Usually when I make pot roast I make it in the oven and top it with beef broth and an array of vegetables – potatoes, carrots, onions, & green beans. Invariably though while the gravy turns out delicious, the meat is on the dry side. Enter my slow cooker. The answer to juicy fall of the bone meat every time.
To begin, I sprinkled a 4 pound chuck roast with a generous amount of Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. I then coated it with flour and browned it in an oil-coated skillet over medium-high heat. Next I transferred it to the inset of my slow cooker and topped it with carrots, celery, onions and mashed garlic.
In the same skillet I used to brown the meat I made gravy using tomato paste, beef broth, red wine, bay leaves, fresh thyme, allspice, salt and pepper.
Once the gravy had thickened slightly I poured it over the meat and vegetables and set the slow cooker to cook on low for 8 hours.
After 8 hours I removed the roast from the slow cooker and placed it in a pan.
And I mixed the gravy and vegetables with some chopped parsley.
The meat was so tender that instead of slicing it it was better to shred it using two forks. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures as I was too eager to dig in and enjoy it. But, take my word; it was DELISH and incredibly tender.
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Ingredients:
1 4lb beef chuck roast
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup flour, plus more for coating
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 stalk celery, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
3 garlic cloves, mashed
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
3 cups low-sodium beef broth
3 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup loosely packed parsley, chopped
Directions:
Sprinkle the roast with 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of pepper. Coat in flour and shake off any excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add the roast and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes Turning as needed. Transfer the roast to the insert of a slow cooker, along with the carrots, celery, onions and garlic.
Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet over medium heat. Add the tomato paste and stir until the oil begins to turn brick-red, about 1 minute. Add the flour and wine and whisk until thick – there may be some lumps. Add the beef broth, bay leaves, thyme, allspice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and bring to a simmer, whisking, until the gravy is smooth and thickens slightly, about 4 minutes.
Pour the gravy into the slow cooker over the roast and vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours – the roast and vegetable should be tender.
Remove the roast and let rest for a few minutes. Discard the thyme stems and strain the vegetables, reserving the gravy. Toss the vegetables with half the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Stir the remaining parsley into the gravy and season with salt and pepper. Slice the roast against the grain. If the meat is too tender you can opt to shred it using two forks. You can serve the meat and vegetables on a platter, moistening them with some of the gravy and serve the remaining gravy on the side.
Recipe from The Food Network
Bead Yarn & Spatula 