Pot roast in a crock pot

My grandfather made this with a (single serving) can of V8 and the can filled again with red wine. I hate having to buy an ingredient like V8 that I only use for one recipes so I use another flavorful liquid that's more readily available around my house, beer. Since he worked in a brewery I think he might have enjoyed this version too.

Pot roast as a cut of meat is odd. It is the cheapest cut available because it is made up of a lot of different individual muscles and so has a lot of connective tissue. To make it edible we have to cook it with low, moist heat for a long time. Long past the point of "done" and to where the connective tissue falls apart leaving the individual muscle fibers. The benefit is that this long cooking gives us a rest from the dangers of overcooking and is is a great chance to infuse the meat with flavors. I use a crock-pot to achieve this type of cooking. Alton Brown wraps the meat and juice in a double-layer of aluminum foil in the oven, my grandfather made it a casserole with a tight fitting lid in the oven at 250F.

I used to make pot roast with potatoes and carrots right in it but I discovered I didn't like how everything came out tasting the same, so now I cook them separately (look for their recipes later). Most recipes call for browning the meat over high-heat before the cooking begins. I do and don't alternatively, it just depends on how long I'm leaving it in the crock pot. My rule is that if I'm cooking it on low (12-14 hours) I don't bother but if I'm cooking it on high (5-6 hours) I'll brown it first.

1 pot roast (2-4 lbs, more depending on the size of your crock-pot)
4 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion
1-2 bottles of your favorite beer-anything that isn't "light" (Or 12-20 oz of Beef Broth)
salt and pepper

Slice onions and thinly and put in the bottom of the crock. Rub the meat with salt and pepper. If you are going to brown it rub with high-smoke point oil (like safflower) and brown 30-45 seconds per-side in a pre-heated pan over high-heat. Place the meat on top of the onions and garlic in the crock. Pour beer over everything. Don't worry if the beer doesn't cover the meat right away, the onions will soften and the meat will release juices and wind up covered in broth. Set your crock-pot on high for 5-6 hours or low for 12-14 (great if you're going to be out all day and then need to feed people). ALternatively you can put this is a tightly covered oven-proof cassarole at 250F for 5 hours. Now take a fork a poke the meat. If it feels stiff or hard put the cover back on and wait half an hour. You want all the connective tissue to disintegrate so look for meat that falls apart when poked. The idea is to get something that holds together just until touched by a fork at the table.


Ready to go!


Half-way through cooking and the broth now covers well. Looks a little blah but smells great!


There's that falling-apart texture we want!


After the meat is cooked I remove the meat to a plate, strain broth into a bowl, replace the meat into the crock pot and turn the crock pot to warm or low, top with the onions, garlic and meaty bits you strained out the broth. Make gravy from the broth if you would like and then pour back on top of the meat and onions. This will wait indefinitely for people to eat it. I serve this with potatoes and some kind of hearty vegetable like carrots or winter squash.