Crock Pot Beef Manhattan
Crock Pot Beef Manhattan is a tender pot roast served over garlic Texas toast with mashed potatoes and gravy for the best (and easy!) comfort meal.
A TENDER BEEF RECIPE
Beef Manhattan may sound fancy, but it’s actually pure comfort food with a fun backstory. This open-faced sandwich was first dreamed up during World War II, and we’re giving it a delicious twist by using garlic Texas toast. It’s like a layered open faced sandwich with creamy mashed potatoes, tender shredded roast beef, and savory gravy. So, we’re simplifying the original version a bit by making the roast in the crock pot, shredding it and letting it make its own gravy basically. Pure comfort and super simple to make!
My wife and I loved it! Great comfort food with incredible flavor. A new favorite!
– John
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
When I first heard of this recipe, I had to take a second to look it up. I googled it and, apparently, it was invented by some Indiana guys while working in Manhattan during WW2. Kind of a cool story! Obviously, their recipe used just regular sliced bread so this is kind of a loose translation of the original (same concept, slightly different take – ha!) We’re jazzing it up a bit and using garlic texas Toast. But it is basically an open faced sandwich made with bread, mashed potatoes, pot roast then topped with gravy.
No. But, this roast is amazing and can be served by itself as well.
You can skip the step of searing the beef first and just put them directly in the pot. Searing assists with keeping the meat moist and provides some yummy, caramelized savory pieces.
When I made this to take images to share with you guys, I served it with some mixed vegetables. This really is a whole meal in itself, so I think you could just serve with a salad or veggies.
If you like Mississippi Pot Roast – I think that would be a great flavor to try out here too. Also, it would made an excellent French dip sandwich with melted provolone.
This can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. Just microwave to reheat.
The cooked roast can also be frozen for future use.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- beef chuck roast– I just want to remind you not to get too caught up in the size of the pot roast. Anywhere between 2-3 pounds ends up working just fine.
- onion soup mix– you can use store bought or Homemade Onion Soup Mix – I would suggest doing that if you are sensitive to sodium so you can control what goes into it.
- brown gravy mix – if you have ANY sensitivities to salt, grab the low or no sodium packet. I can’t stress this enough.
- red wine vinegar– The red wine vinegar can be optional. You don’t really taste it as a separate ingredient. Adding an acid can make roasts super tender and brightens the flavor but if you just don’t want to add it, you can skip it.
- mashed potatoes– for serving, you can use store bought or homemade Stovetop Mashed Potatoes or Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes.
- Garlic Texas Toast – for serving.
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT BEEF MANHATTAN:
Cut the roast into 3-4 large pieces. Pat the pieces dry. Sprinkle a pinch of the onion soup mix over all sides of the roast pieces. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Tablespoon of vegetable oil and swirl to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the roast pieces to the pan and sear without disturbing for 2-3 minutes. When you can lift the pieces without it sticking to the pan, flip them over and sear on the other side for the same amount of time.
Spray the inside of the crockpot with non-stick spray. Place the seared pieces of roast on the bottom of the crockpot in a single layer if possible. Sprinkle the remaining onion soup mix, along with the powdered gravy packet over all the beef. Pour in the red wine vinegar.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat can easily fall apart and shred. NOTE: Do not remove the cover while cooking. Set it and forget it. If you keep removing the cover to check on it, the meat will take longer to cook and not come out as tender. If you stick a large fork into it and it doesn’t fall apart, it needs to cook longer.
Prepare the mashed potatoes and garlic bread (according to package directions.) Serve by placing a piece of garlic bread on a plate with ½ cup of mashed potatoes on top. Add ½-1 cup of shredded meat on top of the potatoes. Drizzle a little of the gravy from the pot onto the meat. Serve along with a vegetable and sprinkle with fresh minced parsley.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Mississippi Pot Roast
- Crock Pot French Onion Pot Roast
- Crock Pot Beef Stew
- Crock Pot Dr Pepper Shredded Beef
- Crock Pot Beef Brisket
- Crock Pot Beef Ragu
- Crock Pot Beef and Noodles
- Crock Pot Italian Beef
Crock Pot Beef Manhattan
Ingredients
- 2.5 pound beef chuck roast (you can use anything between 2-3 pounds)
- 1 packet onion soup mix (see notes below)
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 packet brown gravy mix (see notes below)
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
For serving:
- mashed potatoes (store bought or homemade)
- Garlic Texas Toast
- chopped fresh parsley or sliced green onions (for garnish, optional)
Instructions
- Cut a 2.5 pound beef chuck roast into 3-4 large pieces. Pat the pieces dry.
- Sprinkle a pinch of the onion soup mix over all sides of the roast pieces. Save the leftover onion soup mix for later.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil and swirl to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.
- Add the roast pieces to the pan and sear without disturbing for 2-3 minutes. When you can lift the pieces without it sticking to the pan, flip them over and sear on the other side for the same amount of time.NOTE: You aren't cooking them all the way, just browning it for color and additional flavor.
- Spray the inside of a 5-6 quart crockpot with non-stick spray.
- Place the seared pieces of roast on the bottom of the crockpot in a single layer if possible.
- Sprinkle the remaining onion soup mix, along with 1 packet brown gravy mix over all the beef.
- Pour in ¼ cup red wine vinegar.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat can easily fall apart and shred. When ready, shred all the meat with two forks and place back into the crock pot with the gravy.NOTE: Do not remove the cover while cooking. Set it and forget it. If you keep removing the cover to check on it, the meat will take longer to cook and not come out as tender. If you stick a large fork into it and it doesn’t fall apart, it needs to cook longer.
- Prepare mashed potatoes and Garlic Texas Toast (according to package directions.)
- Serve by placing a piece of garlic bread on a plate with ½ cup of mashed potatoes on top.
- Add ½-1 cup of shredded meat on top of the potatoes. Drizzle a little of the gravy from the pot onto the meat.
- Serve along with a vegetable and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or sliced green onions.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- NOTE: I *highly* recommend using low or no salt options if you tend to think things are too salty or you have any sensitivity to sodium or you are going to think this is way too salty. You can make your own homemade versions so you can control the salt in the ingredients.
- Mashed potatoes are not calculated in the nutritional info.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
My wife and I loved it! Great comfort food with incredible flavor. A new favorite!