How Long Do You Slow Cook Beef

Slow cooking a joint of meat is genius on many levels and here's why…

Slow cooking a beef joint frees up the oven

There's no need to worry about juggling oven space with this easy slow cooker beef joint. Usually you need a double oven, or have to wait until the joint is out and resting to cook the rest of the meal, but with our easy slow cooker recipe, you can roast your veg, make Yorkshire puddings and roasties, without having to make yourself a timeplan.

The beef is ready when you are

With traditional roasts, timing is pretty crucial, but with a slow cooker, there's a much bigger window of time to get all the sides ready, leaving you less stressed.

This is the simplest way of cooking a beef joint

We've kept everything really easy – no pre-cooking beforehand, which saves time and effort and is great for roast dinner beginners.

The gravy gets made during the cooking

The liquid the joint cooks in turns into the gravy at the end – winning! If you prefer your gravy darker in colour, add some browning, or follow the advice below about taking this recipe further.

How to take this beef joint to the next level

If you're a more seasoned cook, we've got some pro tips to make this roast even better.

Heat some oil or beef dripping in a large frying pan over a high heat, then fry the mustard-coated beef joint on all sides until browned and set aside.

Fry the veg in the empty beef pan until golden (it doesn't need to be cooked through), then tip it into the slow cooker and sit the browned beef on top.

Add a glug of red wine, beer, stout or water to the empty frying pan, bring to the boil and scrape up any residue from the bottom of the pan. Tip this into the slow cooker and then continue with the rest of the recipe as written below.

The caramelised meat and veg and the boozy deglaze will add extra flavour to the cooking liquid and result in a deeper-coloured gravy.

Like this? You'll love our Slow Cooker Lamb and beef stew with dumplings. Or, for something a little different, what about coca cola ham or trying to make the famous Ikea meatballs recipe from home?

Cal/Serv: 444

Makes: 6 servings

Prep Time: 0 hours 15 mins

Cook Time: 3 hours 45 mins

Total Time: 4 hours 0 mins

onions, thickly sliced

carrot, sliced

2 tbsp.

wholegrain mustard

1/2 tbsp mustard powder

1/2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary leaves

garlic clove, crushed

1/2 tbsp flaked sea salt

1/2 - 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1kg beef roasting joint

500 ml

(17 fl 0z) beef stock

25g butter

25g plain flour

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Scatter the onions and carrot over the base of the pot of a slow cooker. In a small bowl, stir together both kinds of mustard, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Rub mixture all over the beef, then put the meat on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker. Pour the stock around the beef. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on low for 3hr for medium meat, 3hr30min for well done meat (see GH Tip).
Lift the joint on to a board or serving plate and cover with tin foil, allow to rest for 10min.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook for 3-4min, stirring frequently until bubbling and golden. Strain cooking liquid into jug and discard the vegetables. Add strained liquid to the butter and flour mixture a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. Once 600ml of liquid has been added, bring to the boil and simmer for 3-5min until thickened, whisking constantly. Add more liquid if a thinner gravy is desired. Pour into a serving jug.
Carve the beef into slices and serve with the gravy and your favourite roast dinner trimmings.

GH TipPlease note that cooking times above are an approximation and may vary between different slow cooker models depending on their individual power settings.

Getty Images

Per Serving:

Calories: 444
Fibre: 2 g
Total carbs: 9 g
Sugars: 4 g
Total fat: 26 g
Saturated fat: 11 g
Protein: 43 g

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