfer the contents of the slow cooker to a pan.
- When you're ready to serve, slice the beef with a sharp knife and coat with plenty of red wine gravy!
Video
Notes
Cooked Beef Internal Temperature
Insert the beef thermometer into the middle of the beef and wait for the temperature to settle. Use the following temperatures as a guide, depending how you like your beef to be cooked: Rare: 50CMedium: 60C
Well done: 70C The temperature will continue to rise slightly once the beef is removed from the slow cooker.
can i reheat the next day? x
You can treat it the same way you can “normal” roast leftovers – ensure it’s piping hot through before serving. Enjoy!
Hi do you discard the veges in the gravy or blend them in? thanks
There’s usually a fight in our house to eat them! Some people in the comments have blended them into the gravy, but it’s up to you.
Cooked this recently and was absolutely delicious. Going to cook again tonight and have the whole family over.
This recipe is just as outstanding as the reviews. Made this tonight and it was effortless, yet tasted better than any beef roast I’ve ever made. (I’m vegetarian but I cook a roast every Sunday for my now 19 year old).
Quite ingenious the way the gravy is made while slow cooking the beef. Then a quick slurry at the end and it thickens beautifully.
I sieved out the onion and carrots and served them also, with garlic beans and broccoli and cauliflower in white sauce.
Thank you very much for the recipe! A now saved family recipe tradition.
That’s lovely to hear and really pleased it goes down well in your household!
This is perfection! Everyone that has ever tasted it compliments me on the best they have ever tasted. Love the slow cooker recipes, so easy to follow. Once you have tasted this you won’t go back!
Hi, how long would I cook a 0.6kg joint for?
The best way to be sure is to buy a meat thermometer and cook by temperature! Slow cookers are different so it’s hard to give a precise time for a small piece of meat. Good luck!
Hi Dave and Bec – not sure if you’ll read this in time! I’m doing this recipe for the first time today and my joint is 860g…if I do slow for 5 hours will it be ok or will I overcook it? I don’t have a meat thermometer and not sure how best to test it without one? I like the beef to be brown all the way through but tender. Any hints from you or anyone else reading this would be appreciated!
As all slow cookers are different the absolute best way to be sure is to buy a meat thermometer and cook by temperature. Good luck!
Dave, you’re my new hero! Everything turned out perfectly thank you. Everyone needs a Dave in their life!!
I’ll let Bec know! 🙂 Pleased you enjoyed it!
My joint is 2kg, do I need to double the entire recipe?
Double the ingredients and then use a meat thermometer to perfect the cooking time to your perference of done-ness!
Hi There,
Just come across your recipe for top side of beef cooked in slow cooker, as my husband and I like the beef rare, at what point do I stick the thermometer in the beef, you say five hours on low , but not sure as I thought you was not supposed to open lid of slow cooker , would appreciate any help, thank you.
You can buy meat thermometers that you leave in the meat, or popping the lid open to test is absolutely fine too. If you’re unsure check every hour or so!