Trying to Cook a Pot Roast in a Slow Cooker and CLUELESS

you got a lot of advice! :)

I finally made a good roast the other day after trying several times with it coming out tough.

I always put mine in frozen. Just a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder in it. A little water on the bottom (maybe a cup or so). Set it on low. Since it's frozen, it cooked from about 7 in the morning till around 4:30-5 in the evening and came out tender. good luck!

I realized by putting it on high and trying to cook it faster, the meat kept coming out tough.

I make my pot roast on top of the stove in an cast iron pot.

First, I lightly bread the roast with flour seasoned with pepper, etc. Then I brown the roast in the cast iron pot with some (little) olive oil.

After roast is browned on all sides, I add some water (gees, I don't know, I do it from scratch) a cup or 2 maybe with some beef bouillon,worchestshire,dried or fresh onions and garlic. Simmer for a long time with light cover and stir occasionally.

I do this until the meat falls apart by fork.

At the end of the day, about 1 hr before dinner (or so) , I add fresh onion, potatoes and carrots. Simmer until dinner time.

Serve with salad.

I use meat from Hirsch's Meat market in Plano ONLY. Located at Parker and Alma. It is worth the $$ because it is quality meat and good value. I purchase no beef, chicken or Italian sausages anywhere else.

Good luck with your roast. I have never mastered the slow cooker, I prefer the cast iron pot all day.

I usually cook mine a good 8-10 hours because our slow cooker is really slow. I keep it on high. Here's what I do:

Place roast in first then fill water to water level and add a can or two of canned brown gravy, some salt, pepper and a little minced garlic. Cook overnight. When I get up in the morning I add my potatoes ( I like red potatoes), carrots, and onions that I cut up the night before. I usually don't need to add water, but you can tell if you do. And I cook for a few more hours (usually when I'm at church since this is a Sun lunch for us most often).

It's hard to mess up. Some people sear the outside in a pan before cooking it. I've never done that before, so I don't know really how it's effected by that. Good luck!

I usually cook on low 8 to 10 hours. I will put the meat in surrounded by baby carrotts and potatos. I then add 1 can of reduced fat cream of mushroom soup and 1 can of golden mushroom soup and 1 can of water. I'll add some seasoning, whatever looks good from my pantry and just let it simmer. By the time I get home from work everything is ready to go and the meat is falling apart.

I would suggest getting some of the liners specifically designed for slow cookers. It makes clean up much easier.

It sounds like you got lots of good advice, but I'll just add one more thing. Buy the slow cooker liners to make clean up SOOO much easier. You can find them with baggies, foil, etc.

My version: put the roast in the cooker on low, add can of chicken broth or veggie broth or both, fill the same can with water and add that, just enough liquid to cover the roast. Cook on low for 4 hours, then add potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery, cook for 2 more hours on high. Add water if it starts to get low at any time during the cooking. To make gravy, take a cup of the water from your cooker add to pan on stove with salt and pepper. Add a couple of tablespoons of flour mixed in cold water. When it gets thicker add water and a little milk simmer until thick. I love it cooked this way; I guess now I feel like getting a roast and cooking it too, ha ha.

The best way to cook it is with a packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix, Water, can of cream of mushroom soup, delicious and easy - just throw it all in and wait until tender.

I'm going to add details to Angela's

Put OSM on bottom. Add pot roast. Dump COM on top. Add enough water to almost cover - about 2/3 up the roast. Stir to mix. Cook on low for 8 hours. Add vegetables and cook on low another 4 - 8 hours, until done.

Low cooks slower, keeps it juicier, and keeps it from shrinking. High cooks it faster but toughens it up. Warm is not for cooking.

S.

If you want the really easy foolproof way - just go to the grocery store and look in the aisle with the seasoning/gravy packets. You can buy a packet especially for pot roasts in slow cookers :) You just add water. Directions are on the packet.

Trish,

I do it all the time. If the roast in not frozen then the time it takes is less. I put it all in the slow cooker on high for (1) hour and then put it on low for the next 3-4 hours. I usually pour a little bit of vegetable broth over the meat,potatoes and carrots....comes out very tender. If you don't use broth, just use a little water.

Hope that helps,
Have a great day,
S.

i would cook on low for about 8 hours if it is going to be in for less time i would cook on high (since yours is brand new it probably heats well)
i would put in the meat & cover with water, add some seasoning, like season salt, pepper, a bay leaf. i dont add the potatos & carrots till about halfway through, bc they can get mushy but if you wont be home then you can add all at the same time.
i use the broth to make gravy with.