Tender Pot Roast Recipe and Veggies – We’re Movin’ On Up!
Have you ever sat back and thought of what you would do differently if you ever came into some serious money? Mama used to do that a lot when we were little. She’d talk about how, if she ever won the lottery, she’d buy us all a house and a new car for each person. She never talked about anything for herself, she just wanted to be able to do more for us.
I’m not sure when I started thinking of what I’d do differently if I ever came into money, but it was never quite as grand as Mama’s vision – I think “coming into money” meant far different amounts for both of us. But I have said for some time now that if I ever got rich, I’d have pot roast once every week.
You see roast and potatoes has always been one of my very favorite meals and I have vivid memories of having it at home as a child, of my Grandmama and Grandaddy cooking it for me when I went to visit them, and of eating it at my Papa Reed’s farm. Folks always knew how much I loved it and the moment I walked in the door I knew by the smell what was for dinner. Adding in the carrots was just a wonderful treat too.
I know most people don’t see pot roast as a meal of luxury but having that much meat in one meal was always a treat for us. When we were little, it seemed like the roast just went on and on like Jesus with the fish and loaves.
Now, as the one doing the cooking, I can’t believe how incredibly simple it is to make the roast I loved so much as a child. I’ve been awfully busy lately with all of the wonderful opportunities in my life and I’ve relied more and more heavily on my slow cooker to help out with supper. Add to this that the grocery store down the road from my house always has the most lovely roasts each time I shop there and you know where I’m going with this!
I told my husband a few weeks back “Do you realize we’ve had roast each week here lately?”. He nodded and shrugged, clearly not understanding what this meant to me. I just smiled in return, knowing that I had achieved my own benchmark for living the life of the rich and famous.
For my roast, I keep it simple because I like simple.
Roast, potatoes, carrots, and beef gravy.
An onion would be an excellent addition and I’d gladly add that if everyone in my family except me hadn’t been dropped on their head as a child.
The KEY to having a moist and fall apart tender roast is not to cook it in water. The gravy helps tenderize the meat and makes it sooooo good when allowed to slow cook all day long.
What Can I Use If I Don’t Have Gravy Handy?
Cream soup (such as cream of mushroom)
Brown gravy made from a powdered mix
Now this big old honkin’ jar of gravy is WAY too much.
You see that can of gravy on the left? That is the size I normally use but I mistakenly got chicken gravy instead of beef – which would have worked every bit as well but I wanted beef and I tend to be a bit stubborn when I set my mind to something (shocking, I know) so I sent my husband after some beef gravy. He came back with this big old king kong sized jar of it. I only need ten ounces though so I’m not going to use it all.
When you go to buy your beef gravy, get one can of the cheap stuff and your roast will be delicious.
Place your roast in the bottom of a slow cooker. Peel and cut up your potatoes and add them as well.
I leave mine in pretty big chunks but you can do whatever cranks yer tractor here.
Peel and cut up your carrots and toss those in.
I usually add more but used what I had on hand.
Note: There is no specific quantity to this. Use five potatoes or ten potatoes, three carrots or seven carrots, it really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t even matter how big your roast is so long as it all fits in your slow cooker. You still only need one can of gravy because everything is going to produce it’s own juices as it cooks to go along with the gravy.
Pour in your gravy
(I’m only using half of that king kong jar)
Cook according to the following chart:
Low – 7-8 hours
or
High 3-4 hours
I like to cook mine the longest amount of time (four hours on high or eight on low) but you don’t have to.
It will be done and tender after the above times. Any longer you cook it will just make it even more tender.
See how much juice this made? This is after cooking on high for four hours.
Serve it up and wait on Robin Leach to show up at your door.
To read a little about these plates, click here.
What Kind Of Roast Should I Look For?
*Look for a roast that has a bit of marbling in it (the white parts, this is fat but marbling sounds so much nicer, doesn’t it?). The fat breaks down during slow cooking and helps to tenderize the meat even more, making for a yummmmy roast from an inexpensive cut of meat.
Ingredients
- 1 beef roast *
- potatoes
- Carrots
- Beef Gravy 10 ounce can
Instructions
- Place roast in bottom of slow cooker. Peel and cut up carrots and potatoes, place on top of Roast. Pour gravy over all and cover. Cook on low 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Try not to open the lid because it takes about twenty minutes to recover the heat if you do! Note: It doesn't matter how many potatoes or carrots you use, long as it all fits in your crock pot!
- I let my guests decide if they want to salt and pepper theirs.
There are a GAZILLION Ways to make roast in the slow cooker. I’ve tried many and love them all but this is my fallback standard.
I’d love to hear your favorite recipe in the comments section below!
I’ve decided that the stuff falling through the cracks is confetti
and I’m having a party!
-Betsy Cañas Garmon
Submit your quote or find some smiles and encouragement by clicking here.
Movin on up, to the eastside!
I’m loving this recipe Christy. It reminds me of your pot beef roast, which I made and it was fantastic.
This will be great when it’s cooler. I just find it hard to eat ‘heavier’ meals in this heat and you know it’s still summer here! 😉
Pot roast is one of my favorite things in the world to eat. If it’s cooked right and yours is cooked right. I do believe I know what we’re having for supper tomorrow as I happen to have two roasts in my freezer at the moment.
BEEF … it’s what’s for dinner!!!
I read this yesterday, and put everything in the crock pot last night. It cooked overnight … my commute and day are so long that I don’t like to crock going for that length of time. Overnight is just right.
My DH will heat it up tonight … All I have to do is walk in the door and enjoy! Hope you guys do too … Luv ya Christie! 🙂
I think we all use similar recipes based on what I’ve seen here so far. Mine is 1 pkt of onion soup mix, one can cream of celery soup, 1 cup of beef broth, and (THE ULTIMATE *SECRET* INGREDIENT). . . 1/2 C. steak sauce. It adds SO. MUCH. flavor!!! I also do the veggies on the bottom (no reason why, just how my Mom did it) and do pearl onions, celery, carrots, and potatoes. And now I am going to have to make it, because I almost always have a roast in the freezer and it sounds good for tomorrow night’s dinner!
Your mom & I cook alot alike, I am a southern lady too, from Louisiana. All of you Northern, Eastern and Western people need to try this recipe. IT IS DELICIOUS!!!!
P.S. Christy, I love your cookbook. I ordered it before it hit the book stores. It is one of my favorite cookbooks (and I have around 100 different cookbooks). As you can tell, I Love to cook!
Hello Everyone! Guess it’s time to introduce myself. My name is Lori and I live in Ky. I have been lurking around for about a week now. I could hardly tear myself away from the computer after stumbling on this site! I immediately fell in love with the site, Christy’s stories and the recipes….and I love reading all the comment and input recipes from everyone else. There are wonderful suggestions shared here.
Mmmmm…mmm…mmmm!!! Roast and potatoes sounds SO good!!! It has always been one of my favorite meals. Most of the time, my roast just gets thrown in the crockpot with a little water and some onion soup mix, or cut up onion and celery and seasoning, but the recipe below is my very most favorite that my mom and grandmother fixed when I was growing up. It is kind of an “in general” recipe, but I believe most people can make it work for them.
Mom’s Beer Roast
Salt both sides of roast and place in an electric skillet. Add chopped onion, 2 slices of bacon and chopped celery. Brown meat on both sides before adding remaining ingredients. Pour 1 can of beer over roast. Cover and cook at 350 degrees. Water or another beer can be added if more liquid is needed. Cook until meat is tender. Potatoes and carrots can be added for last hour of cooking.
LORI’s here ya’ll!! Lori’s here!!! Yipppppeeee.
This Southern GA girl is sure glad you found this food/family/fun kind of place called Southern Plate. Welcome to SP! So many of us SP folks are good friends and some of us chat daily on FB. Christy’s posts pulled me in immediately too just 2 1/2 months after she started the website. Having lost my mother in my teens, my confidence in my cooking ability was sorely lacking. Her Southern recipes, comical and simple how-to’s plus stories of traditions filled up my cup and it ran over. She is now a treasured friend too. (Thanks Christy for all you do!)
My family and I went to Harlan KY a couple of years ago for a week-long Youth Group mission trip and the mountains & countryside were stunning. Please let us know what recipes you try and which ones are your fav’s, KY gal. Buh-bye.
pssst, we all hope you will sign up for Southern Plate’s facebook. See ya there.
Well, I saw this and had to get the stuff at Publix to make it. I asked the meat guy what cut I needed he gave me a package and I went on my way. AFTER I checked out I realized the was $31 for 2 pounds! I about died! I thought pot roast was cheap cuts of meat. What kind of cut did you get?
Wow, Allie! I don’t think you bought pot roast at that price. I would say something to the manager of that store, especially if you asked for a pot roast. Sounds like you got a tenderloin (filet mignon is cut from it) which you would not be cooking like a pot roast. You can usually buy pot roasts in this neck of the woods (IL) for $1.99 – 2.49/lb. on sale.
I forgot to add, next time ask or look for a chuck roast and make sure there aren’t a lot of large sections of fat.
It is labeled rib eye roast. When I asked the meat guy I was asking about the chuck 7 bone roast as it was on sale. He then handed me the rib eye and said it would be tender and good as a pot roast. I really just started cooking this year and I ask the managers because they are supposed to know this stuff. We don’t have butcher shops around here so Publix wins. I will go and get a chuck roast in the morning and use the rib roast for something fancy and just food saver it. Thank you for the suggestion- $2/lb is more what I was looking to spend!
Hi Allie, if you have not cooked that rib eye roast yet, I would be taking it right back. You were way over charged on it. Please make sure the manager knows about it. They may refund you and give you a gift card or something. It is worth letting them know about it.
I agree fully w/ Tracy’s idea about returning it and telling the mgr. That is a lot of money for a roast!
Allie, I agree with the others. That price is still a little high for what you got. Take it back to Publix, stop at the service desk and ask for the store manager. Explain and he or she will make it right. If not, contact the home office. I’ve only had one problem with Publix, and that’s the only store I shop in besides Sam’s, and I contacted the home office. (It also helps that I live in the town the home office is in). Publix prides itself on customer service, and they will make it right.
Cream of mushroom soup is my standard gravy base for pot roast and I pour/mix in a bit of Kitchen Bouquet to add some color. Hasn’t failed me yet. I have 2 pot roasts in my freezer. I know what I will be making REAL soon. 😀 You are such an inspiration.