Dinner’s in the slow cooker, easy beef recipe

While the world slept through the early hours of Sunday morning, I dragged my butt hopped out of bed to get lunch in the crock pot. Now, I usually have this all prepped so I don’t have to get up so early on a Sunday but Jason was making a huge batch of something else the night before so I lost the stove.

I made a pot roast with a very inexpensive cut of round roast (labeled London Broil) to be ready when we came home from church.

My recipe is below. Note that it calls for soup. I no longer use any store bought condensed soups. They are packed with sodium, MSG, chemicals and other stuff I don’t want, plus they are expensive, so I have started making my own and freezing them in pints. I will share that recipe soon!

My measurements are a bit rough as a) it was still very dark out and my body thinks I should be hibernating, and b) my coffee hadn’t kicked in. But it’s the crock pot. You can wing it a bit.

Note: it could also be made in a Dutch Oven. Make it stove top, put the lid on and put it in the oven for a few hours. Just check it when a thermometer when done.

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 6 hours, low heat in slow cooker

Recipe:

3 lb round roast or any inexpensive cut of beef, cut into 2 or 3 pieces.
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp flour seasoned with garlic powder and pepper
1 cup red wine
1-½ cups beef broth
1 can of condensed mushroom soup (or homemade)
1 can of condensed celery soup (or homemade)
½ onion, sliced (chunky)
½ lb baby carrots
Salt, pepper, mix of herbs (example, thyme, oregano)

1. Smother the meat with the seasoned flour. In a cast iron skillet or dutch oven, heat the oil and add the meat. On a low heat, brown all sides. Transfer to the crock pot (or in a bowl if cooking in the dutch oven).
2. Add the onion, brown lightly then transfer it to the pot. Add the carrots on top.
3. De-glaze the skillet with the wine.
   This is just a fancy way of saying, pour the wine into the hot skillet and use a wooden spoon to un-stick and mix in all the grungy stuff off the bottom.
4. Add the stock and soups, and 1 – 2 tsp of choice of herbs. Stir well.
5. Pour the whole mix over the meat & veg mix.
   Make sure the meat is completely covered, with the crock pot approx 1/2  – 3/4 full.
6. Set on low for 6-7 hours.
7. When done, if the liquid is still too runny for a gravy, scoop it out with a ladle and simmer on stove. Thicken with a little flour if needed, and now’s the time to add a little more seasoning if needed.
8. Add back to the pot, break up the meat with forks.
9. Serve with mashed potatoes or other seasonal veg.

Enjoy!

What’s your favorite way to prepare inexpensive cuts of beef?