Tender Roast 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, it 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.
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.
Eat your heart out, Donald Trump.
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.
If you’d don’t have canned beef gravy you can use:
- 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.
Tender Roast and Veggies
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.
Google Recipe View Microformatting by ZipList Recipe Plugin
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.
Print This RecipeServe with iced tea and confidence that life is good!
*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.
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
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on Feb 17 2010. Filed under Crock Pot, Main Course, Quick&Easy.
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I’ve used this recipe over and over, it’s great! Thanks for sharing! I gave it a shout out on my facebook page today too, http://www.facebook.com/justalittlecreativity
Oh Wow! Thank you so much for the shout out Molly!! So glad to hear you liked it!
I am NOT a great cook, so forgive me if this question is stupid. Could you use pork instead of beef? I don’t eat beef, but would love to make this. Just wondering if it would taste good with pork and chicken gravy.
Thanks for your INCREDIBLE recipes!! (Oh! I love your cookbook and the stories in it! Brings back some great memories!
)
You sure could Allyson. You can even find a pork gravy occasionally. It is a little harder to find but look for it next time you go to the store.
I’ve looked at this recipe before and made it but I just now noticed the plates in the photos! We used those plates at my house growing up!
Cooked this today on low for 11 hours. I didn’t end up with as much “juice” as you and my veggies were still crunchy/hard and very dried out on the outside. What happened? I have turned it to high and I guess dinner will be ready at midnight.
My husband normally makes pot roast his way, but I made this today….I’m now in charge of always making it!! So yummy!
I am glad it was a hit Wendy!!
we had this last night, so good
Roast was my favorite as well. My grandma always made roast and homemade yeast rolls when I was coming for dinner. That is until I got married; then she made my husband’s favorite!
I thought you were supposed to put the veggies in first then the meat in crock pots, Just sayin.
Sometimes its best to kick the “supposed to” people out of your kitchen:) You’ll have a tender roast and veggies that aren’t moosh, and they can just eat at the restaurant down the street.
Cristy,
I love a good roast & potatoes (throw the carrots in for color, but done right I can actually eat them), but I have never been able to master a good tasting tender roast, like you said growing up this was a special meal. After signing on last week after a friends recomemdation I found this recipe and decided to try it on my family of 7 for Sunday night (this is the one night that I try to have all of my kids, ages 22 to 27). I did throw in the onion, the best roast I have ever cooked in my 30 something years of cooking. It was a big hit with my family so we will be doing this again.
I am really enjoying your website and I hope to get one of your cookbooks.
Thanks
Judy
Christy,
Have you ever heard of a dish called “hash”? My grandma lived in TN and when we would visit her she would always make roast, potatoes and carrots. Then the next day she used the left over roast and cooked up more potatoes and made hash, which was more like a soup. My sister and I want to make this, so I was curious if it it was something others in the south might have made or maybe it was just something she did.
Thanks!!
Yes! Mama made it all the time, it is a definite on my list of things to post about soon.
I am so excited. I can’t wait to get this recipe. My grandma passed away a long time ago and no one in my family knows how to make it. It seems simple, but we just didn’t know what she did. Thank you so much.
Oh my Heavens……. This dish was simply amazing. Few ingredients, crock pot cooking, house smells yummy….. Now cookbook ordered.
I made this recipe for dinner tonight. I bought the beef already cubed so all I had to do was open the package, peel and cut potatoes, drop in some baby carrots and dump in the jar of gravy! I laughed with my mom at how easy this was, saying that if it is good, it’s going to be my go to meal. Well, it is going to be my go to meal. YUMMY! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Don’t forget the Dale’s! I use Dale’s in pretty much everything including my roast!!
I have this cooking right now. It smells soooooo good. Winn Dixie had bottom round roast BOGO so I just HAD to make this..
I ordered your cookbook a few days ago so it should be here soon..I can’t wait!
Keep up the good work!
I do mine pretty similar. only difference is I add an envelope of lipton onion mix prefer beefy, but have tried others and tend to use baby carrots instead of chopped up carrots. Normally I can not stand veggies and eat them if they are chopped up fine enough in a meal, but this is the one meal where I usually have leftover meat for days while the veggies are gone before lunch the next day.
You know what? I have no earthly idea how my Mom used to make this since I was always at school when she made it! I’m thinkin’ she cooked ‘low & slow’ without a crockpot. Like you, Christy, it was one of my favorite meals and we could only afford to have it a couple times a year! I recall that she also cooked it with celery and chunks of onion, too! I wonder if she was shocked that I enjoyed all the vegetables! LOL But, the roast itself is what I loved the most! Anyway, I’m so glad that you have shared this recipe with us because it tastes just like what I remember! Thanks, Christy!!
This is by far the best and tastiest roast beef that I have ever ate!!!! I am 63 and still learning. Thank you so much Christy!!!!
I’m so excited:):)……I just put the roast in my crock pot…..!!! Cant wait to see if this is as easy as u say….so looking forward to supper tonight!!!! Tks…..:)
Thank you for this great recipe. My husband loved it.