Cracker Barrel Mushroom Pot Roast

Do you love Cracker Barrel? Recently they served Mushroom Braised Pot Roast. It is the most tender roast beef with succulent mushrooms.

homemade Cracker Barrel mushroom pot roast and noodles on a platter


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A good pot roast is incredibly satisfying. It is perhaps the ultimate comfort food, especially during the cold months of the year. That is one reason why customers love Cracker Barrel Mushroom Braised Pot Roast. The Cracker Barrel pot roast recipe combines hearty chuck roast with earthy mushrooms and onion; all served up with a variety of your favorite sides. If you can’t make it to Cracker Barrel, you can try your hand at making your own version at home.

What is Braising?

Braising is a superb method for cooking because it produces tender and flavorful results from some of the toughest and most inexpensive meat cuts at the supermarket. It’s a wet cooking method, meaning that the heat transfers through a liquid to cook the food. Because of this, braising is much slower than using a dry cooking method, like roasting. However, braising reduces the chance of burning food and allows for the meat’s tough connective tissue to break down more thoroughly. To dramatically cut the time it takes to make a pot roast without sacrificing much in the way of flavor or tenderness, you can use a pressure cooker.

The Basics of Braising Pot Roast

Braising is such a useful method of cooking that it is worth learning how to do it correctly. Luckily, there’s not much to it. Follow the following steps for better braising.

  1. Sear the meat. Despite what you probably heard, searing meat does not ‘seal in the juices.’ The purpose behind searing meat before braising is to add another level of flavor. Avoid overcrowding the pot and allow enough time for a dark crust to form. Remove the meat from the pot and let it rest in a shallow container that will capture any juices. Don’t be concerned about any residue on the bottom of the pot. This is the ‘fond,’ and it adds a lot of flavor to the finished dish, so don’t remove it.
  2. Saute your veggies. Cook your vegetables and any aromatics in the same pot you plan to use for braising. Let the moisture from the vegetables loosen the fond from the pot. At this point, you can season the vegetables. Once cooked, remove any vegetables you do not want to braise with your meat and set aside.
  3. Deglaze the pot. Add the liquid you plan on using in the recipe. Use a wooden spatula or cooking spoon to scrape up all the bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the meat, its juices, and any other braising ingredients.
  4. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook on high until the liquid starts to boil and then immediately reduce to low. Cover the pot and resist the urge to check on the pot roast until the recipe’s braising time is over. You may have to adjust the temperature to keep the liquid from getting too hot.

Tips For Serving Pot Roast With Mushrooms

  • Pot roast with mushrooms goes with everything. Try serving with mashed potatoes, potato wedges, succotash, or roasted Brussels sprouts.
  • Don’t overheat leftovers. This recipe makes a lot, but the leftovers store well in the fridge for a few days. When reheating, cut the roast into slices, then lay them out flat in a shallow baking dish. Add the vegetables on top and enough liquid to cover the meat. If you need more liquid, use beef stock. Heat in the oven at 250-degree just until warm.

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Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Chuck roast
  • Vegetable oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Onion
  • Beef broth
  • Gravy Master
  • Butter
  • Mushrooms
Cracker Barrel Mushroom Pot Roast ingredients

Ingredient Notes

I did vary my cooking technique slightly from theirs. I chose not to put in any mushroom flavor in the cooking process. I thought it gave the meat an earthy taste that I did not like.

Instead, I used a product called Gravy Master and it added a lot flavors. I found Gravy Master at Kroger grocery store. You may want to order it on Amazon: Gravy Master 2 oz. (3-Pack).

If you can’t find it, I would use a little beef base, or even add a beef bouillon cube to the cooking.

Cracker Barrel uses white button mushrooms. I prefer the small portobellos, shiitake, or even a combination of white button mushrooms and the small portobellos. I think when you layer the flavors you get a better result.

This recipe can be made either in a crockpot slow cooker, the oven, or my favorite cooking appliance, the Instant Pot. Any of these methods will do just fine.

How to Make Mushroom Pot Roast in a Crock Pot

  1. Season roast with salt and pepper.
  2. Add vegetable oil to the large skillet.
  3. Sear roast on all sides until brown.
    seared roast beef in a skillet
  4. Add chopped onion, beef broth, and Gravy Master.
  5. Cook for about six hours on low.
  6. When the cooking is almost completed, sauté sliced mushrooms in butter.
  7. Add salt to the mushrooms while sautéing.
    sautéed mushrooms in a skillet
  8. When mushrooms are cooked through add to the roast.

See the recipe card below for Instant Pot and Oven instructions along with an Instant Pot Mushroom Pot Roast video.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for the Cracker Barrel Mushroom Braised Pot Roast.

mushroom pot roast and noodles on a platter

Favorite Cracker Barrel Copycat Recipes

Be sure to check out more roast beef recipes and the best Cracker Barrel copycat recipes right here on CopyKat.com!

homemade Cracker Barrel mushroom pot roast and noodles on a platter

Cracker Barrel Mushroom Pot Roast

You can make a delicious mushroom braised beef pot roast at home.
4.34 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cracker Barrel Mushroom Braised Pot Roast, Pot Roast
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 392kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds chuck roast
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons Gravy Master
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 pound cremini mushrooms sliced or white button mushrooms
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Instant Pot Directions

  • Season roast with salt and pepper. Add vegetable oil to the Instant Pot. Sear roast on all sides until brown. Add 1 chopped onion to the Instant Pot along with 2 cups of beef broth, and 2 tablespoons of Gravy Master. Use the meat setting button for 90 minutes. Allow the pot to release by using the natural release method. 
  • While the pot is releasing the pressure, naturally saute 1 pound of sliced mushrooms butter. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the mushrooms while sauteing. When mushrooms are cooked through add to the roast. 

Slow cooker Directions

  • Season roast with salt and pepper. Add vegetable oil to the large skillet oven. Sear roast on all sides until brown. Add 1 chopped onion to the slow cooker along with 2 cups of beef broth, and 2 tablespoons of Gravy Master. Cook for about six hours on low. When the cooking is almost completed saute 1 pound of sliced mushrooms butter. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the mushrooms while sauteing. When mushrooms are cooked through add to the roast.

How to make in the Oven

  • Season roast with salt and pepper. Add vegetable oil to the large Dutch oven. Sear roast on all sides until brown. Add 1 chopped onion to the Dutch oven along with 2 cups of beef broth, and 2 tablespoons of Gravy Master. 
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the roast for 30 minutes for each pound of beef. When you remove the roast from the oven saute 1 pound of sliced mushrooms butter. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the mushrooms while sauteing. When mushrooms are cooked through add to the roast.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 392kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 782mg | Potassium: 862mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 95IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 4.2mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debbie Avino

    Wow, Stephanie!
    This looks like a fabulous recipe. I’ll have to give it a try.
    I like roast cooked in the oven, especially during cold months.
    Not sure if our local stores carry Gravy Master, but I’ll check for it.
    It seems like an essential ingredient to the success of the recipe.
    Thank you for always posting such good things to eat!

  2. Tricia

    3 stars
    This roast beef recipe was quite good and very tender made in my Breville pot, but no where near like Cracker Barrel’s roast beef. I despair of ever making roast beef like Cracker Barrel.

  3. Cheryl

    I have made this a few times since eating the dish at CB this winter. Your recipe is amazing. I make it as is and comes out great. I have the Kitchen Boquet in my area. Thanks!

  4. Margaret

    We have a Brazilian Steakhouse in Napa and I loved their Black Beans and Pork, I am usually not a fan of black beans, but it was really good. Just a thought …..

  5. Jim Mann

    This looks great. But where is the recipe ??? I do not see the recipe in this post. My wife actually ordered this dish at CB and it was great. I would like to attempt to recreate it but all I have is the video in this post. Any help would be appreciated.

  6. Linda Abuelghanam

    Did you make the mushroom braised pot roast in a presure cooker. I have a wonderful automatic pressure cooker (not the old type that used to blow up when my mom used it….i have a fear of flyiing carrots to this day). Ate the instructions diffecent in any way?

  7. Angie

    Mmmm, this roast looks good! I love Cracker Barrel’s roast. Have you ever had Rainforest Cafe’s roast? I love the way they serve it over mashed potatoes. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

  8. Marlene Sabba

    All of your cooking METHODS somehow include the Instant Pot. (Please look at all of your printed “methods” and you will see the Insta Pot pop up in every one…)This is obviously an error, but it makes cooking this recipe hard to follow. I don’t even know what that is…being a Pressure Cooker user from my mom. (I can’t see doing ANYTHING for 5-6 hours when you can do it in an hour with a pressure cooker! My 2 Corned Beefs cooked for i hour, then I removed the meat and did the cabbage, carrots and potatoes in the beef liquid for an additional 10 minutes!)

    • Stephanie

      Thank you for your note. I did have an error in the recipe. I appreciate you took the time out to let me know. I have corrected the Crock Pot, and Oven directions.

      I too, love using a pressure cooker when I can.

      Thank you for checking out the recipe.

    • Isabelle Spioch

      How thoughtful of you to give several cooking methods. I followed croclpot instructions and it was perfect – tender and full of flavor. Will use this recipe often. Thanks again

4.34 from 3 votes

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