Pot Roast Perfection: Slow Cooker Timing Tips

A pot roast is a hearty, delicious, and comforting meal. It's a dish that can be left cooking while you're out and about, filling your home with mouth-watering aromas and providing a tasty treat to look forward to at the end of a long day. But how long is too long to leave a pot roast in the slow cooker?

Prepping the night before

If you want to get a head start on your slow cooker pot roast, there are several steps you can take the night before to make the next day's cooking a breeze. Firstly, gather and prepare all your ingredients. Wash and peel your vegetables, and cut your potatoes and carrots into halves or thirds of equal size. You can also peel and smash your garlic cloves, and cut your onions into wedges or slices. However, it is not advisable to cut up your potatoes until right before you are ready to cook, as this can affect their texture.

Next, you can make the spice rub by combining salt, pepper, and garlic powder, or other seasonings of your choice. Massage this mixture onto all sides of the roast. You can also sear the roast at this point, or leave it until the next day. If you choose to sear the night before, heat some olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the roast, and cook for 2-5 minutes on each side until browned.

If you have seared the meat, you can then deglaze the pan. To do this, add some beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and rosemary to the pan and cook for about 15 seconds to a minute, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

At this point, you can place the roast, vegetables, and liquid into your slow cooker, cover it, and store it in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, simply turn on your slow cooker and let it cook for 8-10 hours on low or 5-6 hours on high.

If you prefer not to assemble the entire dish the night before, you can still save time by prepping the individual ingredients. Cut and store your vegetables in one container, and combine your spice rub in another, ready to be applied to the roast in the morning.

Browning the meat

If you decide to brown the meat, it is important to do so evenly. To achieve this, ensure the meat is dried with paper towels and seasoned with salt and pepper before placing it in the skillet. Avoid overcrowding the pan to allow the meat to brown evenly. This process should take around 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Additionally, dusting the meat with a small amount of flour before browning can add body to the dish and help thicken the sauce. If you are using ground meat, browning it beforehand is especially beneficial as it prevents the meat from clumping together and reduces the amount of grease in the final dish.

While browning the meat does require an extra step and more cleanup, it can significantly improve the flavour and overall quality of your pot roast.

Making gravy

Using Drippings or Stock

The secret to making gravy from scratch is to use drippings from roast beef. If you don't have any drippings, you can use beef stock or broth. You can even freeze drippings and thaw them to make gravy later.

Thickening Gravy

There are several ways to thicken gravy. One way is to make a roux, which is a mixture of equal parts flour and butter or other fat. Slowly whisk the roux into your gravy, and it will thicken perfectly. Another option is to use cornstarch. Mix cornstarch with water to make a slurry, and then pour it into the gravy, whisking until combined. You can also use cornflour in the same way as cornstarch.

Adding Flavour

You can add extra flavour to your gravy by mixing in caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, dried or fresh herbs, or even cranberry sauce. If you're making gravy to go with a holiday roast, you can add some leftover juices from the turkey after it has rested.

Slow Cooker Gravy Recipes

Basic Beef Gravy

Ingredients:

• 2 cups leftover broth from Slow Cooker Roast or beef stock
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Pour the broth into a slow cooker and set to high heat.
• In a pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.
• Whisk the flour into the melted butter and cook until combined and starting to bubble.
• Slowly pour the hot broth into the flour mixture, whisking well.
• Once smooth, pour the mixture into the slow cooker with the remaining broth.
• Cover and cook over high heat until thickened, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Uncover and allow to cool slightly, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Creamy Onion Gravy

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup water
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

• In your slow cooker, combine the diced onion and olive oil.
• Heat until the onion is slightly tender.
• Stir in the flour, continuing to heat and stir.
• Add the water, buttermilk, salt, and pepper.
• Cover and heat on high for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours or on low for 5 to 8 hours.

White Wine Turkey Gravy

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry white wine
• 5 cups turkey drippings
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary

Directions:

• Use a fine mesh sieve to drain the turkey drippings into your slow cooker.
• Set aside one cup of the drippings in a small bowl.
• Add the white wine, rosemary, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker.
• Heat on high for about 1 1/2 hours to cook off the alcohol.
• Whisk the cornstarch into the bowl of turkey drippings.
• Add the mixture to the slow cooker, cover, and heat on high for another half-hour until the gravy thickens.
• Stir in salt to taste.

Mushroom Gravy Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 package button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 6 tablespoons white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

• In a medium skillet, combine the butter, shallots, and garlic. Cook and stir for about 3 minutes.
• Add the mushrooms and rosemary to the skillet and cook until done.
• Transfer the mushroom mixture to your slow cooker.
• Add the white wine and heavy cream, stir, cover, and heat on low for about 30 minutes or until thickened.

Reheating and storing leftovers

Leftover pot roast will last in the refrigerator for up to four days if stored in an airtight container. You can also freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to three months. Let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

There are several ways to reheat pot roast. You can transfer the roast to a baking dish, cover it with foil, and reheat it in an oven set to 300 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through. Alternatively, you can reheat it in a pan on the stove or in the microwave. If the meat seems too dry when reheating, add some beef broth to moisten it.

You can also get creative with your leftovers. Try shredding the leftover pot roast and stirring it into pasta, filling tacos or enchiladas, or piling it on top of a hoagie roll with lettuce and tomato. Use the leftover drippings as a dip for beef sandwiches or as a base for a quick gravy.

If you have leftover vegetables and gravy but no roast, you can sauté some onions and celery in a pot, chop the leftovers into spoonful-size pieces, add them to the pot along with any cooking liquid and gravy, and thin the mixture if necessary. You now have a beef stew!

If you have leftover roast but no vegetables, you can cook extra potatoes and onions in buttermilk, puree them into a soup, shred the leftover pot roast, and add it to the pureed potato soup. Top with freshly cut chives.

Best cuts of meat

The best cut of meat for a pot roast in a slow cooker is the chuck roast. This is a tougher cut of meat that takes time to break down, but it is also one of the more flavourful and affordable options. Chuck is cut from the shoulder and neck region of the animal and may also be labelled as a shoulder steak, boneless chuck roast, or chuck shoulder pot roast. It is slightly fattier than brisket or round, giving it a richer taste, but it is also higher in saturated fat.

Chuck is a popular choice for pot roasts because it becomes meltingly tender when cooked for hours at a low temperature. It is also an economical cut of beef that is marbled with fat, which needs to be slow-cooked to break down the tough connective tissues. This results in ultra-tender meat.

Other cuts that can be used for pot roast include the brisket and the round. Brisket is cut from the breast or lower chest of the animal and is best sliced against the grain for maximum tenderness. Round is the leanest of the three cuts and has a fine grain, making it great for slicing, but it lacks the beefy flavour of chuck and brisket.

Frequently asked questions