Grandma's Crockpot Roast

My grandmother has always made a magnificent roast in her crockpot whenever the family is over for supper. It's tender, tastes wonderful, comes with a gravy that's perfect for rice, and almost tastes even better the next day as leftovers. The recipe isn't complicated, but here it is so that I don't forget.


Grandma's Crockpot Roast

Boneless chuck roast, between 3 and 3 1/2 lbs (this works best if you get your grocer to cut it for you while you wait. I find that asking them to cut you one generally gets you a good quality roast, and you want one that's thicker than the ones my grocer generally sells pre-packaged.)
1 large sweet onion, cut into 1 inch or 1 1/2 inch wedges
1/2 lb baby carrots
1 lb red potatoes, washed and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
2 cups beef stock
3 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
Optional: 3 bay leaves, or 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Flour or cornstarch for thickening

Begin by salting and peppering the meat on both sides. Be generous with the salt here, because for a 3 lb roast that's a lot of meat for it to season. If you're really on the ball, you can season the meat up to a day in advance, and let it sit in the fridge to soak in for a while before you cook. If you're like me and usually don't think that far ahead, it's no big deal.

Next heat about 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. When the oil is hot, brown the roast on all sides (I usually cook it for about 3-4 min per side, and less time when I'm browning the edges). If possible, use rubber tongs or a large spatula to handle the meat, since these don't tear up your searing as much as metal tongs do.

Into your crockpot add the following in layers: all the carrots, 3/4 of the potatoes, 1/2 the onions, the meat, then the remaining onions and potatoes on top of the roast. Lightly salt and pepper the whole thing.

Mix the worchestershire sauce and the beef stock, bring it to a boil in a pot on the stove, then pour that on top of everything. You don't actually have to bring the liquids to a boil before you put them in the crockpot, but it helps get a jumpstart on the cooking process and cuts your time a little. If you're using the optional bay leaves or rosemary, put them in with the cooking liquids if you're boiling them and pour them over the roast when hot. Otherwise, tuck them in with the other ingredients and pour the liquids over them cold. 

Cook for 6-8 hrs on high.

When the roast is finished, fish the meat and vegetables out of the crockpot and taste the gravy. Adjust seasoning as necessary. To thicken gravy, mix a 1-1 slurry of flour (or cornstarch) and water in a separate dish, then stir into the gravy, whisking if necessary to ensure no lumps. Taste again, and adjust until the gravy is the desired thickness.

Serves: 6-8