Copy cat Cracker Barrel roast beef lets you enjoy the classic restaurant dish at home. This tender pot roast is full of flavor and smothered in a rich gravy you’ll love. The perfect comfort food for Sunday night dinners!
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One of our favorite places to go for dinner is Cracker Barrel.
There’s nothing like the down home favorites they serve.
But going to Cracker Barrel is expensive and often involves a long wait time.
So why not make a copy cat version of their classic roast beef to enjoy at home for a fraction of the price?
The taste is spot on and the prep is so easy.
You’ll be adding this to your Sunday night dinner rotation for sure!
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Chuck roast – Look for one that’s about 3 pounds. Can’t find chuck roast? You could try bottom round instead.
- Seasonings – A touch of garlic powder, bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste.
- Olive oil – You could use another light oil to sear the roast but make sure it has a high smoke point.
- Flour – All purpose flour to coat the beef.
- Aromatics – A small diced onion and minced garlic.
- Condensed beefy mushroom soup – This forms the base of the gravy.
- Cornstarch and water– To make a slurry to thicken the gravy.
How to Make
Making this is easier than getting the family in the car and heading to Cracker Barrel, thanks to the Crock Pot.
To make it, start by rinsing the roast, and then pat it dry with paper towels.
Once you’ve patted it dry, liberally season the roast with salt and pepper, along with the 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder.
Then, add the flour to a flat plate, and lay the roast in it.
Turn the roast, pressing each side into the flour so that the flour coats it evenly. Set it aside.
Now, add the olive oil to a large skillet set over medium high heat.
When the oil’s hot, add the roast and quickly sear it on each side.
After you’ve seared the roast, transfer it to the bowl of your crockpot.
Then, add the onions to the hot skillet, and cook them for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
Transfer the onions and skillet juices to the slow cooker.
Add the garlic and bay leaves to the slow cooker and then pour in the can of condensed beefy mushroom soup.
Season with more salt and pepper if desired.
Put the lid on your crock pot and cook the roast on low for 8-10 hours.
When it’s done, carefully remove the roast to a waiting cutting board and shred the meat.
Tent the meat with foil so that it stays warm.
Then, whisk together the cornstarch and water to form a slurry in a small bowl.
Pour this into the juice in the crockpot to form a gravy. Return the lid and set the heat to high.
Cook the mixture for 10 more minutes to let the gravy thicken.
Finish by returning the meat to the pot and gently tossing it in the gravy to coat.
Serve and enjoy!
Storing leftovers
While this is delicious the day of, part of the appeal to pot roast is the leftovers.
This will store well covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
The leftovers make excellent sandwiches.
I love it in an open face roast beef sandwich, just like the one Cracker Barrel serves.
Tips and tricks
- Washing the meat isn’t essential. I know there’s a great debate on to wash vs not to wash. That ultimately comes down to personal preference, but patting the meat dry is necessary so that the seasonings and flour coating all adhere well.
- There IS enough liquid with just one can of soup as the juices the meat releases during cooking do the rest.
- This is fantastic served with a side of mashed potatoes.
Other Copy Cat Cracker Barrel Recipes
We love this copy cat Cracker Barrel roast beef.
It tastes just like the restaurant version for a fraction of the cost of heading there for dinner.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other copy cat Cracker Barrel recipes?
Try these:
If you’ve tried this COPY CAT CRACKER BARREL ROAST BEEF, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Copy Cat Cracker Barrel Roast Beef
Ingredients
- 3 lb beef chuck roast
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt & pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup flour
- 1 small onion diced (optional)
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 can condensed beefy mushroom soup
- dash salt & pepper
- 2 tbsp cornstarch + 1 1/2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Rinse the roast, and then pat it dry with paper towels.
- Liberally season the roast with salt & pepper, along with the 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Add the flour to a flat plate, and lay the roast in it- turning so that it gets coated evenly on all sides.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet set over medium high heat. When the oil's hot, add the roast and allow it to quickly sear. Turn it so that all sides get lightly browned.
- Transfer the roast to the bowl of your crockpot.
- Add the onions to the hot skillet, and cook them for 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Transfer the onions & skillet juices to the crockpot.
- Add the garlic and bay leaves to the crock pot, then pour in the can of condensed beefy mushroom soup. Add a bit more salt & pepper.
- Cover and cook the roast on low for 8-10 hours.
- When done, carefully remove the roast to a waiting cutting board and shred the meat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water to form a slurry. Pour this into the juice in the crockpot to form a gravy. Return the lid, turn the heat to high, and let the mixture continue cooking for 10 more minutes. Tent the meat with foil so that it stays warm.
- Return the meat to the pot, and gently toss to coat.
- Serve & enjoy!
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full Disclosure Policy for details. As always, all opinions are my own.
Jessica says
I’d like to make this for Christmas dinner. However, my boyfriend is allergic to mushrooms. What can of soups would you recommend as a substitute for this? Thanks!
4sonsrus says
The beef consomme or french onion would both work, or even a half and half blend of the beef consomme with condensed tomato.
Jessica says
Thank you!! Happy holidays 🙂
Whitney says
Do you think I could double up the recipe in a large slow cooker?
Thanks!
4sonsrus says
If your slow cooker is big enough, then yes.