Crock-pot Pot Roast

Okay. Moment of truth here. Get ready. When Duke and I got married, I had no idea how to cook. I could bake. I've actually always preferred to bake anyways. But a girl has to cook sometime, right? At least a little bit. I grew up in a house where my mom can cook two things really well: spaghetti and a frozen pizza. Oh geez, is she going to be mad. Sorry Mom, but I spilled the beans. But it's okay. You have other things you're good at. But we'll save those for later.

Back to business. I search for recipes online a whole lot. Basically, my goal is be a domestic goddess. Wait, that's a little ridiculous. Alright. I at least want to be the best wife I can be. My husband takes care of me and lets me stay home (for now, anyway), so the least I can do is try to have something yummy on the table for dinner. On my search for recipes, I discovered the Pioneer Woman. Oh my goodness. She is AMAZING! I love looking through her recipes and her blog. The woman is practically a genius. I made a pot roast from a kit in the frozen section of the grocery store when I first moved here. Wow---that may have been our first real meal! Anyways, it was not great. The potatoes were sort of yucky and the meat was bleh. So, I began the quest for the perfect pot roast. I found the Pioneer Woman's recipe and adapted it to make it my own. Trust me, I'm no Pioneer Woman, but this is delicious. Duke and I enjoyed it so much, that I posted it on "Tasty Kitchen," which is the Pioneer Woman's online recipe community. (If you haven't been on there, go check it out. Thousands of amazing recipes!)

Here is my crock-pot pot roast recipe:

Ingredient list:

• 2 stalks Celery
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2-½ pounds Beef Chuck Roast
• Coarse Black Pepper, Kosher Salt And Garlic Powder, To Taste
• 1 whole White Onion
• 6 whole Carrots
• 1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Low Sodium Beef Broth
• 1 package (1 Oz. Size) Dry Onion Soup Mix
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• ¼ cups A-1 Steak Sauce
• ¾ cups Water
• 2 sprigs Thyme
• 3 sprigs Parsley

Directions:


Chop celery stalks into one inch pieces. (If the pieces are longer, it’s harder to eat the celery once it’s cooked because it gets sort of stringy.) Set aside.

Heat a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. (Be careful if the oil starts to pop as it heats.) I actually put on safety goggles for this. Sad. But True.

Generously add salt, pepper and garlic powder to both sides of the roast. (If you prefer to add fresh garlic into the crockpot instead, that’s fine, too.) I use a whole lot of coarse black pepper.

Peel the onion then cut it in half from the root to the tip. I like to use white onions because they are sweeter. (You could always use more onions if you want). Cut both of the ends of the onion off. Once the oil in the pan gets hot, stick the onions in there. The goal is to get some really nice dark color on the onions. It’ll make a big difference in the end flavor and presentation. Brown all sides of the onion halves then move them to a plate or bowl.

Wash the carrots really well and cut them into two inch pieces. (I don’t peel mine. I like the texture of an unpeeled carrot.) Stick the carrots in the hot pan with the olive oil until they develop a nice darker color on one side. Move the carrots aside to a plate or bowl.

You may have to add a bit more olive oil to the hot pan—make sure there’s some in there to sear the roast. Place the roast in the pan for about a minute or two on each side to brown it. When finished, move the roast into the crockpot.

Now, add about 1/2 can of the beef broth into the hot pan with any remaining oil. Also add the dry onion soup mix, Worcestershire sauce, and A-1 sauce. Turn the heat up until the mixture bubbles a bit. Grab a whisk and deglaze all that yummy stuff from the bottom of the pan. Remove mixture from heat.
Add carrots, celery and onion on top of the roast in the crockpot. Add the remaining 1/2 can beef broth, 3/4 cup water, and all of the liquid from the hot pan.

Add the sprigs of thyme and the leaves from the parsley sprigs on top of everything. Dried thyme and parsley is fine as well.

Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 7 hours. Smells great, right? I like to serve this pot roast with garlic mashed potatoes. Yummm.

If you are a member of Tasty Kitchen, you can get a printer-friendly version of this recipe here.
Or go here to see what Tasty Kitchen is all about! :)

I hope you'll try this recipe. If you do, please leave me a comment. :)