As we move seamlessly through hurricane season straight into winter, I can’t help but crave more and more comfort foods. So, why not make pot roast? And, why not make the pot roast in the slow cooker?
The prep time on this was one of shortest yet–less than 5 minutes. Cooking is a breeze in the slow cooker. You can add pretty much whatever you have to make the meal more interesting. I love using sweet potatoes, but they always seem to break down a lot while cooking. My solution is to either add them halfway through cooking, or to just cook them on the side. See the bottom for more ideas on which veggies you can add.
If you have a small family like me, a whole pot roast will go a long way. Check back for ideas on what to do with the leftovers.
Crock Pot Roast
Serves 4-6 (or fewer with leftovers)
Prep time: <5 minutes
Cook time: 4h on high, 6-8 hours on low
Ingredients:
2.5 lb pot roast (also called chuck roast)
1 onion, peeled and quartered
3 or 4 carrots, cut in half
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2-3 cups water
Generous splash (1/4 cup) red wine (you can omit this)
1 sweet potato, unpeeled, cut into 1/8ths
salt and pepper
Place the pot roast in the slow cooker. Add in the onion, carrots and garlic, arranging the vegetables on the sides of the pot roast.
Pour in the water and wine. Of note, I used wine because there was a little bit left in the bottle sitting in front of me and I thought, “why not?”. You can omit the wine if you want. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Turn on high to cook in 4 hours or low to cook for 6-8 hours. When about halfway through cooking (based on your temperature setting), add the sweet potato and replace the lid. When done, slice the meat and serve with the veggies.
Possible substitutions, omissions, and additions:
- regular potato for sweet potato (more traditional but less nutritional. That rhymes!)
- add herbs like thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, etc.
- add peas (can be frozen), mushrooms, or any other veggie you can think of
- use beef broth instead of water
Young-Ho Yoon says
From Cook's Illustrated, I've learned to dry age the beef for 1-2 days by leaving it uncovered in the refrigerator (it's best if you have a little rack on which the beef can sit). I prefer to season it first with kosher salt and a little pepper. The drying does help to promote browning (the Maillard reaction) when I sear prior to braising or slow-cooking. Both the drying and browning steps add a lot of flavor and add 10-15 minutes of active prep/cook time (plus 1-2 days of passive sitting in refrigerator time).
Also, other cuts of beef are sometimes sold as pot roast, but I do like chuck roast the best, myself. I like the traditional onion/carrot/celery combo, and I'll often use a little chicken stock if I have some left over.