How to Make a Delicious Beef Roast in the Crockpot

Create the same aromas and smells that were once in Grandma's kitchen by learning to make your own beef pot roast. You will save money by not eating out and you will get a delicious, home-cooked meal too. It is much healthier to eat at home! So why not start by cooking at home today? The ingredients are inexpensive and the taste is delicious. The following recipe is simple and easy. This is great for a college student living in a dorm room. It is a fast, easy, and inexpensive meal that tastes like home!

Purchasing a Crockpot

The first step to making a wonderful beef pot roast is to buy a crockpot. If you don't already own one, simply stop by your local department store and pick one up. They are fairly inexpensive and you can buy one for under $50.

Choosing the Type of Roast

The most daunting thing about cooking a pot roast is choosing the meat. Due to the nature of a crockpot, both my mother and my mother-in-law have informed me that any type of roast works well. Therefore, you can buy the least expensive cut of meat and it will still end up tender and juicy! Isn't this good to know?

Choosing the Size of Roast

The size of the roast you need is determined by the number of people who will eat the roast. My husband and I eating alone typically eat around 1 lb 3 oz (approx 1 lb of beef roast). If a toddler is eating with us, the portion size is about 1 1/2 lbs of roast. This should give you a good idea of how much roast to buy. If you are serving the roast to a lot of men, you will want to buy slightly larger portions.

Preparing the Roast to Cook

It is best to thaw the roast over night. Therefore, the night before you plan to cook the roast, take it out of the freezer. Once the roast is thawed, place it into the crockpot with a little bit of water (about 2/3 inch to 1 inch high of water). Then, salt the meat as desired and choose how long you want the roast to cook. It is not necessary to add any other spices to the meat.

Timing a Roast

The time it takes to cook the roast is dependent upon the size of roast and how high you cook the roast. It is best to cook the roast at the lower to medium temperatures. I set my roast on the 6 hour setting today and that was about right. Usually it takes between 4-8 hours with the average time for cooking a roast being 6 hours. Other factors in cooking a roast is whether or not the roast was thawed and the size of the roast. The roast I cooked was already thawed and it took around 6 hours. If the roast is frozen before cooking it, it will take longer to cook. The larger the roast is the longer it will take to cook.

Determining when the Roast is Done

The best way for you to know when your beef roast is fully cooked will be the aroma that fills the house will remind you of your grandma's kitchen. Another way to determine that the roast is done is when you stick a fork in it, it should fall apart. If it is juicy and tender, you will know your roast is fully cooked.

Making Gravy

After it is apparent the roast is done, I like to make the gravy right in the crockpot. Do not turn off the heat element yet. Instead, get a cup of cold water and add flour to the water. Stir Well. When it makes a white paste add it to the beef drippings. Then, stir. If the gravy is too thick, add more water. If the gravy is not thick enough add more of the flour and water combination (but this time stir more flour in your water before pouring). Be stir some salt into the gravy for the grandma's kitchen taste.

Mashed Potatoes

You can add potatoes to the roast while it is cooking and then mash them with some warm milk, butter, salt and pepper. If you use a hand blender, you will get the fluffy appearance of grandma's mashed potatoes!