Pot Roast

I have never attempted to cook a pot roast. Primarily because Craig is a vegetarian, and secondarily because I didn't grow up eating a huge amount of red meat or very traditional American dishes. I have become increasingly enamoured of my crock pot due to the amazing time-saving capabilities and have been researching crock-pot friendly meals. Yesterday at the grocery store I was intrigued by the various beef cuts in the meat section and decided to give one a try. I was pretty sure I remembered my grandmother cooking something that might have been pot roast, but since I was a kid I had no idea what I was actually eating.

A quick search on the Internet gave me ample pot-roast recipes to choose from that were tailored for the slow cooker. I decided on the absolute easiest one I could find and then improvised. I browned the meat in salt, pepper and flour. Then I cut up a few carrots, parsnips, potatoes, a sweet onions and several cloves of garlic. I dumped all of this in the crock pot, along with about a cup and a half of beef stock, set the dial to low, and let it go for 8 hours. I even managed to do all of the chopping with Maceo in a front facing baby carrier since he was on a napping strike. Everything but the browning.

At about the half-way mark I realized that the smell coming from my pot was very familiar and indeed a common aroma at my grandmothers. I took that to be a good sign. When Craig came home around 4pm, he opened the door and announced that our entire house - from the entry way on up - smelled like Burger King. Not a great sign. Nine hours later we had dinner. On the whole, I'd say it was pretty tasty. The meat was incredibly tender. The carrots and parsnips were sweet and the onion and garlic gave off a nice savory undertone. I was somewhat shocked by the oil that was on the surface - I tried to skim the majority off but I suppose that the fat marbling is what keeps it tender. On the whole, a good experiment. Not sure I would make it on the regular, but it gave off a comfort food vibe that can be just the thing for the right moment.