10 Set-and-Forget Crockpot Recipes for Long Workdays

ByDinner Made Eazy Team
All-day chuck roast with vegetables

Eight-to-ten-hour slow cooker dinners for true workday cooks.

set-and-forget crockpot recipes favor long-cook cuts—chuck, pork shoulder, bone-in thighs, beans, and short ribs—that stay happy on LOW for 8–10 hours while you work. Morning prep stays short; dinner is ready when you walk in.

More related menus: morning prep slow cooker dinners, easy slow cooker dinner ideas, crockpot weeknight dinner routine, and hearty crockpot dinners.

Prep 10-20 min
Cook 8-10 hr
Total 8-10 hr
Servings 4-8
Difficulty Easy

1. All-Day Chuck Roast Vegetables

All-day chuck roast
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Chuck roast with carrots and potatoes is the classic walk-in-the-door dinner.

Prep 15 min · Cook 9 hr · Total 9 hr 15 min · Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 3 lb chuck roast
  • 1.5 lb baby potatoes
  • 1 lb carrots, chunks
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 1.5 cups beef broth
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp thyme

Steps

  1. Place potatoes, carrots, and onion in cooker.
  2. Season roast; set on vegetables; whisk broth and tomato paste; pour over.
  3. Cook LOW 8–10 hours until fork-tender.
  4. Slice roast; serve with vegetables and juices.
  5. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Tip: Keep the roast on LOW the full window for shreddable tenderness.

2. Carolina Vinegar Pork Shoulder

Carolina vinegar pork
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Pork shoulder in a tangy vinegar pepper sauce shreds for all-day sandwich filling.

Prep 10 min · Cook 10 hr · Total 10 hr 10 min · Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 4 lb pork shoulder
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • Soft buns

Steps

  1. Layer onion; place pork on top; season with salt, pepper, and paprika.
  2. Whisk vinegar, water, sugar, and flakes; pour over.
  3. Cook LOW 9–10 hours until pork shreds easily.
  4. Shred in sauce; serve on buns.
  5. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Tip: East-Carolina style stays thin and tangy—do not thicken.

3. Bone-In Chicken Thigh Broth Pot

Bone-in thighs in seasoned broth stay moist across a full workday cook.

Prep 15 min · Cook 8.5 hr · Total 8 hr 45 min · Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 3 lb bone-in chicken thighs
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 3 carrots, chunks
  • 2 celery stalks, chunks
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • Cooked rice or crusty bread

Steps

  1. Add vegetables, garlic, and seasonings to cooker; nestle thighs on top.
  2. Pour broth over.
  3. Cook LOW 8–9 hours until chicken reaches 165°F.
  4. Serve thighs with vegetables and broth over rice or with bread.
  5. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Tip: Leave skin on for moisture; remove before serving if you prefer.

4. Ham Hock Navy Bean Soup

Smoky ham hocks and navy beans make a set-and-forget soup that fills bowls.

Prep 15 min (+ soak) · Cook 9 hr · Total 9 hr 15 min · Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 1 lb dried navy beans, soaked overnight and drained
  • 2 smoked ham hocks
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Steps

  1. Add soaked beans, ham hocks, vegetables, broth, bay leaves, and seasonings.
  2. Cook LOW 8–10 hours until beans are soft.
  3. Remove hocks; shred meat; return meat; discard bones and bay leaves.
  4. Mash a scoop of beans to thicken if desired; adjust salt.
  5. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Tip: Soaking beans overnight keeps the cook even on LOW.

5. Red Wine Style Short Ribs

Red wine short ribs
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Short ribs braise in red wine broth until the meat slips from the bone.

Prep 15 min · Cook 9 hr · Total 9 hr 15 min · Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 3.5 lb English-cut short ribs
  • 1 cup red wine (or beef broth)
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 carrots, chunks
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Steps

  1. Season ribs; place with onion, garlic, and carrots in cooker.
  2. Whisk wine, broth, and tomato paste; pour over; add thyme.
  3. Cook LOW 8–10 hours until beef is fork-tender.
  4. Skim fat; serve ribs with vegetables and sauce over polenta or mash.
  5. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Tip: Beef broth alone works if you skip wine.

6. Herb Whole Chicken Pot

A whole chicken on a vegetable rack cooks through on a long LOW day.

Prep 15 min · Cook 8.5 hr · Total 8 hr 45 min · Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken (4–5 lb)
  • 1 lb baby potatoes
  • 3 carrots, chunks
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves

Steps

  1. Place vegetables and garlic in cooker; pour broth over.
  2. Rub chicken with oil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper; set breast-side up on vegetables.
  3. Cook LOW 8–9 hours until thickest part of thigh reaches 165°F.
  4. Rest 10 minutes; carve; serve with vegetables.
  5. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Tip: Use a meat thermometer in the thigh, not the breast only.

7. Sliced Beef Brisket Flat

Sliced brisket flat
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A brisket flat with onion soup seasoning slices for supper or sandwiches.

Prep 10 min · Cook 10 hr · Total 10 hr 10 min · Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 3.5 lb beef brisket flat
  • 1 packet onion soup mix
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Dinner rolls or mashed potatoes

Steps

  1. Rub brisket with oil, garlic powder, pepper, and brown sugar.
  2. Layer onion in cooker; add brisket; sprinkle soup mix; add broth and Worcestershire.
  3. Cook LOW 9–10 hours until tender.
  4. Rest 15 minutes; slice against the grain; serve with juices.
  5. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Tip: Always slice against the grain for tender bites.

8. Turkey Leg Gravy Dinner

Turkey legs in gravy-friendly broth make a hands-off roast-style dinner.

Prep 10 min · Cook 8.5 hr · Total 8 hr 40 min · Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 4 turkey legs (about 3.5 lb)
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 packet turkey gravy mix
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water
  • Mashed potatoes

Steps

  1. Layer onion; season turkey legs; place on onion.
  2. Whisk broth and gravy mix; pour over.
  3. Cook LOW 8–9 hours until turkey reaches 165°F.
  4. Remove legs; thicken juices with slurry on HIGH 10 minutes; serve with mash.
  5. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Tip: Turkey legs stay moist longer than breast meat on all-day cooks.

9. Pinto Bean Chili Verde Pork

Pork shoulder with tomatillo salsa and pinto beans cooks all day into chili verde bowls.

Prep 15 min · Cook 8.5 hr · Total 8 hr 45 min · Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 2.5 lb pork shoulder, cubed
  • 2 cans (15 oz) pinto beans, rinsed
  • 1 jar (16 oz) salsa verde
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • Rice, cilantro, lime

Steps

  1. Add pork, beans, salsa verde, broth, onion, and seasonings.
  2. Cook LOW 8–9 hours until pork is tender.
  3. Shred larger chunks; serve over rice with cilantro and lime.
  4. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
  5. Reheat leftovers to 165°F.

Tip: Cubing the shoulder speeds shredding at dinner.

10. Beef Shank Brothy Dinner

Cross-cut beef shanks simmer into a rich broth with carrots and barley-optional bowls.

Prep 15 min · Cook 10 hr · Total 10 hr 15 min · Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 3 lb cross-cut beef shanks
  • 6 cups beef broth
  • 3 carrots, chunks
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 1 cup pearl barley (optional)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Steps

  1. Add shanks, vegetables, bay leaves, seasonings, and broth; add barley if using.
  2. Cook LOW 9–10 hours until meat falls from bones.
  3. Discard bones and bay leaves; shred meat back into broth.
  4. Serve in deep bowls.
  5. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Tip: Ask the butcher for meaty shank cuts with marrow for richer broth.

FAQ

Will chicken dry out on 10 hours?

Prefer bone-in thighs or a whole chicken in broth; breasts are better on 5–6 hour cooks.

Can I leave the house with it on?

Follow your cooker manual; place it on a clear, heat-safe counter away from walls and clutter.

What if I get home early?

Switch to WARM once meat is tender and temperatures are safe.

Do beans need soaking?

For navy and pinto pots here, rinsed canned or overnight-soaked dried beans both work—never cook dried kidney beans on low without a boil first.

How should I handle leftovers safely?

Cook poultry to 165°F, ground meat to 160°F, and whole cuts of beef/pork to a safe doneness (many cooks use 145°F plus rest for steaks/roasts). Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 165°F. See the USDA safe temperature chart and our recipe food safety disclaimer.

Wrap-Up

Trust these set-and-forget crockpot recipes on long days: all-day chuck roast, Carolina vinegar pork, chicken thigh broth pot, ham hock navy beans, red wine short ribs, herb whole chicken, brisket flat, turkey leg gravy, pinto chili verde, and beef shank dinner.

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