I threw this recipe together one morning with the few ingredients I had on hand. Sometimes the best recipes are created that way! My family devoured the entire roast for dinner and proclaimed it their favorite slow cooker meal ever! Well, you can’t get any better than that on a Tuesday night. You can also use brisket for this recipe, but my local butcher doesn’t always have one, so I generally opt for a nice fatty chuck roast instead.
7 slices bacon, chopped
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3-4-pound chuck roast
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
½ cup red wine
3 cups (720 ml) beef broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
Serves 4
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it is browned and slightly crisp.
Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, and transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate. Set it aside.
Sprinkle sea salt and pepper over all sides of the roast. Add the roast to the hot skillet with the bacon grease, and brown it on all sides.
Transfer the roast to a slow cooker.
Meanwhile, lower the heat under the skillet to medium. Add the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-5 minutes.
Remove the onions from the skillet, and place them in the slow cooker on and around the roast.
Add the wine to the skillet, and scrape any yummy bits of goodness off the bottom of the pan.
Add the beef broth and garlic to the skillet, and stir to combine.
Pour the wine-broth mixture over the roast, and cook the roast on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.
Serve slices of the roast with the juices, bacon pieces, and onions.
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Bacon and onion roast is slow-cooker simplicity with maximum savoury payoff. A good beef roast browns in bacon grease, then braises with sweet onions, red wine, beef broth, and garlic until it's tender enough to cut with a fork and the onions melt into the sauce.
Pro Tips
- Cook the bacon first and brown the roast in its rendered fat — that's the whole flavour story of this dish, so don't swap in neutral oil.
- Softening the onions in the same skillet before they join the slow cooker starts their sweetness and picks up every browned bit left by the meat.
- Deglaze the skillet with the red wine and scrape up the fond before adding the beef broth; that sticky layer dissolves into the braising liquid.
- Scatter the reserved browned bacon over the finished roast for texture, or stir it back into the onions in the last half hour.
- The garlic goes into the wine-broth mixture rather than the hot pan, so it perfumes the braise gently without any chance of scorching.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cut of roast is best?
A chuck roast or rump roast suits this braise beautifully — both become fork tender over the long slow cook and slice or shred well.
Is this roast paleo?
Yes: beef, bacon, onions, red wine, beef broth, and garlic. No flour, sugar, or dairy — the onions and wine make all the sauce you need.
Can I make it in the oven?
Braise it covered at 300°F (150°C) for about 3 hours until tender, using the same bacon-and-onion method and wine-broth liquid.
What should I serve with it?
Mashed cauliflower and roasted root vegetables are perfect for soaking up the onion-wine sauce from the slow cooker.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Serves 4 Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it is browned and slightly crisp.
- Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, and transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Set it aside.
- Sprinkle sea salt and pepper over all sides of the roast.
- Add the roast to the hot skillet with the bacon grease, and brown it on all sides.
- Transfer the roast to a slow cooker.
- Meanwhile, lower the heat under the skillet to medium.
- Add the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the onions from the skillet, and place them in the slow cooker on and around the roast.
- Add the wine to the skillet, and scrape any yummy bits of goodness off the bottom of the pan.
- Add the beef broth and garlic to the skillet, and stir to combine.
- Pour the wine-broth mixture over the roast, and cook the roast on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.
- Serve slices of the roast with the juices, bacon pieces, and onions.
