Sweet & Savory Pot Roast is a tender, fall apart roast smothered in a delicious sauce.
Sweet Dark berry jam, tangy dijon mustard, hot sauce, balsamic and a few other fantastic pantry ingredients will make this a mouth watering dish.
This pot roast will explode with flavor. This is not your traditional pot roast.
The only traditional thing about this dish is the drippings from the roast. This makes for the perfect gravy to drizzle down on mashed potatoes and roasted veggies.
A fabulous combination of sweet, spicy, and tang. It truly is the perfect pot roast.
Sweet & Savory Pot Roast is so tender if will just fall apart as you try to take it out of the crockpot. Pair this with the Mashed Potatoes or Crispy Smashed Potatoes , garlic and herb carrots, Steamed Green Beans and you have dinner fit for a King!
Need a lower carb option besides Mashed Potatoes, try them with my Pan Seared Brussel Sprouts or Roasted Veggies. Oh my stars, so good! That beautiful sauce will be magic to those vegetables.
Are you ever confused on which roast to buy? There are a few choices. Let me help you pick out what you are looking for! I have some suggestions for you. Keep reading!
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The best roast for the slow cooker
Chuck Roast, Rounds, and Brisket tend to have a lot of connective tissue. If you were to try and cook these quickly in a pan, it would be like leather. Tough and really hard to chew.
These are the perfect cuts of meat to throw in a slow cooker. When cooked correctly they will be juicy, tender and will slice and fall apart. My favorite way to eat a roast!
Slower Cookers break down the collagen in the meat. The beef will release juice which is what we use for the yummy gravy! This will just intensify your beef flavor. A little cassava flour or cornstarch will turn a runny gravy into a beautiful thick and delicious sauce to drizzle on top.
- Chuck Roast – (Is my favorite). It is tender, juicy and will fall apart when cooked for long periods of time.
- Round Roast – This is easy to slice and is a more lean type of meat. Has the least amount of fat. Round is a tougher type meat so slow cooking is perfect.
- Brisket – Is a fatter cut of meat which is also perfect for the slow cooker. The fat will render and provide liquid to keep the meat nice and juicy while it is cooking. This will be so tender, you can either slice or shred this meat. Brisket is also perfect for smoking. We love to let it sit all day on a smoker at a low temp also.
I hope that was helpful. For so many years I would stand at the meat counter and wonder which one I should chose and why. Nothing is worse then spending all that money on a good piece of red meat and not have it turn out the way you want it!
Alright, lets’ get this Sweet & Savory Pot Roast in our slow cooker!
The best way to cook a roast in the slow cooker
- Place the roast on a piece of parchment paper. Add salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder on the tops and bottom of the roast.
- Next, in a glass jar or bowl, add the sauce ingredients. Place dark berry jam, maple syrup, butter (ghee), hot sauce, coconut aminos, dijon, and balsamic vinegar. Stir and mix together.
- Place the pot roast in the slow cooker and pour the sauce down on top.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and set it to high for 6-8 hours or on low for 10 hours.
- Once finished cooking, remove the lid. Take 2 large forks and shred the Sweet & Savory Pot Roast. It will just shred and fall apart.
PRO TIP: If you have the time, low and slow is always the best. It will just melt in your mouth!
- Let it sit for a few minutes after you shred the meat. The meat will absorb some of that sauce. Don’t worry, you will have left over gravy “sauce” to drizzle down on the top of those mashed potatoes. Yum Yum!
Tips for success when cooking a pot roast
- DAIRY FREE OPTION: Just switch out the butter for ghee or your favorite nondairy butter option.
- The butter or ghee in this sauce gives it a rich bold flavor. Trust me on this one!
- I like to use a dark berry jam. Blueberry, Blackberry, or a mixed of both. This is our favorite one to use from Trader Joes. Just make sure it is all fruit and not loaded with extra sugars.
- Make sure to really season both sides of the roast.
- If you have the time, slower is always better. Mix the sauce the night before. Before you go to work or the littles wake up, place the pot roast in the slow cooker with the sauce and then let it cook all day.
- Or If you are like me and forget, put it on at lunch and it will still be great. 🙂 Haha!
How to store and reheat leftovers
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
FREEZING OPTIONS FOR POT ROAST:
This Sweet and Savory Post Roast freezes very well. I place the roast in food saver bags. This removes all the air and helps prevent freezer burn. If you do not have super saver bags, place the roast in a zip loc bag and try to remove as much air as possible.
THAWING INSTRUCTIONS: Place super saver bag or zip loc bag in cold water. Keep it in the cold water until it is defrosted. Follow the heating instructions below.
REHEATING INSTRUCTIONS:
Microwave: Place Sweet & Savory Pot Roast on a microwave safe plate. Reheat for 45-60 seconds or until it it nice and warm all the way through.
Stovetop: Place the pot roast in a skillet on medium heat. Heat for 2-4 minutes or until the roast is nice and warm all the way through.
I hope you like my version of Sweet & Savory Pot Roast. If you have tried this recipe please leave a comment and review below.
Check out some of my other easy meals:
Sweet & Savory Pot Roast
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Chuck roast
- 1/2 cup Dark berry jam
- 3 tablespoons Maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons Butter (Ghee)
- 2 tablespoons Hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
Instructions
- Place Roast on a piece or parchment paper. Add salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder to the top and bottom of the roast.
- In a glass bowl, add all the other ingredients. Jam, maple syrup, butter (ghee), hot sauce, balsamic vinegar, coconut aminos and dijon. Stir really well.
- Place the seasoned roast in the crock pot and pour the sauce all down on top.
- Place the lid on the crock pot and set to high. Let is cook 6-8 hours or until it shreds really easy.
Notes
- DAIRY FREE OPTION: Just switch out the butter for ghee or your favorite nondairy butter option.
- The butter or ghee in this sauce gives it a rich bold flavor. Trust me on this one!
- I like to use a dark berry jam. Blueberry, Blackberry, or a mixed of both. This is why favorite one to use from Trader Joes. Just make sure it is all fruit and not loaded with extra sugar.
- Make sure to really season both sides of the roast.
- If you have the time, slower is always better. Mix the sauce the night before. Before you go to work or the littles wake up, place the pot roast in the slow cooker with the sauce and then let it cook all day.
- Or If you are like me and forget, put it on at lunch and it will still be great. 🙂 Haha!
Danielle says
I’m a condiment lover so I knew I would love the sauce combination in this recipe, but I wasn’t sure if my husband would! He has high expectations for pot roast, and we both loved this recipe! I added yellow onion and carrot medallions half way through and served it with mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli. I subbed gf tamari sauce for coconut aminos and used blackberry jam. I will absolutely be making this again! Thank you!
Kelly Rodrigue says
Oh I love to hear that! Thank you so much!! Those sounds like perfect additions to this recipe! Thank you for letting me know. It makes all this recipes tasting and creating all worth it! :).