Perfect Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Happy Monday! Did you enjoy the big game? I fell asleep after eating waaaay too many chips and queso as well as stuffing myself with my delicious (if I do say so) buffalo dip. I am not much of a football fan but I am 100% about the snacks! We have had so much snow in the past week in CT. I had all kinds of plans and frankly tossed them all, cozied up by the fire and read a book (After the War). As it was a lazy kind of weekend, I also had the good sense to make my perfect slow cooker pot roast which takes all of ten minutes to prep and then cooks all day making the house smell delightful and come dinner time – you have a delicious meal all cooked.
History of pot roast at the SB house
Apparently pot roast has been a staple in our family for decades. My grandmother made it every Sunday evening. My mom did too more often than not. I tried using the family recipe but if I am being honest, I must have done something wrong as it came out terrible (Mr. SB told me that, “he had limits”…when I served it to him). So after fiddling around with my slow cooker, I created this easy recipe which I have been making for at least ten years. It literally comes out perfect every time. It hardly qualifies as a recipe (as it is so simple to make) but you would not know it by the results. I think the secret is a bit of red wine and some rosemary both of which add so much flavor.
Steps to making perfect slow cooker pot roast
The first step is a good quality piece of beef. If you have been reading my blog for some time, you know I am a fan of Walden Local for grass fed beef from local New England farms. Pot roast at the supermarket is often called pot roast. Other cuts of meat that work are bottom round, round roast – really any of the less expensive, thick cuts of beef.
Root vegetables work so well with this too. I love turnips, potatoes and carrots. You will want to slice them all about the same thickness for the best results. Turnips and whole carrots are usually thin enough that I slice them in half lengthwise and then cut them again so I have four pieces from the original vegetable.
A few notes on the ingredients
The recipe calls for cream of mushroom soup too. I use the Pacific brand or Trader Joe’s as both brands are simply cream, mushrooms and salt. I recommend reading labels carefully if you go the standard supermarket route as some brands contain a great deal of preservatives. Perfect slow cooker pot roast also calls for a packet of onion soup. I like Simply Organics for a good brand (again without dozens of ingredients I can not pronounce!).
Lastly, a small tip is to lightly grease the slow cooker for easy clean up. I like to use Choice Foods spray avocado oil.
Grab a loaf of fresh bread and an easy salad and dinner is done!
Perfect Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Equipment
- Slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 3 to 4 pound Beef roast (chuck roast, pot roast, bottom round or other large, lean cut of beef)
- 1 Container Cream of mushroom soup (see notes above on brands)
- 1 Packet Dried onion mix (I like Simply Organics brand)
- 4 Carrots Cut in half vertically and then again in half
- 4 Parsnips Prepare as you do with the carrots above
- 1/4 Cup Dry red wine
- 1 Tbsp Dried rosemary leaves, crushed
Instructions
- Combine cream of mushroom soup, soup mix, dried rosemary, red wine and stir. Place mixture in the slow cooker (you may want to coat the slow cooker with a thin spray of oil for easy clean up).
- Place roast on top of mixture and turn to coat so that all sides are lightly covered.
- Place sliced vegetables around roast (I like to coat those too in the soup mixture).
- Cook for 8 to 9 hours. Enjoy with a green salad and a fresh loaf of bread if you like.