Made beef pot roast, largely following the allrecipes recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-beef-pot-roast/
Only used 2.5 lb beef roast, USDA choice from wal-mart. I’m glad I did, any bigger, and it wouldn’t have fit! I did brown and cook vegetables beforehand, I did think it increased the umami and depth of savoriness. But I need to add more water next time, ~ 2 cups, because cooking the meat and veggies removes some water from cooking process.
Other links:
http://www.thekitchn.com/is-searing-meat-before-cooking-worth-the-extra-effort-47332
http://www.thekitchn.com/technique-how-b-19865
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/#MtDIxeYxOGfwzvMZ.97
INGREDIENTS:
|
1 (5 pound) bone-in beef pot roast
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, or as
needed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
|
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 medium carrots, cut into chunks
2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
|
| 1. | Generously season both sides of roast with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour over the top until well coated, and pat it into the meat. Shake off any excess. |
| 2. | Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Sear the roast on both sides for 5-6 minutes each, until well browned. Remove from the skillet and set aside. |
| 3. | Reduce the heat to medium and stir in mushrooms and butter; cook for 3-4 minutes. |
| 4. | Stir in onion; cook for 5 minutes, until onions are translucent and begin to brown. Add garlic, stir for about a minute. |
| 5. | Stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons flour; cook and stir for about 1 minute. Add tomato paste, and cook for another minute. |
| 6. | Slowly add chicken stock, stir to combine, and return to a simmer. Remove skillet from the heat. |
| 7. | Place carrots and celery in the slow cooker. Place roast over the vegetables and pour in any accumulated juices. Add rosemary and thyme. |
| 8. | Pour onion and mushroom mixture over the top of the roast. Cover slow cooker, turn to high and cook the roast for 5-6 hours, until the meat is fork tender. |
| 9. | Skim off any fat from the surface and remove the bones. Season with salt and pepper to taste. |
20160123 update
Cooked 3 lb chuck roast (also ideal for pot roast) with cabbage, onion, and salt. Tried some new methods:
Science of slow cooking meat:
http://www.scienceofcooking.com/meat/slow_cooking1.htm
https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/icooks/2-1-03article.html
https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/meat/INT-what-makes-juicy.html
tried salt meat and allowing to rest on cookie rack for 1 hour beforehand to flavor meat more thoroughly (also bring it to temperature better).
Tried using LOW for 6 hr. It worked well! I think I’ll make shredded beef like this from now on.
Low vs High:
Slow cookers just bring the pot to a simmer. The low vs high setting just changes the point at which the simmer point is reached. The simmer point is the time it takes to bring all the contents of your slow cooker just below the boiling point. It’s right around 209 degrees. On the low setting, the time it takes to reach the simmer point is around seven to eight hours. For the high setting, it takes around three to four hours.
http://www.crock-pot.com/blog/archive/2015/jun/what’s-the-difference-between-slow-cooking-on-low-vs.-high%3F.html#
For meat, it seems that maintaining the meat at a temp of 160 F is important to gelatinize the collagen, but at these temps, moisture is also lost from the meat. So, “low and slow” the way to go to break down meat in a slow cooker. Not sure about other methods of cooking. I have successfully used high before, I should try again to see if it makes a difference.
20160220 addendum
I think I have been overcooking the meat — I just tried slow cooking 3.5 lb of beef chuck again, but this time I did it on high for 5 hours (Per chef john recipe below http://allrecipes.com/recipe/220125/slow-cooker-beef-pot-roast/) — it is at that perfect texture where the meat falls off, but it is not dry. So, low and slow is good, but I need to have more experience to know how long to cook it.
For 3.5 lb beef chuck (preseared, vegetables cooked) 5 hours on high is good.
This was the best beef pot roast I’ve made– it was 3.5 lb beef chuck, preseared with mostly salt, and a little pepper. deglazed with mushrooms and butter, carrots, and then seasoned minimally with pepper and sliced garlic. I don’t like too many onions in a slow cook. This becomes umami heaven if it is not overcooked. I don’t like the idea of flour disrupting the maillard reaction.
Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast
-
Prep
-
Cook
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Ready In
Ingredients
- 1 (5 pound) bone-in beef pot roast
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, or as needed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 3 medium carrots, cut into chunks
- 2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Directions
- Generously season both sides of roast with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour over the top until well coated, and pat it into the meat. Shake off any excess.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Sear the roast on both sides for 5-6 minutes each, until well browned. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and stir in mushrooms and butter; cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in onion; cook for 5 minutes, until onions are translucent and begin to brown. Add garlic, stir for about a minute.
- Stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons flour; cook and stir for about 1 minute. Add tomato paste, and cook for another minute.
- Slowly add chicken stock, stir to combine, and return to a simmer. Remove skillet from the heat.
- Place carrots and celery in the slow cooker. Place roast over the vegetables and pour in any accumulated juices. Add rosemary and thyme.
- Pour onion and mushroom mixture over the top of the roast. Cover slow cooker, turn to high and cook the roast for 5-6 hours, until the meat is fork tender.
- Skim off any fat from the surface and remove the bones. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
addendum 20160309:
tried starting with the basics — cooked a 3.3 lb beef chuck roast with 3.5 tsp salt, and 1/2 cu water for 4 hours on high. Didn’t sear or add any seasonings. It was solid! My first taste was a bit dry, but after eating more and more, it was probably about as tender as it could have been, considering the cut of meat. Maybe I’ll try a similar experiment, using 7 hours on low.
addendum 20170620
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008_the_year_of_the_pot_roast/
Thick onion wedges were browned slightly seared USDA choice meat with salt and black pepper. deglazed pan with 287 mL of red wine. used 2 cups of better than bullion beef broth to barely cover the ~3 lb roast. Rosemary and bay leaf and a little salt. 4 hours on high. It was more akin to boiled beef, but still so very tender and delicious. Tasted a little wine-y. Maybe cut back a bit on the wine.