Description

This Hearty Comfort Slow Cooker Beef Manhattan is a robust, flavor-packed dish that transforms humble ingredients into tender beef and perfectly cooked vegetables in a rich gravy. It’s the perfect meal for chilly evenings, promising warmth and satisfaction with every bite.

Ingredients

Scale

3–4 pound chuck roast, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
Several cloves of fresh garlic, minced
2 chopped carrots (optional)
2 celery stalks (optional)
4 cups good quality beef broth (low-sodium)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or double the amount if using fresh)
3–4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Cold water, for slurry
Hearty white bread or Texas toast, for serving
Creamy mashed potatoes, for serving

Instructions

Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels and cut it into 2-inch chunks. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Sear the beef chunks on all sides until deeply browned, then transfer to the slow cooker.
In the same skillet, add another splash of oil if needed and sauté the chopped onion for about 5-7 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute until fragrant.
Pour in about half a cup of beef broth into the skillet, stirring to deglaze and scrape up the browned bits. Pour this mixture into the slow cooker over the beef.
Add the remaining beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, bay leaves, and dried thyme to the slow cooker. Stir gently to combine.
Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours, until the beef is tender and shreds easily.
Remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred it into bite-sized pieces. Discard the bay leaves.
In a small bowl, whisk together 3-4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour with an equal amount of cold water to create a slurry. Slowly whisk this into the hot liquid in the slow cooker until the gravy thickens to your desired consistency.
Serve the shredded beef on slices of hearty white bread or Texas toast, ladling plenty of gravy over the top. Serve immediately with creamy mashed potatoes.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 6-8 hours
Category: Dinner
Method: Slow Cooking
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 plate
Calories: 650
Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 800 mg
Fat: 30 g
Saturated Fat: 10 g
Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 50 g
Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 45 g
Cholesterol: 120 mg

Keywords: Searing the beef is essential for flavor. Use chuck roast for the best tenderness, and feel free to adjust the gravy consistency with additional flour or cornstarch if needed.