Sous Vide Chuck Roast is incredibly flavorful, tender and juicy, unlike the pot roast cooked the traditional way. This 24-hour sous vide recipe transforms the cheap tough cut of a chuck roast, bottom round roast, or rump roast into the most delicious beef roast that rivals the expensive prime rib. Oh my, it’s totally a game-changer!
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Table of Contents
Why Sous Vide Chuck Roast?
Sous vide cooking is the BEST way to make pot roast! When cooking tough cuts such as chuck roast or rump roast, oven or slow cooker method braises the meat for a long time when the roast is completely well-done. Sous vide allows you to evenly cook these tough cuts to rare or medium-rare with the precise temperate you set.
The best part? Sous vide chuck roast tastes just like a prime rib, but with a fraction of the cost! It turns a tough cut into the melt-in-your-mouth tender meat. It’s like magic, and you got to try it!
Sous vide means ‘under vacuum’ in French. It’s a cooking technique where foods are vacuum-sealed in a bag, and then cooked for a long time to a precise temperature in a warm water bath. The food never cooks past the set temperature.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chuck Roast: Our top pick is a boneless beef chuck roast, which is from the shoulder of the cow with outstanding marbling. You can also use rump roast or bottom round roast.
- Olive Oil: Regular olive oil works great for this recipe.
- Garlic Powder: It adds complexity and deep rich flavor. You can also use minced fresh garlic.
- Rosemary: Adds a smoky, flavorful boost to the seasoning. I used fresh rosemary and chopped it into small pieces, but you can use dried ones.
- Sugar: You can use granulated or brown sugar.
- Salt: I used Kosher salt, but you can use regular salt or sea salt.
- Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper works the best.
- For the gravy: You’ll need cornstarch, water, salt, and pepper.
How to Make Sous Vide Chuck Roast
Sous vide pot roast is really easy: it takes just a few minutes to season and seal the meat, and then the sous vide machine will do most of the work!
1. Make chuck roast seasoning: I like simple seasoning with salt, pepper, garlic powder, sugar, and rosemary. Rub the olive oil and the seasoning mixture all around your roast. The key is to season generously to bring out the best flavor of your roast.
2. Vacuum seal the roast: If you use a zip-loc bag, add in the seasoned roast, seal all but one corner of the bag, and slowly place it in the water bath. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag
3. Place the roast in the water bath: Place the vacuum-sealed bag in a sous vide warm water bath.
4. Sou vide cook the roast: Cover the pot with aluminum foil and cook at 136 °F (58°C) for 24 hours. (The aluminum foil will minimize water evaporation.)
5. Finish with a quick sear: Remove the roast from the bag, and pat dry with paper towels. Add the roast to a hot skillet, quickly crisping the outside for about 1 minute per side.
6. Make the gravy and serve: Pour the juices to a skillet, add cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken the juice into a delicious gravy. Slice the roast against the grain and drizzle with the gravy.
Pro Tips for the Best Sous Vide Chuck Roast
- What kind of roast should I buy? For this recipe, my favorite cut is beef chuck roast. Other popular choices include shoulder roast, round roast, rump roast and briskets.
- How to seal a bag without a vacuum sealer? If you don’t have a vacuum sealer you can use a zip-loc bag which is safe for sous vide cooking. The trick to vacuum-seal the bag is called the “water displacement method”: just place the seasoned chuck roast in the bag, and seal all but one corner of the bag. Slowly place it in the water bath, and make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
- Check the water level from time to time, and add more water if necessary.
Note that you’ll need to cook the meat in the water bath for a long time. To avoid the seams of the zip-lock bag from popping open, make sure the seams are above water during cooking while the meat is completely submerged in the water.
What Temperature to Sous Vide Chuck Roast?
To make sous vide pot roast taste like a prime rib, we cook it to 136 °F (58°C) for medium-rare. If you prefer to have the same texture as the traditional fall-apart roast that you can shred, set the temperature to 170ºF (76ºC). For different levels of doneness, follow the chart below:
| Sous Vide Chuck Roast Temperature | Doneness |
| 125 °F / 52 °C | Rare |
| 136 °F / 58 °C | Medium-rare |
| 145 °F / 63 °C | Medium |
| 160 °F / 71 °C+ | Well-done |
How Long Do I Sous Vide Chuck Roast?
Chuck roast is a tough cut that requires a long cooking time. I cooked mine for 24 hours, but you can cook yours anywhere between 20 to 30 hours. If you cook your chuck roast from frozen, the cooking time is the same.
Gravy Adds Great Flavor to the Roast
Don’t throw away the flavorful juices that come out from the meat! We can turn them into the most delicious gravy that you can drizzle over everything.
To make the gravy, place a skillet on medium-high heat, and pour the juices and browned drippings to the skillet. When it’s bubbly, add the mixture of 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water on top, and stir frequently. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the gravy is thickened. Season with salt, pepper to taste if necessary.
This gravy is the finishing touch that pulls everything all together. It completely takes the taste of your pot roast to the next level!
Can I Sous Vide Frozen Chuck Roast?
Yes! One of the great things about this recipe is that you can sous vide cook the roast from frozen directly. The instructions and cooking time are the same as the fresh chuck roast.
How to Serve Sous Vide Chuck Roast?
Using a sharp carving knife, slice the roast across the grain for serving, making the slices about 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick. Serve with the gravy. Some side dishes that I like to pair with include mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and green beans.
If You Like This Recipe Try Out These Sous Vide Recipes
If you tried this recipe, let me know how your Sous Vide Chuck Roast turns out in the comments below!
Best Sous Vide Chuck Roast Recipe
Ingredients
For the Roast:
- 3 lbs chuck roast or rump roast
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon regular salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or softened unsalted butter
For the Gravy
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the Sous Vide Machine: Add water to the sous vide container or a large pot; set the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 136°F (58°C).
- Season the Roast: Rub the roast on all sides with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together garlic powder, chopped rosemary, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Rub the roast on all sides with the seasoning mixture.
- Vacuum-seal the Roast: Vacuum seal it using “water displacement” technique: seal all but one corner of the bag. Slowly place it in the water bath, making sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
- Sous Vide Cook the Roast: Cook the chuck roast in the warm water bath for 24 hours. Arrange the bag so that meat is completely submerged in the water. If you use zip-lock bag, make sure the seam stays above the water.
- Cover with several pieces of aluminum foil, which will minimize water evaporation.
- When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Don’t throw away the juices in the bag as we’ll use them to make the gravy.
- Sear the Roast: Remove the roast from the bag. Pat dry the surface thoroughly with paper towels. Place a skillet on medium-high, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the roast. Sear each side for about 1 minute or until nicely browned. Remove from the heat immediately.
Making the Gravy
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water.
- Place a skillet on the stove on medium-high heat, and pour the juices and browned drippings to the skillet. When it’s bubbly, add the cornstarch mixture, and stir with a wire whisk. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the gravy is thickened. Season with salt, pepper if necessary.
- Slice the roast against the grain using a sharp carving knife (making the slices about 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick). Serve with the gravy.
Notes
- This recipe produces a pot roast that tastes like a tender prime rib. If you prefer the traditional pot roast texture, set the temperature to 170ºF (76ºC).
- If your roast is frozen, you don’t need to thaw them ahead of time. The cooking time for the frozen roast is the same in the sous vide machine.
Nutrition
Editor note: Originally published Nov 27, 2019 and updated Dec 4, 2020.
Tried this and it was very good. I wanted my chuck roast a bit more done, so I cooked at 155 degrees for the 24 hours. Very tender and mildly tasteful. Texture was like prime rib. Hubs really liked it, too – went for a second serving. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’m new to the sous vide style.
So happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know!
Absolutely rediculous. Most delish.
Sour cream mixed w/horseradish sauce on the side for dipping. Paired with
Mashed potatoes and green beans,
A true grandma slapper.
Hi Aaro, glad that you like the recipe. Thanks for sharing your experience. Izzy
Absolutely amazing I was really hoping it would work and it did. I’m such a huge fan of prime rib but I only splurge on vacation so now I guess I can afford to eat like I’m on vacation everyday now!
Great to hear that it turned out well. Thanks for letting me know!
I purchased two roasts that are 1lb 6 ounces a piece instead of one large one. Would this effect the cook time or do I just follow the recipe as is? Thanks!
Hi Jennifer, the recipe works for the smaller pieces as well. So you can just follow the recipe. Let me know how it goes.
Hi, I’m waiting for my cooker to be delivered and found this recipe for my first attempt.. As a single person, I would anticipate cooking 1 piece of beef about this size (1.5 lb) versus the whole 3 lb as mentioned in the recipe.
Since the mass will be different, would you suggest modifying the amount of time to cook, or other suggestions?
Thank you for any suggestions. Your recipe and photos look great!
-Bill
Hi Bill, great to hear that you’re getting a sous vide machine. The long cook time is to tenderize the meat, so the cook time remains the same for the smaller size roast. Hope this helps. Izzy
I tried this, but cooked at 136° for 48 hours. Then, instead of finishing in a skillet, finished in a smoker for 2 hrs. Mind blown. Was like some of the best prime rib ever. Can’t wait to make it again!
Hi John, great to hear that, and thanks for sharing your tips!
What if I dont habe a sous cooker can u use a crockpot?
Hi Kendra, you can use crockpot for cooking a chuck roast, but the texture will be different and it won’t be as tender.
Loved it! The flavor was out of this world. My only problem was the leftovers. Reheating them turned them into boring well-done pieces of meat. I think maybe I need to think about re-heating sous vide, or making one serving at a time, as I am cooking for one.
Hi Peg, you can re-heat using sous vide machine too. Set the same temperature, and sous vide until the center has cooked through.
Wonderful! I can’t believe how tender and perfect a horrible cut off meat turned out! My husband actually perked up and hummed after the first bite.
Glad to hear that you like the recipe. Thank you very much for letting me know. Izzy
Any concerns about bacterial growth with low temp for such a long period of time?
It’s completely safe to eat your chuck roast using this recipe. Pasteurization is based on both the temp and time at that temp. Most bacteria do not live above 120°F. So after cooking at 136 °F for 24 hours, it’s safe to eat your beef.
I have tried this recipe at several temps and times. For me, 147 for 39ish hours is perfect. I have used my Sous vide almost exclusively to cook all of our meat. It is a serious game changer.
Hi Lori, glad you like the recipe. Thanks for sharing your experience!
made this last night. i was amazed at how much it tasted like prime rib. will do this again. i cooked it at 135 for 24 hours perfect medium rare. for sure a game changer.
James, glad you like you the recipe. Thanks for letting me know.
I’m just starting out cooking with sous vide and haven’t had much look with chicken. I tried the recipe and I love it. My husband said it was the best chuck roast he has ever had.
Hi Linda, glad that you like the recipe. Thank for letting me know.
Thanks for all the tips and information you provided in this recipe. My son ( a chef) recently told me that my Instant Pot has a sous vide “Ultra ” setting ( one should really read the instruction manual when one gets an appliance! )
My first roast with your recipe done to medium rare for 24 hours was very nice but still a little “chewy”
Great flavour though!
My second try with your recipe is in progress right now and I am going to lengthen the time to 30 hours at my son’s suggestion to help break down the roasts connective tissue a little more for a hopefully more tender roast.
Hi Sandra, thank you very much for sharing your experience. Let me know how your roast turns out with 30 hours of cooking. Which one do you like more?
What is the largest size roast you can do with sous vide.
You can do any size roast you wish. If your roast is rather large, you’ll need to use a large vacuum-seal bag. Hope this helps.
I’ve been around the block quite a few times, and this is the best pot roast I have ever eaten. My family thought so too. Also, the author of rhe recipe is to be commended. The procedure is clear, and covers all the “what if-s.”
Great to hear that you and your family like this recipe. Thanks for the kind words!
What if you have a bone in roast. Does it really matter?
Hi Jerad, just follow the same instructions. It doesn’t matter whether you are using bone-in or boneless roast. Izzy
I love this recipe!
May I suggest bubble wrap instead of foil to prevent evaporation? It floats. It insulates. You can easily cut out a notch for the sous vide circulator.
Hi Fred, that’s a great idea. I think it will work better than foil, and will definitely try it out! Thanks, Izzy
Thanks, again.
I use pingpong balls just throw in enough balls to cover the surface
If you want to reposition the bag just reach in with tongs the ping pong balls will redistribute once your done. No fuss.
Hi Dennis, using Pingpong balls is a great idea. I’ll try that out next time!
This is absolutely the best roast and gravy I have ever eaten!!! Thank you!
Glad that you like the recipe. Thanks for letting me know.
Amazing! Best chuck roast I’ve ever had without a doubt. The gravy was excellent too. It really did taste a lot like prime rib. Thank you for the clear instructions and amazing recipe!
Hi Brian, glad to hear that your chuck tasted like a prime rib too. Thanks for letting me know.
Holy Christmas in July!!
I have to admit I was skeptical because I had tried so many different recipes for a chuck roast that just did not hot the points. But being desperate and my husband having bought a sous vide system that I wasn’t 100 percent sure we needed I said ok let’s try this. I cooked it from frozen and followd the directions ( which I was glad specified frozen directions) and my husband and sons said it was the best meal I ever made!
Still amazed and grateful I found this recipe. It’s been a long week and this dinner made my Friday wonderful!
Hi Naomi, I’m so glad to hear that your family likes the recipe. Thanks for letting me know. Happy holidays! Izzy
Do you have any video tutorials on searing? Your sear looks perfect, dark and roasty in every corner. I don’t know how you do it. Could you share?
Use a wok with olive oil and butter at a fairly high temperature say 10 on a scale of 12. I use my long handled BBQ tongs and move the meat around the wok tilting sometimes also helps.
Great very good and helpful hints, don’t do rosemary but I used McCormick roasted garlic and herbs didn’t make gravy as such but just used the au jus. I will keep this recipe close.
Glad that you like the recipe. Thanks for letting me know.
Couple of questions….I got a7lb waygu chuck roast and was wondering if it is worth cutting that factory sealed package open just to season it. also once the sous vide time is over, can you refrigerate it for a certain amount of time before you have to finish it
Question:
Izzy, hello. I am curious why there is a such a spread in cooking times between this Chuck Roast recipe and your London Broil recipe. Chuck is 24-hours; London 6-hours. The London Broil I did at six hours was spot-on tender and juicy. What would happen if the Chuck Roast time was set to 6-ish hours? Why is the 24-hour time recommended? Thank you; this is the best Sous Vide site …period. –Bill
Different cuts of beef have more or less connective tissue. I one cooked a sirloin for 18 hours to see what would happen. It was mushy!
Tender cuts I run 130ish for 4-5 hours. The tougher ones go for much longer. This one I did for 32 hours to get the level of tenderness I was looking for.
There are a ton of you tube videos explaining all that I’ve said.
Once I went sous-vide, I never went back!
I LOVED this recipe. I usually eat a ribeye every Wednesday with my roommate (we call it steak night). This recipe makes a chuck roast taste on par with a ribeye (for half the price). Could not be happier.