Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Baked meat, dry meat, slow cooked meat. However you prepare it, as long as it's good flavorful chicken or meat my son will eat it. One of his favorites is Pot Roast. I know, you're probably thinking, how in the world does her 5 yr old son even know what pot roast is? And the answer to that is, I needed my picky eater to not be so picky.
Believe it or not, the boy didn't start eating meat 'til he was about 3.5 yrs old. He pretty much hated anything with texture. I had tried everything, and the only thing that worked was getting him in the kitchen to cook with me. We're still working on those fruits and veggies but he definitely has come a long way. One things for sure, he's definitely a carnivore like his dad. The slow cooker became my best friend, and my little boy quickly realized and started to appreciate the outcome to his cooking...pot roast being his favorite!
We start with 2lbs of a boneless beef chuck (shoulder) roast. You can use any cut you'd like but chuck has a good 20% of fat ratio to 80% of meat, so make sure you get a meat piece that has some fat to keep it moist. After you've washed and thoroughly patted your beef dry, you just want to season the outside of the meat liberally with salt/pepper, your favorite bbq dry rub (I use a local butcher brand) and chili powder (optional) for a kick.
**Make sure you completely dry your meat so you can get a nice sear on it.
Now you want to sear it in a tablespoon of olive oil on all sides, to form a nice crust. I have a slow cooker with a cook top setting, but if you don't you can just sear it in a pan and then transfer to your slow cooker. Don't have a slow cooker? No problem! Just follow the steps in a big pot. :)
Once you've got a nice sear on all sides of your meat, toss in some finger red potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions...my 3 year old took tossing literally!
Then just add a cup of liquid. We're using beef broth, but you can use water/chicken broth, if you don't have beef broth on hand. Now, just cover it, set your slow cooker on low heat and adjust your timer. The time varies a little on your meat and your slow cooker. Mine took 4.5 hours, but you're looking at anywhere between 4 to 5 hours to get a nice, juicy, tender piece of meat.
**If you're using a pot just keep your stove heat on a low 2 and let it cook covered for the same allotted time.
After about 4.5 hours it means, you get this!
To my 5 year old it means, lets eat!
A luscious, juicy, tender pot roast with a side of sweet veggies. My favorite part is making sandwiches with the left overs the next day! ;) Stay tuned for the sandwich recipe coming soon and be sure to let me know how you liked the pot roast! :) Recipe Printable!
