Slow Cooker Beef Roast with Caramelized Onions and Garlic

There is nothing more comforting than a beef roast that has been slowly braised for hours until it is fall-apart tender, wrapped in sweet caramelized onions and savory roasted garlic. This slow cooker recipe does almost all of the work for you: a quick sear, a pan of deeply golden onions, and a rich braising liquid with beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and fresh herbs. Set the cooker to low, walk away, and come back to a melt-in-your-mouth roast with a gravy you will want to spoon over everything.

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 lb beef chuck roast
• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

1. Sear the roast. Pat the chuck roast dry and season it all over with the salt and black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the roast for 3 to 4 minutes per side until deeply browned. Transfer it to the slow cooker.
2. Caramelize the onions and garlic. In the same skillet, add the sliced onions and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes until soft and deeply golden. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant. Spoon the onions and garlic over the roast in the slow cooker.
3. Build the braising liquid. Pour the beef broth into the hot skillet to deglaze, scraping up all the browned bits. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Pour the liquid into the slow cooker, then tuck in the fresh thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
4. Slow cook low and slow. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours (or on high for 4 1/2 to 5 hours), until the beef is fork-tender and shreds easily. Discard the bay leaves and thyme stems.
5. Thicken gravy and serve. Transfer the roast to a platter and keep warm. Whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water, stir it into the cooking liquid in the slow cooker, and cook on high for 15 to 20 minutes until thickened into a gravy. Slice or shred the beef, spoon the caramelized onions and garlic over the top, and serve with the gravy.