Crock-Pot® pot roast is a dish that involves cooking a beef pot roast in a slow cooker, which is also known as a Crock-Pot®. Commonly paired with vegetables and a broth or gravy, Crock-Pot® pot roast is usually cooked throughout the day while the cook is out of the house attending to other tasks. The low heat and long cooking time help to make a tough cut of meat become much more tender. The main benefit of making a Crock-Pot® pot roast is that the roast and vegetable side dishes will be ready and waiting at the end of a work day.
The cooking method of low heat and extended cooking time aids in the breakdown of the connective tissue that makes certain cuts of meat tough and chewy. Many beef pot roast cuts can benefit from this style of cooking, which aids in providing the diner with a more tender and juicier main dish at meal time. When preparing Crock-Pot® pot roast, the vegetables, typically potatoes, carrots and onion, are allowed to absorb much of the flavor of the roasting beef as well as to impart the vegetable flavor into the roast, as well. Occasionally, a light flour and water mixture can be stirred into the Crock-Pot® pot roast to create a thick gravy that can be spooned over the meat and vegetables or simply sopped up with a biscuit or bread.
A variety of spices can be added into the Crock-Pot® pot roast to add flavor. Garlic, pepper and salt are common, however, other spices, such as cayenne pepper, jalapeno peppers and smoked paprika, can add a little heat to the dish. Vegetable options for the Crock-Pot® pot roast can run from peas and turnips to corn and green pepper. Using a variety of vegetables is one way to include local and seasonal offerings, as well as to add a bit of color to the dish.
The best results are often found when the beef is browned in a stove-top skillet on high heat prior to placing the pot roast into the slow cooker. The browning seals in some of the meat's juices and helps to provide flavor as the dish cooks. As with most meat dishes, Crock-Pot® pot roast should be rested for approximately five to 10 minutes before slicing and serving. The resting allows any of the juices to be redistributed throughout the beef, resulting in a typically juicy Crock-Pot® pot roast.