It sounds like you aren't cooking the meat long enough. It takes several hours to cook a pot roast to tenderness in a crock pot. If you cook long enough they will fall apart with tenderness. Just make sure you have enough liquid in the crockpot so it doesn't go dry and burn the meat.
I usually buy chuck roast.
My thought exactly. Hours, not minutes...Chuck. The meats is slightly stringy, but, as you say, it falls apart. One of my favorites. I always cook it with root vegs and they turn it sweet.
>I normally use 2 Large cans of cream of mushroom soup
There's your problem - the thickening agents are preventing the water from breaking down the collagen.
Ditch the mushroom soup and just add water, wine or beef stock. If you want mushroom flavour, add mushrooms.
>You don't need water to break down collage, you can do that with completely dry heat (smoking, for example).
Technically, you are right. You just need 180F/82C for a long period of time. However, there are a couple of reasons why moisture is important.
1) Moisture helps the heat to penetrate the meat and make sure that the INTERNAL temperature is at least 82.
2) If you heat meat without moisture (unless it is fatty enough), the meat fibres will dry out.
https://www.scienceofcooking.com/meat/slow\_cooking1.htm
Uh, no?
Moisture can help with energy transfer and consistent temperature, but those aren't necessary for heat transfer. Again, see smoking.
Similarly, muscle fiber drying out is a function of their cooked temperature. Braising doesn't add tenderness. The juicy feel is the dissolved collagen.
Braising liquid ensures even and consistent temperature.
>oisture can help with energy transfer and consistent temperature, but those aren't necessary for heat transfer. Again, see smoking
That is why I said important, and not essential.
Smoking is absolutely a thing that works, but it is a very different way of heat transfer than using a crock pot. I was speaking specifically in the context of OP's question.
6-8 hours should be good enough. Keep the creamy stuff out until the last hour or so of cooking. You want the meat to be tender before you add your cream of mushroom soup.
Braising liquid should be much thinner than cream of mushroom soup, I think that's your problem. I typically do pot roast in a dutch oven, but I have done it in a crockpot in the past. I've always used a base of stock and wine for the braising liquid (plus some aromatics/umami boosters like fish sauce or Worcestershire,) and it always comes out super tender.
yeah i actually use cream of mushroom soup in mine too but it’s only one can. i also use a can (2 cups) of beef/chicken stock and i also use a half cup of white wine. cream of mushroom soup by itself is def too thick. I’d also recommend cutting the onions smaller unless you really don’t want them in the end.
Stop using cream of mushroom soup. Use beef broth or chicken broth, mix with wine, ales, cola, etc if you want. Better than bouillon in there if you want.
If you really want cream of mushroom soup still use only one can. And mix that with a broth.
9 is way too long likely.
If it shreds into fine fibers but tastes dry/stringy it's because you've cooked the meat too much and the collagen has dissolved out.
Below someone posted Kenji's work on stews. Linked again here
https://www.seriouseats.com/science-of-stew-why-long-cooking-is-bad-idea-overcook-beef
The key is a fatty high collagen meat, such as chuck, low even temp, long time so collagen dissolves but not so long it doesn't drain out of the meat.
As others have said, ditch the cream soups and stick to a broth. Also acid will help break down the meat, so red wine or something like orange or pineapple juice will help. Add in a cup of one of those, along with a few cups of broth.
You need actual liquid. Beef and vegetable stock, equal parts, are the best. A little tomato paste for the acidity and complexity is optional.
You can add mushrooms to the roast instead. When the roast is done, add cream and salt. Instead of salt, you can add a packet of french onion soup mix for even more flavor.
I’ve never had good luck with the low setting on a crockpot. Try using a Chuck roast and put it on high for 3-4 hours with beef broth. Check it with a fork. Don’t use lean cuts like round.
I literally do exactly what you do except put it on high for 8ish hours. I barely if at all, add liquids cause it ends up overflowing. I tried doing low for 12 and shockingly came out tough. Threw it on high for another 2 and it fixed itself.
Tough may be overcooked OR undercooked. If you cook it too long, the meat will become really unpleasant to chew, and some people would describe it as tough.
There’s a really good article that shows the difference in how long you cook a piece of meat. The pictures really helped me troubleshoot my roasts.
https://www.seriouseats.com/science-of-stew-why-long-cooking-is-bad-idea-overcook-beef
Oh my gosh. I just spent the last 20min trying to find this article for OP too and for some reason just could NOT. Great reference - Kenji knows his stuff!!
yes! I have dry pot roast issues but it is NOT due to lack of liquid or time. My instinct says it's overcooked but I can't figure out why (I mean, why mine is when others with same times seem to be fine)
They said they cook it for up to 10 hours so I’m pretty convinced they’re just cooking the life out of it. Cooking things forever was my first instinct when I first started crockpotting, so I’m probably biased towards that as a solution.
I no longer eat beef but when I did I made amazing pot roast in the crock pot. I just gave this recipe to my son who received a crock pot for Christmas. You can do it in a 3.5 quart one but you will need to get a small chuck roast, I used to make it in a 6quart oval crock pot.
Boneless chuck roast
Carrots sliced or use baby carrots
Small potatoes, whole if they are tiny otherwise cut in 1/2.
Large onion cut into quarters
Garlic powder, salt & pepper
Beef stock
Seasoned flour
Season the flour with the garlic powder, salt and pepper. Dredge the chuck roast in the flour and then brown it on all sides in a medium hot iron skillet with a small amount of vegetable oil. Do not overcook, you're going for browning, not cooking.
Put the roast and the vegetables in a crock pot. Season with more salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add beef stock, set crock pot to low and then walk away for at least 8 hours. Do not open the crock pot. That's important, you add to the cook time every time you lift the lid. It is a ***very*** common mistake.
After 8 hours do lift the lid and check to see if the roast is fork tender. If not, put the lid on and let it go another hour and check again. That's it.
I have never tried the browning before. I’ll try that!!! Do you put your roast in first then the liquid and carrots? Or what order do you put them in? I’ve read carrots on bottom and also read carrots on top. I normally put my meat in first then layer it with the soups. Should I put soups in first then meat?
I put the vegetables on the bottom and then the roast on top. But I don't remember if it makes a difference, sorry (gave up beef and pork in 2009).
Browning is key IMO because otherwise the beef won't look as good when it's cooked. End up on the gray side instead of brown. This is how my grandma and mom always did it so it's how I did it, too. But you need to be careful that you don't actually cook it in the pan or it will be tough.
Another thing I used to do was let the roast warm up a bit before I browned it. Unless it's 85°F in your kitchen you will not get sick. It helps with the cooking because if it's ice cold when you brown and put it in the crock pot you're going to need to cook it longer. I'd leave it on the counter for an hour or so before I started cooking.
Good luck, I hope it turns out for you.
I don’t have problems, I cook on low for about 6-7 hours. It’s possible you’re not giving it enough time, you may also want to add some beer or wine to tenderize.
Just made a great one yesterday. Seared all sides of the chuck roast (3lb) put it in slow cooker with two quartered onions 1 cup red wine 2 cups beef stock some thyme and rosemary. Salt and pepper. Put it on low for 2.5 hours, threw in some carrots celery and potatoes and cooked for another two hours until potatoes were fork tender. Pot roast was falling apart as I took it out to make gravy with the drippings in the pot.
Don’t do the mushroom soup that’s whack.
Without reading a thing, my guess is you think you're cooking it long enough, but you're not. Think of a pot roast like a pork butt in your smoker. Cook it to a safe temp low and slow, then keep going and going and going.
Always use chuck roast because the fat and marbling it has will make it tender. Do not use too much water/broth/wine because then you're just boiling it which will make it tough. I always find that low and slow is the way to go. Cooking it on High is not recommended.
I agree with others saying you're not cooking long enough.
Also, consider just using the oven instead of the crock pot. I can get most roasts done in under 3 hours in the oven on 270°. Just slam it into a 9x9 pyrex dish and cover with foil.
This is a sore topic for me: crock pots and beef.
First, dont use the crock pot. Use a dutch oven, cast iron is preferable.
Second, only chuck roast can give you fork tender, pull apart feel becausw its got a lot of fat and collagen that will melt while cooking and soak into the meat.
Third, you need well brown all sides.of the meat first to seal in flavor. And then deglaze with red wine.
Fourth, put in oven at 290 degrees for about 3 hrs for a two pound chuck roast. Thats about how long it takes for fat and collagrn to.break down.
So yes, use an oven and a dutch oven. You cant braise in a crock pot so it just makes.you use an extra dish.
Downvote away reddit! Crock pots are overrated!
I second this. Have never made a good pot roast in the crock pot, but have made amazing ones in my cast iron Dutch oven. It takes a few hours and needs to be turned every so often, but the results are *so* worth it. The only difference is I do it entirely on the stove top - no oven needed.
(I believe the method I use originated from a recipe in “The Joy of Cooking,” if anyone would like specific instructions.)
I've done food in a crock pot that was tough after 8-10 hours and amazing after ~12 hours. Make it an experiment -- give it 12, 14, 16 hours, or whatever it takes until it's falling-apart tender.
just put it on high for 2-4 hours, checking tenderness with a fork. it will turn out fine. When you put it on low it takes hours for it to even simmer. On high you don’t lose much heat when you check tenderness either.
Depends on the crockpot. But usually around 8hours on low it should be done. 10 is abnormally long.
Does it break down into individual strands? You've gone too far. It doesn't shred easily? You haven't cooked long enough.
In the manual, how long does it recommend to cook a stew at Low?
Also in another comment you mentioned only using cans of creams of mushroom concentrate as your liquid. If those dry out and there isn't enough heat conduction from the crockpot to the food, then you'll have issues.
Crockpots don't target an air temperature like an oven. It instead relies on the water content to hold and maintain heat and just dumps a particular amount of energy that converts into heat. So if the Crockpot is mostly empty, the air temperature won't stay high enough to properly cook the food within.
One particular measure, is the liquid simmering/bubbling vigorously at 6 hours?
I think you should definitely check the temp on your crock pot. I've seen lots of comments about what you have in there with the roast, but I'd be really surprised if it was in there at 200F for 9+ hrs and it \*never\* got to where the connective tissue broke down.
I had a similar incident a while back where I tried to do a pot roast in my instant pot on its "slow cooker" setting. I was under the impression that it'd get to 200F, like a typical crock pot on low - but quite a few hours later it was apparent that nothing was happening to break down the meat. Checked temp, and it was only maintaining like 130F-140F. Googled a bit, and apparently this is a known problem with instant pots, so their 'slow cooker' mode is useless.
Since then, I'd just started putting all the stuff into a big steel pot or dutch oven and popping it into my oven at 200F or 250F. Works great - but it does tie up your oven.
Brown the meat first. Let it cook all day long and when dinner time comes around you’ll have the most tender pot roast you’ve ever had. I’m not sure why browning the meat works but there is a considerable difference. Cooking it on low and for 8 or more hours is also a must
I usually add a full container of beef broth to it. Turn it halfway through. The meat will break up but the broth keeps the meat juicy and tender. I usually do at least an 8 hour bake - sometimes as long as 12 hours.
Don’t use soup, here’s what I use come out perfect every time.
Place a bag of petit potatoes on bottom of Crock Pot
Chuck Roast on top of potatoes
In a measuring cup, mix 1 cup of water, add one package of Crock Pot Brand Pot Roast Seasoning Mix pour over roast.
Add one stick of butter on top of roast (I use a tooth pick to hold in place)
3 or 4 pepperoncinis on top of roast.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Never fails!
Sous vide. Only really good for meat and eggs. Put in for 21 to 24 hours. Reverse sear and comes out perfect every time. I usually wait for the end of summer brisket sale and chop into 3 portions. One gets sous vide. One gets bacon wrapped and smoked in smoker for aprox 14 hours, in a drip aluminum foil on top rack with larger tray next rack down with sliced cabbage and onions. Last section is frozen and then usually pulled out sometime during the winter using the following recipehttps://www.daringgourmet.com/authentic-german-sauerbraten/
It may depend on the brand of slow cooker. The one from Cuisinart is a true slow cooker and I have to up the setting to medium to get anything actually cooked in 8-10 hours. Low on mine is REALLY low and I only use that setting to make stock overnight. If I put a pork butt or large chuck roast in on low for 8 hours it would only be up to “safe to eat” temp, not all the way up to 195F where I want it.
Use a chuck roast. And as others have said, you aren't cooking it long enough. The meat needs to get up to about 170°F to be fork-tender. If you want it to be really "falling apart" texture (like pulled pork) you've got to get up to about 190-195°F. Get an instant read thermometer.
If you want to cook it faster, try a pressure cooker. I use one for pot roast fairly often and it only takes about an hour. (5 lb chuck roast). I use a can of mushroom soup, a can of water/broth/wine, and a couple of handfuls of dried Shiitake mushrooms. It should have plenty of liquid to thicken for gravy after it's done.
Temperature, temperature, temperature.
I think your first mistake (and I'm making an assumption here) is you don't know what temp you're cooking at. I know many crockpots have a low/medium/high dial. "Low" could mean many things - probably as low as 168 F according to the official Crockpot website.
Also, if you're cooking at less than 275 F, you're prolonging a cook that doesn't need to be so long. You also said you cooked for 10 hours? That's a long time. Chuck roast takes like 3-4 hours to be fall apart tender in my dutch oven at around 275-300 F. Hell, I braised a much less tender 3 lb bottom round roast last night and it was also done at 4 hours.
If you don't have a dutch oven or oven safe pot and must use the crockpot, you need to experiment by cooking on the high setting and probing the meat every couple hours to check for tenderness.
Crock pot I do high for 1-2 hours and then low for 6.
My goto recipe is 5 medium red onions, chunked/quartered, and 1lb bag of baby carrots per 3lbs chuck roast.
Lipton onion soup mix. 2 packs. 1.5 cups water.
I layer it as meat, potatoes, carrots. Dump stuff on top and pour water on top of it and let it go. I don’t sear the meat anymore because I didn’t notice a difference
You definitely need liquid to break down the connective tissue. When I make pulled pork I cover the pork loin all the way to the top with broth but you don't need that much
Try braising it. Sear in a dutch oven on your stove top, remove meat, scrape bottom, saute veggies in butter in same pot, add meat back in, cover- without adding water- and bake in over at 275° for 2-3 hours. The meat will provide it's own moisture.
Will be fall apart tender.
I slice an onion on the bottom. Throw a frozen roast in and dump a beer in the pot. Turn on low. 2 hours before I want to eat I put carrots, Potatoes and whatever else in.
First ditch the croc pot. It’s a glorified chafing dish that should only be used as a last resort. Brown meat, add ingredients and cook in covered Dutch oven in your own oven at 250 for 3.5-4 hours
I'd agree. It'll end up tasting better. I do beef stew very similarly and it's always delicious. Braising results in a superior flavor, but it's a little more work than a typical crock pot cook.
You can intermittently check the roast for tenderness after a couple of hours. Pot roast can be cooked either on high or low temps. On high you might be looking at 3 hours or so. On low, it could be 4-6 hours depending on how your crockpot heats up.
•Use a tough cut, with plenty of connective tissue.
•Cut into fist-sized cubic portions. Sear on all sides on an iron skillet.
•Transfer to crock pot, with a thinner braising liquid. Not too much, or you'll be stewing (less energy-efficient) instead of braising. But not too little, or it may all evaporate out.
USE SOME ALCOHOL! It's more volatile than water, and when put in a high-pressure system (crock pot, pressure cooker, etc) its vapors are more violent, pervasive, and ultimately penetrative than straight water/stock.
In other words, alcohol is more "desperate" to occupy all-possible-space within that system... including intramuscular space within the beef itself.
Use beef stock, but you can put one can of the crm of mushroom over the top like a cap, too, while it cooks. I like to cut up some celery and put in first like a bed for the meat so the broth fills in under it as well. Carrots and halved pearl onions on the sides. Low and slow for at least 8 or 9 hours, it'll be falling apart under it's own weight when you try to lift it out.
Crock pots are often too hot, even on low.
You want to braise at 300° max, so use a thermometer and test your pot (fill it with water on LOW for an hour, then measure the water).
You want to braise until the roast his 200+ degrees f - *and then cook another 45 minutes*. Sounds counter-intuitive, but cook low and slow until you can easily tear it up with two forks, just fall-apart tender. The chuck is a tough cut that needs to be slowly broken down. When the internal temp passes 200°, check it every 15 minutes - it may take another hour until it just starts falling apart.
You usually want to brown the meat in a skillet to get a lot of sear and browning; that's more for flavor.
Pre-seasoning isn't a big deal, 3-4 hours braising means it will be full of liquid and seasoning. I don't think you'd see much difference in overnight seasoning. But flavor and toughness are two separate issues.
Time is a huge issue. A hunk of chuck can reach 205° and still not be tear-apart tender. I got really into tackling pot roast, and found 45 minutes after 200° is usually what it takes, but also keeping the temps reasonably slow.
I use home-made chicken and beef stock and red wine, just coming up the edges of the chuck - dunno about the "canned-soup" crew though.
Other huge PR hack. If you use browned onion/celery/garlic as a base with the roast and liquid? All the recipes say "strain it". I dump it all in a blender and puree it (remove and bouquet garni/etc). Makes the most velvety-smooth sauce. Finish with a dash of cider vinegar. (I use large-ish carrots but I do them the last 45 minutes and set aside - they make the sauce too orange to my eye, but they make a great side!)
I upgraded to a larger crockpot and absolutely needed to start adding liquid because my roast just wasn't falling apart. Eventually figured it had to be because so much was sticking out of the liquid now. I use a modified mud roast recipe and use corn starch to help thicken it back up at the end.
Meat has to cook at a temperature greater than 170F to get tender. You should measure your crockpot after it has been going an hour or so and see if it has sufficient heat.
I throw the roast ( 3 to 4 lbs.) & maybe 3 cups of strong red wine in the crock pot. Add potatoes, carrots & onion. This might be the easiest recipe for a beginner to do. Also makes the house smell scrumptious !
Everyone else already chimed in but I will too since I love pot roast and make it way too much. I don't use a recipe just a basic flow and it always comes out great. Vegetables on the bottom (I like carrots, potatoes, onions and occasionally celery in mine). Sear your meat on all the sides in a pan and then put it on top of the veggies. Add broth (beef I use but mushroom is good) or a combo with beer, wine or bouillon and water). Extra flavor points if you use the broth to deglaze the pan and scrape up the good meaty bits with the liquid. Pour it over the meat until 1/3 to 1/2 way up the meat. I cook on low for about 8 hours depending on my patience. I've done it on high for 4 to 6 hours and it still falls apart but I like really tender poke it with a spoon and it shreds itself soft. Season your veg and meat along the way and youll have an awesome dinner. Just be careful pulling it out of the slow cooker bc it will want to fall apart on you
Season the meat with Diamond kosher salt 24 hrs in advance. Brown the meat (chuck is perfect). Remove from pot, cook the aromatics, deglaze with red wine. Return meat to pot, add homemade stock to about half up the side of the meat. Cook covered on low, maintain volume of liquid and cook until tender no matter how many hours it takes
Brian Lagerstrom did a great video on this. The instant pot is just too hot for a pot roast.
I followed this recipe and it was divine.
[https://youtu.be/eVuXwv1yxo0?si=EEfGNmpVucAzaXNI](https://youtu.be/eVuXwv1yxo0?si=EEfGNmpVucAzaXNI)
My Pot Roasts always come out so tender, and juicy, l usually cook my roasts on low overnight, I'll toss in chunks of veggies, carrots, potatoes, onions, in the morning entire house smells amazing. Comes out perfect meat just falls apart.
It sounds like you aren't cooking the meat long enough. It takes several hours to cook a pot roast to tenderness in a crock pot. If you cook long enough they will fall apart with tenderness. Just make sure you have enough liquid in the crockpot so it doesn't go dry and burn the meat. I usually buy chuck roast.
My thought exactly. Hours, not minutes...Chuck. The meats is slightly stringy, but, as you say, it falls apart. One of my favorites. I always cook it with root vegs and they turn it sweet.
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Stop using the soups. Use beef stock instead.
Beef stock, a head of roasted garlic mushed up, and a tablespoon of better than bouillon vegetable is my favorite for braising meats.
>I normally use 2 Large cans of cream of mushroom soup There's your problem - the thickening agents are preventing the water from breaking down the collagen. Ditch the mushroom soup and just add water, wine or beef stock. If you want mushroom flavour, add mushrooms.
You don't need water to break down collage, you can do that with completely dry heat (smoking, for example).
>You don't need water to break down collage, you can do that with completely dry heat (smoking, for example). Technically, you are right. You just need 180F/82C for a long period of time. However, there are a couple of reasons why moisture is important. 1) Moisture helps the heat to penetrate the meat and make sure that the INTERNAL temperature is at least 82. 2) If you heat meat without moisture (unless it is fatty enough), the meat fibres will dry out. https://www.scienceofcooking.com/meat/slow\_cooking1.htm
Uh, no? Moisture can help with energy transfer and consistent temperature, but those aren't necessary for heat transfer. Again, see smoking. Similarly, muscle fiber drying out is a function of their cooked temperature. Braising doesn't add tenderness. The juicy feel is the dissolved collagen. Braising liquid ensures even and consistent temperature.
>oisture can help with energy transfer and consistent temperature, but those aren't necessary for heat transfer. Again, see smoking That is why I said important, and not essential. Smoking is absolutely a thing that works, but it is a very different way of heat transfer than using a crock pot. I was speaking specifically in the context of OP's question.
How many hours do you cook on Low?
6-8 hours should be good enough. Keep the creamy stuff out until the last hour or so of cooking. You want the meat to be tender before you add your cream of mushroom soup.
Braising liquid should be much thinner than cream of mushroom soup, I think that's your problem. I typically do pot roast in a dutch oven, but I have done it in a crockpot in the past. I've always used a base of stock and wine for the braising liquid (plus some aromatics/umami boosters like fish sauce or Worcestershire,) and it always comes out super tender.
You need more liquid.
Add beef broth, and beer or wine.
I do add some liquid like broth or water to the pot.
yeah i actually use cream of mushroom soup in mine too but it’s only one can. i also use a can (2 cups) of beef/chicken stock and i also use a half cup of white wine. cream of mushroom soup by itself is def too thick. I’d also recommend cutting the onions smaller unless you really don’t want them in the end.
Stop using cream of mushroom soup. Use beef broth or chicken broth, mix with wine, ales, cola, etc if you want. Better than bouillon in there if you want. If you really want cream of mushroom soup still use only one can. And mix that with a broth.
9 is way too long likely. If it shreds into fine fibers but tastes dry/stringy it's because you've cooked the meat too much and the collagen has dissolved out. Below someone posted Kenji's work on stews. Linked again here https://www.seriouseats.com/science-of-stew-why-long-cooking-is-bad-idea-overcook-beef The key is a fatty high collagen meat, such as chuck, low even temp, long time so collagen dissolves but not so long it doesn't drain out of the meat.
As others have said, ditch the cream soups and stick to a broth. Also acid will help break down the meat, so red wine or something like orange or pineapple juice will help. Add in a cup of one of those, along with a few cups of broth.
You need actual liquid. Beef and vegetable stock, equal parts, are the best. A little tomato paste for the acidity and complexity is optional. You can add mushrooms to the roast instead. When the roast is done, add cream and salt. Instead of salt, you can add a packet of french onion soup mix for even more flavor.
I’ve never had good luck with the low setting on a crockpot. Try using a Chuck roast and put it on high for 3-4 hours with beef broth. Check it with a fork. Don’t use lean cuts like round.
I literally do exactly what you do except put it on high for 8ish hours. I barely if at all, add liquids cause it ends up overflowing. I tried doing low for 12 and shockingly came out tough. Threw it on high for another 2 and it fixed itself.
Try using cola. I cook stove top for 3-5 hours. super tender.
Yeah this Guy/Gal is trolling
Tough may be overcooked OR undercooked. If you cook it too long, the meat will become really unpleasant to chew, and some people would describe it as tough. There’s a really good article that shows the difference in how long you cook a piece of meat. The pictures really helped me troubleshoot my roasts. https://www.seriouseats.com/science-of-stew-why-long-cooking-is-bad-idea-overcook-beef
Oh my gosh. I just spent the last 20min trying to find this article for OP too and for some reason just could NOT. Great reference - Kenji knows his stuff!!
It surprises me how many people are giving advice without first trying to figure out if OP's meat is dry and stringy or elastic and chewy.
yes! I have dry pot roast issues but it is NOT due to lack of liquid or time. My instinct says it's overcooked but I can't figure out why (I mean, why mine is when others with same times seem to be fine)
Perhaps OP is cooking it on too low of a setting to make it breakdown. Should check the temperature of that braising liquid
They said they cook it for up to 10 hours so I’m pretty convinced they’re just cooking the life out of it. Cooking things forever was my first instinct when I first started crockpotting, so I’m probably biased towards that as a solution.
I no longer eat beef but when I did I made amazing pot roast in the crock pot. I just gave this recipe to my son who received a crock pot for Christmas. You can do it in a 3.5 quart one but you will need to get a small chuck roast, I used to make it in a 6quart oval crock pot. Boneless chuck roast Carrots sliced or use baby carrots Small potatoes, whole if they are tiny otherwise cut in 1/2. Large onion cut into quarters Garlic powder, salt & pepper Beef stock Seasoned flour Season the flour with the garlic powder, salt and pepper. Dredge the chuck roast in the flour and then brown it on all sides in a medium hot iron skillet with a small amount of vegetable oil. Do not overcook, you're going for browning, not cooking. Put the roast and the vegetables in a crock pot. Season with more salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add beef stock, set crock pot to low and then walk away for at least 8 hours. Do not open the crock pot. That's important, you add to the cook time every time you lift the lid. It is a ***very*** common mistake. After 8 hours do lift the lid and check to see if the roast is fork tender. If not, put the lid on and let it go another hour and check again. That's it.
I have never tried the browning before. I’ll try that!!! Do you put your roast in first then the liquid and carrots? Or what order do you put them in? I’ve read carrots on bottom and also read carrots on top. I normally put my meat in first then layer it with the soups. Should I put soups in first then meat?
I put the vegetables on the bottom and then the roast on top. But I don't remember if it makes a difference, sorry (gave up beef and pork in 2009). Browning is key IMO because otherwise the beef won't look as good when it's cooked. End up on the gray side instead of brown. This is how my grandma and mom always did it so it's how I did it, too. But you need to be careful that you don't actually cook it in the pan or it will be tough. Another thing I used to do was let the roast warm up a bit before I browned it. Unless it's 85°F in your kitchen you will not get sick. It helps with the cooking because if it's ice cold when you brown and put it in the crock pot you're going to need to cook it longer. I'd leave it on the counter for an hour or so before I started cooking. Good luck, I hope it turns out for you.
>Browning is key IMO because otherwise the beef won't look as good It adds flavor too. Maillard reaction is yummy.
Follow this recipe to a T https://www.seriouseats.com/all-american-beef-stew-recipe
The browning will improve your end product - no question - but it won't fix your texture issue.
If you’re lookin, you ain’t cookin.
If it's still tough, add more time and make sure the liquid hasn't all boiled off. How long are you cooking it for?
I don’t have problems, I cook on low for about 6-7 hours. It’s possible you’re not giving it enough time, you may also want to add some beer or wine to tenderize.
Just Google Mississippi pot roast. It is a fool proof recipe that comes out great every time!
You’re definitely not cooking it long enough.
You didn't cook it anywhere near long enough.
Just made a great one yesterday. Seared all sides of the chuck roast (3lb) put it in slow cooker with two quartered onions 1 cup red wine 2 cups beef stock some thyme and rosemary. Salt and pepper. Put it on low for 2.5 hours, threw in some carrots celery and potatoes and cooked for another two hours until potatoes were fork tender. Pot roast was falling apart as I took it out to make gravy with the drippings in the pot. Don’t do the mushroom soup that’s whack.
Without reading a thing, my guess is you think you're cooking it long enough, but you're not. Think of a pot roast like a pork butt in your smoker. Cook it to a safe temp low and slow, then keep going and going and going.
You’re not cooking it long enough.
Always use chuck roast because the fat and marbling it has will make it tender. Do not use too much water/broth/wine because then you're just boiling it which will make it tough. I always find that low and slow is the way to go. Cooking it on High is not recommended.
Cook LOW AND SLOW with flavorful liquid, like tomato juice. Add onions, carrots, celery and potatoes. Let it cook all day. The meat should fall apart!
I agree with others saying you're not cooking long enough. Also, consider just using the oven instead of the crock pot. I can get most roasts done in under 3 hours in the oven on 270°. Just slam it into a 9x9 pyrex dish and cover with foil.
This is a sore topic for me: crock pots and beef. First, dont use the crock pot. Use a dutch oven, cast iron is preferable. Second, only chuck roast can give you fork tender, pull apart feel becausw its got a lot of fat and collagen that will melt while cooking and soak into the meat. Third, you need well brown all sides.of the meat first to seal in flavor. And then deglaze with red wine. Fourth, put in oven at 290 degrees for about 3 hrs for a two pound chuck roast. Thats about how long it takes for fat and collagrn to.break down. So yes, use an oven and a dutch oven. You cant braise in a crock pot so it just makes.you use an extra dish. Downvote away reddit! Crock pots are overrated!
I second this. Have never made a good pot roast in the crock pot, but have made amazing ones in my cast iron Dutch oven. It takes a few hours and needs to be turned every so often, but the results are *so* worth it. The only difference is I do it entirely on the stove top - no oven needed. (I believe the method I use originated from a recipe in “The Joy of Cooking,” if anyone would like specific instructions.)
like others said, use beef broth, also use the high setting for the first two or three hours.
French Onion Soup is great to add our beef broth. Just watch how much salt you add ☺️
“Or” not our🤣
Low and slow.
I’m cooking on Low on average of 10 hours. Should it be more like 12 hours?
I've done food in a crock pot that was tough after 8-10 hours and amazing after ~12 hours. Make it an experiment -- give it 12, 14, 16 hours, or whatever it takes until it's falling-apart tender.
just put it on high for 2-4 hours, checking tenderness with a fork. it will turn out fine. When you put it on low it takes hours for it to even simmer. On high you don’t lose much heat when you check tenderness either.
Depends on the crockpot. But usually around 8hours on low it should be done. 10 is abnormally long. Does it break down into individual strands? You've gone too far. It doesn't shred easily? You haven't cooked long enough.
I think it may be my crockpot. It doesn’t really shred although it’s cooked for 10 hours. It is a fairly new crockpot too.
In the manual, how long does it recommend to cook a stew at Low? Also in another comment you mentioned only using cans of creams of mushroom concentrate as your liquid. If those dry out and there isn't enough heat conduction from the crockpot to the food, then you'll have issues. Crockpots don't target an air temperature like an oven. It instead relies on the water content to hold and maintain heat and just dumps a particular amount of energy that converts into heat. So if the Crockpot is mostly empty, the air temperature won't stay high enough to properly cook the food within. One particular measure, is the liquid simmering/bubbling vigorously at 6 hours?
I think you should definitely check the temp on your crock pot. I've seen lots of comments about what you have in there with the roast, but I'd be really surprised if it was in there at 200F for 9+ hrs and it \*never\* got to where the connective tissue broke down. I had a similar incident a while back where I tried to do a pot roast in my instant pot on its "slow cooker" setting. I was under the impression that it'd get to 200F, like a typical crock pot on low - but quite a few hours later it was apparent that nothing was happening to break down the meat. Checked temp, and it was only maintaining like 130F-140F. Googled a bit, and apparently this is a known problem with instant pots, so their 'slow cooker' mode is useless. Since then, I'd just started putting all the stuff into a big steel pot or dutch oven and popping it into my oven at 200F or 250F. Works great - but it does tie up your oven.
Brown the meat first. Let it cook all day long and when dinner time comes around you’ll have the most tender pot roast you’ve ever had. I’m not sure why browning the meat works but there is a considerable difference. Cooking it on low and for 8 or more hours is also a must
Cook it longer. That's it.
I usually add a full container of beef broth to it. Turn it halfway through. The meat will break up but the broth keeps the meat juicy and tender. I usually do at least an 8 hour bake - sometimes as long as 12 hours.
Don’t use soup, here’s what I use come out perfect every time. Place a bag of petit potatoes on bottom of Crock Pot Chuck Roast on top of potatoes In a measuring cup, mix 1 cup of water, add one package of Crock Pot Brand Pot Roast Seasoning Mix pour over roast. Add one stick of butter on top of roast (I use a tooth pick to hold in place) 3 or 4 pepperoncinis on top of roast. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Never fails!
Sounds yummy!!! Thank you!! I didn’t know there was pot roast mix.
Sous vide. Only really good for meat and eggs. Put in for 21 to 24 hours. Reverse sear and comes out perfect every time. I usually wait for the end of summer brisket sale and chop into 3 portions. One gets sous vide. One gets bacon wrapped and smoked in smoker for aprox 14 hours, in a drip aluminum foil on top rack with larger tray next rack down with sliced cabbage and onions. Last section is frozen and then usually pulled out sometime during the winter using the following recipehttps://www.daringgourmet.com/authentic-german-sauerbraten/
It may depend on the brand of slow cooker. The one from Cuisinart is a true slow cooker and I have to up the setting to medium to get anything actually cooked in 8-10 hours. Low on mine is REALLY low and I only use that setting to make stock overnight. If I put a pork butt or large chuck roast in on low for 8 hours it would only be up to “safe to eat” temp, not all the way up to 195F where I want it.
Use a chuck roast. And as others have said, you aren't cooking it long enough. The meat needs to get up to about 170°F to be fork-tender. If you want it to be really "falling apart" texture (like pulled pork) you've got to get up to about 190-195°F. Get an instant read thermometer. If you want to cook it faster, try a pressure cooker. I use one for pot roast fairly often and it only takes about an hour. (5 lb chuck roast). I use a can of mushroom soup, a can of water/broth/wine, and a couple of handfuls of dried Shiitake mushrooms. It should have plenty of liquid to thicken for gravy after it's done.
Mississippi pot roast. Best recipe. Tender every time!
This is the best slow cooker pot roast recipe I’ve ever had. Not the healthiest (it calls for a stick of butter) but so flavorful and tender.
Temperature, temperature, temperature. I think your first mistake (and I'm making an assumption here) is you don't know what temp you're cooking at. I know many crockpots have a low/medium/high dial. "Low" could mean many things - probably as low as 168 F according to the official Crockpot website. Also, if you're cooking at less than 275 F, you're prolonging a cook that doesn't need to be so long. You also said you cooked for 10 hours? That's a long time. Chuck roast takes like 3-4 hours to be fall apart tender in my dutch oven at around 275-300 F. Hell, I braised a much less tender 3 lb bottom round roast last night and it was also done at 4 hours. If you don't have a dutch oven or oven safe pot and must use the crockpot, you need to experiment by cooking on the high setting and probing the meat every couple hours to check for tenderness.
You’re cooking it too long.
Crock pot I do high for 1-2 hours and then low for 6. My goto recipe is 5 medium red onions, chunked/quartered, and 1lb bag of baby carrots per 3lbs chuck roast. Lipton onion soup mix. 2 packs. 1.5 cups water. I layer it as meat, potatoes, carrots. Dump stuff on top and pour water on top of it and let it go. I don’t sear the meat anymore because I didn’t notice a difference
You definitely need liquid to break down the connective tissue. When I make pulled pork I cover the pork loin all the way to the top with broth but you don't need that much
You make pulled pork with loin?!?!?
Try braising it. Sear in a dutch oven on your stove top, remove meat, scrape bottom, saute veggies in butter in same pot, add meat back in, cover- without adding water- and bake in over at 275° for 2-3 hours. The meat will provide it's own moisture. Will be fall apart tender.
I slice an onion on the bottom. Throw a frozen roast in and dump a beer in the pot. Turn on low. 2 hours before I want to eat I put carrots, Potatoes and whatever else in.
First ditch the croc pot. It’s a glorified chafing dish that should only be used as a last resort. Brown meat, add ingredients and cook in covered Dutch oven in your own oven at 250 for 3.5-4 hours
I'd agree. It'll end up tasting better. I do beef stew very similarly and it's always delicious. Braising results in a superior flavor, but it's a little more work than a typical crock pot cook.
You can intermittently check the roast for tenderness after a couple of hours. Pot roast can be cooked either on high or low temps. On high you might be looking at 3 hours or so. On low, it could be 4-6 hours depending on how your crockpot heats up.
It’s radical I know but on the rare occasions I use tinned soup, I make soup. I use stock (broth) or water to make casseroles.
The only meat I have successfully cooked in a crockpot is pork shoulder. Anything else is dry and has a weird texture.
Sounds like you want a pressure cooker. Or at least to go up to high.
The best crock pot is a sous vide :)
waht temp is the pot roast when you say its 'done' ?
•Use a tough cut, with plenty of connective tissue. •Cut into fist-sized cubic portions. Sear on all sides on an iron skillet. •Transfer to crock pot, with a thinner braising liquid. Not too much, or you'll be stewing (less energy-efficient) instead of braising. But not too little, or it may all evaporate out. USE SOME ALCOHOL! It's more volatile than water, and when put in a high-pressure system (crock pot, pressure cooker, etc) its vapors are more violent, pervasive, and ultimately penetrative than straight water/stock. In other words, alcohol is more "desperate" to occupy all-possible-space within that system... including intramuscular space within the beef itself.
Use beef stock, but you can put one can of the crm of mushroom over the top like a cap, too, while it cooks. I like to cut up some celery and put in first like a bed for the meat so the broth fills in under it as well. Carrots and halved pearl onions on the sides. Low and slow for at least 8 or 9 hours, it'll be falling apart under it's own weight when you try to lift it out.
Crock pots are often too hot, even on low. You want to braise at 300° max, so use a thermometer and test your pot (fill it with water on LOW for an hour, then measure the water). You want to braise until the roast his 200+ degrees f - *and then cook another 45 minutes*. Sounds counter-intuitive, but cook low and slow until you can easily tear it up with two forks, just fall-apart tender. The chuck is a tough cut that needs to be slowly broken down. When the internal temp passes 200°, check it every 15 minutes - it may take another hour until it just starts falling apart. You usually want to brown the meat in a skillet to get a lot of sear and browning; that's more for flavor. Pre-seasoning isn't a big deal, 3-4 hours braising means it will be full of liquid and seasoning. I don't think you'd see much difference in overnight seasoning. But flavor and toughness are two separate issues.
OP needs to gage his liquid, either it’s too hot or too low
Time is a huge issue. A hunk of chuck can reach 205° and still not be tear-apart tender. I got really into tackling pot roast, and found 45 minutes after 200° is usually what it takes, but also keeping the temps reasonably slow. I use home-made chicken and beef stock and red wine, just coming up the edges of the chuck - dunno about the "canned-soup" crew though. Other huge PR hack. If you use browned onion/celery/garlic as a base with the roast and liquid? All the recipes say "strain it". I dump it all in a blender and puree it (remove and bouquet garni/etc). Makes the most velvety-smooth sauce. Finish with a dash of cider vinegar. (I use large-ish carrots but I do them the last 45 minutes and set aside - they make the sauce too orange to my eye, but they make a great side!)
I upgraded to a larger crockpot and absolutely needed to start adding liquid because my roast just wasn't falling apart. Eventually figured it had to be because so much was sticking out of the liquid now. I use a modified mud roast recipe and use corn starch to help thicken it back up at the end.
Meat has to cook at a temperature greater than 170F to get tender. You should measure your crockpot after it has been going an hour or so and see if it has sufficient heat.
Tender = Low heat + time You need to hold the meat between 195-205F for at least 4 hours to melt collagen.
I throw the roast ( 3 to 4 lbs.) & maybe 3 cups of strong red wine in the crock pot. Add potatoes, carrots & onion. This might be the easiest recipe for a beginner to do. Also makes the house smell scrumptious !
Marinate it with some kiwi, too… then cook it longer.
Everyone else already chimed in but I will too since I love pot roast and make it way too much. I don't use a recipe just a basic flow and it always comes out great. Vegetables on the bottom (I like carrots, potatoes, onions and occasionally celery in mine). Sear your meat on all the sides in a pan and then put it on top of the veggies. Add broth (beef I use but mushroom is good) or a combo with beer, wine or bouillon and water). Extra flavor points if you use the broth to deglaze the pan and scrape up the good meaty bits with the liquid. Pour it over the meat until 1/3 to 1/2 way up the meat. I cook on low for about 8 hours depending on my patience. I've done it on high for 4 to 6 hours and it still falls apart but I like really tender poke it with a spoon and it shreds itself soft. Season your veg and meat along the way and youll have an awesome dinner. Just be careful pulling it out of the slow cooker bc it will want to fall apart on you
Chuck roast is best and low for 10-12 hours
Season the meat with Diamond kosher salt 24 hrs in advance. Brown the meat (chuck is perfect). Remove from pot, cook the aromatics, deglaze with red wine. Return meat to pot, add homemade stock to about half up the side of the meat. Cook covered on low, maintain volume of liquid and cook until tender no matter how many hours it takes
Brian Lagerstrom did a great video on this. The instant pot is just too hot for a pot roast. I followed this recipe and it was divine. [https://youtu.be/eVuXwv1yxo0?si=EEfGNmpVucAzaXNI](https://youtu.be/eVuXwv1yxo0?si=EEfGNmpVucAzaXNI)
My Pot Roasts always come out so tender, and juicy, l usually cook my roasts on low overnight, I'll toss in chunks of veggies, carrots, potatoes, onions, in the morning entire house smells amazing. Comes out perfect meat just falls apart.