Sous Vide Chuck Roast and Gravy

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!

Featured on 36 Best Sous Vide Recipes

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:

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

Sous Vide Chuck Roast is incredibly flavorful, tender and juicy, unlike the pot roast cooked the traditional way. Sous vide method transforms the cheap tough cut of a chuck roast into the most delicious beef roast that rivals the expensive prime rib. Oh my, it’s a game-changer!

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 day

Total Time: 1 day 10 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 696kcal

Ingredients 

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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.

Equipment

Sous Vide Cooker

Zip-loc Bags

Kitchen Tongs

Cast-Iron Skillet

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

Calories: 696kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 66g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 235mg | Sodium: 1150mg | Potassium: 1153mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 44IU | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 7mg

Author: izzycooking

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Sous Vide Chuck Roast, Sous Vide Pot Roast

Tried this recipe?Follow or tag us on Pinterest @izzycooking

Editor note: Originally published Nov 27, 2019 and updated Dec 4, 2020.