Pot roast recipe (crock pot) that is not chewy

[Mouseless2Long]

Easiest (and delicious!) recipe I've used is put the beef in the crock pot and dump a jar of pepperoncini's on top and let it cook on low until it's done (I usually do it in the morning before work and it's done when i get home. Crock pot is on low). I was so surprised the first time I had it, at how delicious it was.

 

[walkdmc]

Easiest (and delicious!) recipe I've used is put the beef in the crock pot and dump a jar of pepperoncini's on top and let it cook on low until it's done (I usually do it in the morning before work and it's done when i get home. Crock pot is on low). I was so surprised the first time I had it, at how delicious it was.

Mmmm....this sounds good. I love spicy foods. Does it come out spicy? What do you do with the finished meat?

 

[pamrob]

For beef, I agree with many others - chuck roast. Never had one of those get dry. They are more marbled with fat so they tend to cook up juicy. If I try another cut of roast I tend to end up with dry meat.

I have also had good luck with pork butt roasts. These are great for pulled pork.

 

[Mouseless2Long]

Mmmm....this sounds good. I love spicy foods. Does it come out spicy? What do you do with the finished meat?

I'm not big on spicy, so I use mild peppernocini's. I'm sure if you use hotter pepperoncini's you get more spice. Depends on what piece of beef I use. I usually just shred for sandwiches, but I have just eaten it plain.

 

[cey]

I never add as much liquid as the recipe calls for. If your roast is immersed in liquid it will tend to boil and that is what makes it super tough! You want a small amount of liquid on the bottom if any so the roast will slow cook and shred nicely! I use a small rack in my slow cooker which lifts the roast out of the liquid or else you can put a layer of potatoes and onions on the bottom which will do the same thing.

 

[Kellydelly]

I don't put any liquid on my roast nor do I brown it.
I buy the cheapest roast I can get put it in crockpot with carrots, potatos and onion put the lid on and 8 hours later I make some gravy from the juice in the bottom and it's great. My mom and grandma always said putting liquid on it is what makes it tough.

I cooked a roast in my crock last week with onion soup mix and 2 cups of water and it was falling apart tender (it was a chuck roast). I had it on low for about 8 hrs. I didn't mean to add that much liquid, the meat was swimming in it , but it didn't make it tough at all. I always put liquid in the crock with roast beef unless it's a frozen roast. Chicken, on the other hand always makes it's own juice. Sometimes I sear my beef roasts, sometimes I don't.

 

[KigerKat]

1 pkg. brown gravy mix
1 pkg. Italian dressing mix
1 cup of water
Mix these together and pour over the following:
Chuck roast (size depends on your crockpot)
Baby carrots
Potato chunks
Quartered sweet onion
Diced red bell pepper
Bay leaf
Salt, pepper, garlic salt to taste

Cook on low for 8 hours

 

[ekatiel]

The best pot roast I have ever had.

To Die For Pot Roast
hunk of beef
1 package dry Ranch dressing mix
1 package dry brown gravy mix (I get the low sodium kind)
1 package dry Zesty Italian dressing mix
1/2 cup water
add veggies/potatoes if you want.

Cook in crockpot on low all day.

It makes a fantastic gravy and the meat is always very tender

This is the recipe I use. MMMMMMMMM!!! I add carrots and potatoes around the roast. It's never been dry, and that gravy is SOOOO yummy! --Katie

 

[britfish]

SUCCESS!!! Thank you all so much! I did a combo of several of your suggestions. I ended up buying stew meat because the chuck roast was a very big piece of meat and very expensive.
I used the c /0 mushroom soup and the onion soup mix. I had a slight panic there wasn't going to be enough liquid so I ended up adding a can of undrained chopped tomatoes. I now know that wasn't necessary because there was tons of liquid when I came home today. I did cook it on low this time which was a big help.
Thanks again for all your input, I suppose it really is a matter of trial and error! Hubby loved it and DD loved, loved, loved the gravy!

 

[RweTHEREyet]

btt

 

[sweetmonkey]

You are making me want some roast!

I make roast fairly reguarly and I hated them until recently. Here is the thing I found: it is critical for me to sear and salt the meat prior to placing it in the crockpot. Otherwise, I get dry meat and all the juice ends up outside the meat, and not inside.

So, get your pan (on the stove top) ripping hot with about 2 T of oil (somthing that can take the heat- not olive with its lower smoke point). Add your patted dry roast and stand back and watch it for 6-8 min. I know. It seems like forever. Go start your crockpot warming. While one side of the roast is down, salt and pepper the other side liberally (probably 2 tsp or so). When the bottom side is very nicely browned, flip it over and repeat salting. Peel and quarter and onion, place it in the crockpot. Throw in 2-3 cloves chopped garlic. Let them rest on the bottom. Meanwhile back on the stove, turn off the heat and transfer the roast on top of the onions. Do not nestle it down against the bottom. You are finishing by braising it in the liquid. It will be floating and bathing, not sinking and drowning.

I use a can/package of mushrooms, 2 c of decently cheap red wine, and maybe 2-3c of water to deglaze the searing pan. (I like to think of this as precleaning ) Dump them in and run a wooden spoon around the bottom of the pan to loosen all the seared bits of flavor (frond) from the pan. Dump over the roast and leave it for several hours. I add potatos and carrots about an hour before serving or sometimes, I cook them separately - the horror!

That is it. Cooking time seems to vary by the crock pot and size of the roast, but generally 4-5 hours is enough for me. It is tender, juicy, and rich. Oh, and I remove it to slice and thicken the braising liguid into gravy just by adding a cornstarch slurry (2 T starch to 3-4 T water, stir well and dump into the liquid, stirring to incorporate.)

Makes really good left over sandwhiches!!!

 

[Muushka]

I didn't read all of the responses, but just thought I would add that I found my pot roasts and even chicken would sometimes be dry.

So I started paying close attention to how long I cook it and realized I was over cooking my meats! They are much better these days....

 

[shefor24]

This is THE quickest, best pot roast type recipe for the crockpot EVER.

1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch
1 packet McCormicks Peppercorn & Garlic
1 packet of Italian dressing

Thats it.
Mix these three packets with 2 cups of water, put the roast in and cook all day...delicious. It is awesome by itself, but also good with noodles like "beef and noodles". mmmm...

 

[goofyredraider]

I didn't read all of the responses, but just thought I would add that I found my pot roasts and even chicken would sometimes be dry.

So I started paying close attention to how long I cook it and realized I was over cooking my meats! They are much better these days....

This was my first thought also, because I've btdt many years ago. If it is tough or chewy, it is either over or undercooked.

I typically start with about 1.5 cups of water, add some pepper, sometimes some beef bouillon and chopped onion or minced,dry onion if I don't have any fresh. I put the roast in, and flip it over at some point so the other side is on the bottom for a while. I also make "cuts" in the meat to allow the broth to penetrate it. I'll move it around a bit every now and then, too. I add carrots and allow them to cook for a while...then I'll add either russet or red potatoes.
Mine always comes out wonderfully.
I do like the suggestions in this thread...I'm going to try out the ranch and coke methods at some point!

 

[MomiTo2SwtGuys]

You've got some good recipes so I won't provide a new one. But I will address the toughness issue. You really should brown the sides first and cook the roast on low. I use either Lipton Onion Soup mix or the McCormick's Bag n Season to fix my roasts and they both are good.

I second the browning. It seals in all the juices. After browning for a very short time on all sides, add to crock pot. And I always add a coke and a packet of lipton onion soup mix. Cover with water and cook on low for 6-7 hours. It is always falling apart and an amazing taste!

 

[luvmy3]

I always brown the meat before putting it in the crockpot and that helps alot. Also, even if the meat is sitting in liquid it can be overcooked and that will make it tough. I actually prefer to do my roasts in the oven, its just easier to get them perfect.

 

[pigletto]

Cook time and temp seems to be the issue for me. I had one the other day that was dryish and just the week before it had been perfect with the same recipe!

The first one I had cooked on the high setting on the crockpot for maybe 3.5 hours? The dry one had been on low for 6-7 hours. So even though I had always heard that it was better on low for a long time, it worked out much better on high for a shorter time. These we both smallish roasts too if that makes a difference.

 

[MichiganKris]

This is the recipe I use, except I use a crock pot. It always turns out excellent, tender and moist.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/cola-braised-pot-roast-recipe/index.html

 

[Green-bay]

Easiest (and delicious!) recipe I've used is put the beef in the crock pot and dump a jar of pepperoncini's on top and let it cook on low until it's done (I usually do it in the morning before work and it's done when i get home. Crock pot is on low). I was so surprised the first time I had it, at how delicious it was.

This is the one that I do all the time - so simple and so good!!!!

 

[angierae]

I never brown my meat. The secret really is buying a cheap cut of meat. The fat will dissolve and the meat will fall apart. I usually cook it on low from about 7:30am until I get home at 6 and it's never dried out, if anything, it's like a soup and I have to ladle all the meat out.