The Many Faces of Pot Roast

There are a lot of variations on slow cooker pot roast out there. I've tried quite a few...and do you know what? I've liked most of them! I mean, what's not to love about a meal that you throw into the slow cooker in the morning and then by dinner time, you have a savory and filling meal that is main dish and side dish in one?

I made a pot roast tonight because it is my son's second birthday. He can be kind of a fussy eater sometimes. But he loves tender potatoes and carrots and the last time we had a pot roast, he gobbled it up without having to be coerced. That always makes me happy! He ate the roast, potatoes, and carrots tonight quite happily!

So, I thought I would share a number of great pot roast recipes with you. I would love to hear any other pot roast recipes that you might have discovered as well.

From my experience, the best way to get a tender roast and vegetables is as follows: make sure the roast is completely thawed prior to putting it in the slow cooker, make sure there is plenty of liquid to keep the roast moist and tender, and finally, don't cook it for too short a period of time. The roast might technically be done (in that it is fully cooked) after only six hours, but it might need that extra two hours or so to become fork tender.

I am only including one picture for pot roast, because honestly, doesn't all pot roast end up looking more or less the same? I mean, you've got your roast and you've got your veggies. The sauce/gravy varies slightly for each recipe, but I think with one picture you get the idea! The exception is when you opt to skip the vegetables and serve the roast with mashed potatoes and gravy. But I think we all know what that looks like!

Tonight (pictured above), I made a very easy pot roast recipe that called for A1 steak sauce. Honestly, that is what drew me to the recipe initially. I like A1 and I was curious to see how it would work in a pot roast recipe. The answer? Quite well. It adds a definite tang or kick to it. Anyway, we all liked it and I hope you will too! The other recipes are just as scrumptious! Don't forget to use the slow cooker liners to save time on your clean up!



Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients:

1/2 cup A1 Original Steak Sauce
1/2 cup water
1 pkg. (0.9 oz) onion-mushroom soup mix
1 boneless beef chuck eye roast (2 1/2 lb)
1 lb. baby red potatoes
1 pkg. (1 lb.) baby carrots
1 onion, thickly sliced

Directions:

Mix first 3 ingredients.

Place meat in slow cooker. Top with vegetables and sauce; cover.

Cook on low for 8-9 hours (or on high for 6-7 hours).

Source: Kraft Foods recipe (found on www.kraftrecipes.com)

Notes: I didn't mix the first 3 ingredients prior to adding them to the slow cooker. I placed the meat in the slow cooker and topped the meat with the soup mix, water, and A1. I also generously salted and peppered the meat and vegetables prior to cooking. I used a larger roast than the recipe called for and increased the A1 steak sauce to about 3/4 cups (because I had increased the meat, potatoes, and carrots).

Slow Cooker Cranberry Roast

Ingredients:

1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast
1 (16 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions:

Place onion soup mix in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place roast in the slow cooker and top with cranberry sauce.

Cover, and cook for 8 hours on low.

Remove roast, and set aside. Set slow cooker to high. Whisk together melted butter and flour. Slow mix into the liquid remaining in the slow cooker to create a thick gravy. Slice or thickly shred roast while gravy is thickening. Serve gravy over the roast.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by ATLANTAKIM

Notes: I sprinkled the soup mix over the roast and then topped that with the cranberry sauce. I also used a little more flour than called for in the recipe and I created my slurry with water rather than with butter.

Spade L Roast Beef

Ingredients:

1 beef roast (2-4 lbs)
Spade L Ranch Beef Seasoning
1/2 cup of water

Serving suggestion: Serve with mashed potatoes. Use the roast drippings to make a gravy to pour over the roast and mashed potatoes.

Directions:

Place meat in slow cooker. Rub Spade L Ranch Beef Seasoning onto the roast, according to your taste. The more you use, the spicier your roast and gravy will be. Cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Source: I don't know. This is a recipe that my Mom has been making for years.

Notes: If you would like to use the roast drippings to make gravy, simply use 1-3 packaged beef gravy mixes and substitute the water called for on the package with the beef drippings. If you don't have enough drippings, supplement with water to get the amount of liquid called for on the gravy packet. This makes some spicy and tasty gravy!

I usually find Spade L Ranch Seasonings easily in the grocery store (I usually shop at Smith's). But if you can't find it, check out their website here.

Pepsi Pot Roast

Ingredients:

3-4 lb. pot roast
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
12 oz Pepsi (not diet)
2-4 chopped carrots (or use baby carrots)
2 celery stalks, chopped
Potatoes, cubed (I usually just eyeball the amount of potatoes when I am filling the slow cooker)
1 onion, thickly sliced

Directions:

Place roast in slow cooker. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix over the roast and pour can of cream of mushroom soup and Pepsi on top. Add vegetables.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Source: Again, this is one of my Mom's recipes and I'm not sure where she got it from.

Notes: You can either slice or thickly shred the roast, depending on your preference.

Italian Pot Roast

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 can whole tomatoes in puree (28 ounces)
1 1/4 pounds small white potatoes, scrubbed
1 large onion (cut into 8 wedges)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried and crumbled)
3 pounds beef chuck roast (trimmed and halved crosswise)
4 garlic cloves
coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions:

With a sharp paring knife, cut 4 slits in beef roast; stuff slits with half the garlic. Generously season beef with 1 1/2 tsps salt and 1 tsp pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat, swirling to coat bottom of pan. cook beef until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes.

In a 5 quart slow cooker, combine beef, onion, potatoes, tomatoes (with puree), rosemary, and remaining garlic. Cover; cook on high setting until meat is fork-tender, about 6 hours (do not uncover while cooking).

Transfer meat to a cutting board; thinly slice (or thickly shred, if you prefer), and discard any gristle. Skim fat from top of sauce. To serve, divide beef and vegetables among bowls; generously spoon sauce over the top.

Source: Martha Stewart Everyday Food recipe.

Notes: When I made this, I browned the meat as suggested in the recipe. It adds a
nice color and flavor, but in my opinion, this step is not terribly necessary. If you are pressed for time, insert the garlic into the beef, place the uncooked and unbrowned beef directly into the slow cooker, and then add the remaining ingredients. You can also cook this on low for 8-10 hours.

Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients:

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 ounce) pkg. dry onion soup mix
1 1/4 cups water
5 1/2 pounds pot roast
See notes for veggies that I added

Directions:

In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and water. Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with the soup mixture.

Cook on high setting for 4-6 hours or on low setting for 8-10 hours.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Brenda Arnold.

Notes: I also added some baby carrots, cubed potatoes, and one thickly sliced onion. I added veggies according to my taste (basically, I filled the remainder of the slow cooker with potatoes and carrots!).

Lindy's Pot Roast

Ingredients:

1 rump roast (or your favorite cut)

4-6 potatoes

1 onion

1 bag baby carrots

Beef broth (1 can, or about 2 cups)

2 small cans tomato sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

Seasoned salt, to taste

Garlic salt, to taste

Onion power, to taste

Celery seed, to taste

Italian seasoning, to taste

Directions:

Season roast liberally with salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic salt, onion powder, celery seed, and Italian seasoning. 

Brown roast in a pan with olive oil.

Peel onion and cut into wedges. Put onion in bottom of slow cooker. Place browned roast on top of onions. Peel potatoes and chop into large chunks. Put potatoes into slow cooker. Add carrots. Stir tomato sauce and beef broth together and pour over the top. Cover and cook 8-10 hours on low heat.

Source: Lindy Kingdon.