Pot roast is one of those recipes that can seem daunting to beginner cooks. It’s such a big chunk of meat that requires a lot of care to get it to that super-tender consistency that makes your mouth water. But according to Ree Drummond, pot roast can actually be made simple when you ditch the Dutch oven and opt for a crockpot. She also uses one ingredient that you wouldn’t expect from a pro chef (browning sauce), but it makes the dish come together a lot easier.
“Slow Cooker Pot Roast…with a controversial ingredient, but I don’t like to sear/brown things before I cook them in a slow cooker! I think it defeats the whole purpose,” Drummond wrote in a recent caption.
“Biggest misconception among pot roast newbies is that if their pot roast is tough, it’s overcooked,” she continued. “Actually, the opposite is true! If it’s tough, it hasn’t cooked long enough, so just keep cooking it low and slow until those connective tissues finally soften and the meat is fall-apart tender. Sure, you can make a gourmet, complex pot roast in a Dutch oven and take the sauce/gravy in different directions after it cooks, but there’s something so simple and wonderful about a slow cooker pot roast, especially when life is busy.”
To make Drummond’s crockpot pot roast, you first start by adding your chuck roast to the slow cooker before the thing is even turned on. You can salt and pepper your chuck roast on both sides before adding to heighten the flavor. Next, add chunks of carrots and onions, whole cloves of garlic, tomato paste, a splash of red wine, beef broth, and the controversial browning sauce to give a bit of color and thicken the final product. You should also add some fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme if you have them. If not, the dried variety will work great, too.
“You have to cook the pot roast until it absolutely falls apart,” Drummond says in her video. “It could take five hours. It could take eight hours. If it’s tough, you haven’t cooked it long enough, so just keep cooking it in 30-minute intervals until it shreds.”
You then return the shredded meat to the cooking sauce and keep your crockpot on warm until it’s time to eat. Drummond likes to serve her pot roast over mashed potatoes instead of cooking the potatoes in with the meat, which creates a delightful stew-like meal.
“There’s nothing better than good pot roast,” Drummond says. Grab her full recipe here to add to your fall and winter menu if you agree.
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