I Made a Coca-Cola Pot Roast and It’s the Best Easy Weeknight Dinner

This pot roast recipe serves 6-8.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds chuck roast
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion
• 4 carrots
• 4 ribs celery
• 1 bulb garlic, sliced in half crosswise
• 1-1/2 pounds small potatoes
• 1 package Lipton’s onion soup mix
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 355ml bottle Mexican Coca-Cola
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper

Editor’s Tip: Mexican Coke tastes different than American Coke because it’s made with cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. It’s also packaged in a glass bottle instead of plastic or metal.

Directions

Step 1: Prep chuck roast and veggies

Season your chuck roast at least 45 minutes (but up to 24 hours) before you’re ready to cook. Sprinkle a heavy hand of salt on all sides, as well as some cracked pepper. Let it sit out at room temperature for a 1/2 hour before searing.

Meanwhile, cut all your vegetables. The onion gets sliced lengthwise, and the carrots and celery get cut into long chunks. The potatoes can be quartered and the garlic sliced crosswise.

Mix together the onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, beef broth and Coca-Cola, and set aside.

Pull out your slow cooker and set it up on your counter.

Step 2: Brown chuck and veggies

If your slow cooker has a searing setting, then you can do this in the crock; otherwise use a pan on the stovetop.

When you’re ready to sear the chuck, bring the pan up to heat and pour in the oil. Sear the meat on all sides until it’s a deep brown. Do not rush this step! This is where the flavor builds.

When the chuck is fully browned, remove it from the pot and add the veggies in its place, along with a pinch of salt. Stir for a few minutes until the onions begin to look translucent. Pour a splash of the liquid mixture into the veggies to deglaze the pan and mix well.

Step 3: Cook in slow cooker

Add the chuck roast, deglazed veggies, liquid mixture, bay leaf and a pinch of salt to the slow cooker. Set to low, cover and cook for 6-8 hours.

Editor’s Tip: You’ll want to avoid these common slow cooker mistakes.

Step 4: Separate meat and veggies

When the pot roast is done, remove the chuck roast from the slow cooker. Strain out the sauce from the veggies, reserving both of them separately.

The liquid, also known as the jus, will have a layer of fat on top. If you’re eating the roast immediately, remove the fat layer by skimming it off with a spoon. If you’re not eating until the following day, let the jus cool in the fridge overnight (with the meat). The fat will solidify, so you can easily separate it from the liquid.

You can reduce the liquid in a saucepan, or taste and season to serve as is.

Step 5: Serve and enjoy