When The Deer Hunter and I were first married I often made pot roast. It was a meal I could throw in the crockpot and forget about while I was taking care of baby twins.
Somewhere along the way I quit making pot roasts in the crockpot. The Deer Hunter loves to use our cast iron dutch ovens so he will often cook a roast that way.
A good while back I suddenly remembered the ease of cooking pot roasts in a crockpot and the method Granny taught me when I was growing up.
It couldn’t be simpler.
Season to taste and brown your roast in the oil of your choice in a frying pan.
Transfer roast to crockpot and sprinkle with a packet of onion soup mix (or make your own onion soup mix-here’s a good recipe).
Scrape up all the tasty bits left in the frying pan from browning the roast and pour it over the soup mix.
Add any combination of carrots, potatoes, and onions you want to the crock pot.
Cook for several hours until done.
Some folks like to add beef broth to the crockpot or water. Sometimes I had a half of a cup of beef broth, but more often than not I don’t add any liquid other than the pan drippings. I’ve also seen recipes which suggest adding a can of mushroom soup but I’ve never tried that.
It’s a pretty fool proof way to cook a pot roast. I’m glad I remembered one of my favorite meals from when the girls were little and I was a young wife and mother.
Last night’s video: Eating Stewed Turnips and Pot Roast for Supper in Appalachia.
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That’s exactly what I’m going to fix today. Love pot roast.
I so enjoy a good flavorful Pot Roast! Cooking it in the crockpot is just the best!
does anyone have a receip for boilin water cornbred. Fried in lard with lacy edges all around.
I’m fixing leatherbritches for supper tonight!
The meal looked delicious! Take care and God bless!
I grew up eating a roast similar (Mama made) and it is delicious. Try Randy’s Mississippi roast (it is incredible)
Pot roast is always a good dinner!
Nothing like a good pot roast. I used to make it in the crockpot and it was a real lifesaver when my girls were little. My husband makes it on top of the stove in a covered stainless skillet. In fact, it’s our youngest daughter’s favorite meal.
Tipper, I wondered if you have ever tried frying your green beans. It gives them a whole new texture and flavor. Just a little oil or bacon grease in the pan and fry them until they start to char a little bit. We like them that way every so often.
James-I’ve never tried that-sounds like I need too 🙂
Dylan and I were up putting a pot roast in the crockpot at about 1 this morning! Sometimes we add celery, but didn’t this time. I grew up making it the same way as you, then I discovered the 3-packet way (1 packet of Au jus, 1 packet of ranch, 1 packet of Italian dressing seasoning, mix with 2 cups water and pour over meat and vegetables), cook on low for about 8-10 hours) The house sure does smell good. Rolls are on the rise too but they won’t be done until close to supper. It was a cold, snowy weekend and for 2 days we had chili and cornbread. It was only fitting to have pot roast afterwards 😉 Great minds! Enjoy your day, Mrs. Tipper!
-Julie
I guess I’m a die-hard oven user. I usually cook the meat for quite a while & then add the vegetables. Carrots, potatoes, and onions! I also use the onion soup mix and thicken the liquid in the pan to make gravy. I cover the pan with foil. I really love it, but my husband can’t chew roast very well even when it’s fork tender so a lot of mine is chopped up in the food processor & used in soup or pot pies.
Growing up, I can’t remember ever having a roast of any kind–even pork but surely we did sometime. I was such a picky eater that if we had it, I wouldn’t eat it. Well, I got over that & loved most foods until Covid and age struck–so many foods are flavorless to me now.
Tipper, your pot roast sounds awesome and looks delicious! Have you ever heard of a Mississippi Pot Roast? I’ve never heard that term in my life until about a year ago and making it breaks all the rules of what you’d think would be good. Drag out the crock pot and place a roast in it. Right, no browning. Sprinkle on a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch buttermilk dressing powder, a packet of Au Jus powder (Ingle’s has it) and then pour on a jar of Pepperonicini Italian peppers. This has a spicy kick to it, but it is not hot at all. If you like just spicy, use only the drained peppers. If you like it really spicy, pour the pepper juice over the roast as well (that’s what I do). Lay half a stick of butter on top of it, put lid on and let ‘er rip! I cook on high for one hour and then switch down to low and let it cook 6-8 hours. I guarantee this will be a roast like nothing you’ve ever tasted. I love a traditional pot roast and I still make them but I’ve come to love this recipe just as much. And it doesn’t get much easier. Enjoy!
I forgot to mention, Ingle’s also has their own house brand of Pepperoncini pepper! (I know I’m misspelling that, but I give up! LOL)
Randy-sounds great!
Just made a roast beef that exact way yesterday. Having leftovers today. I call it roast beef – not pot roast.
I could almost taste that pot roast! That is how I cook a roast too in the crock pot. I love everything you cooked, especially those green beans – just like Mother cooked them! That was a scrumptious meal!! What a blessing you and Matt are to each other, as tired as he was, there he was helping you clean up after the meal!! God bless you both!
I use my crock pot at le.ast once a week
I love the many thongs you can make in it without the mess and heat of conventional cooking.
I can’t remember ever eating turnips. It’s just something we never had. I imagined that they tasted like a radish. As we are starting to plan our garden for this year I think I’ll plant some and give them a try. Our growing season here in Berks County starts later and ends earlier than yours. I find it nice that you are still getting things from your garden, ours is currently covered with snow. I am inspired to get my garden plans underway and I may even try to start some things in the house.
Also, crock pot meals are one of my go to suppers when we have a long day of working outside. To finish up and come indoors to the smell of a wonderful meal ready to serve is the best.
Tipper, I will second that emotion! Crockpots, Dutch ovens- just get them fired up! Get in that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans!!! BTW, venison is good like that too!!! Now how about eating bugs and 3D fake food from trash that’s planned for humans in the near future??? How do you feel about that?
I use my father-in-law’s “recipe” – instead of beef broth or onion soup, I use two cups of black coffee, a good amount of Worcestershire sauce, and water as needed. The coffee seems to tenderize the meat and you can’t taste it. I guess this the beef version of red eye gravy.
My crockpot gets a workout year-round. I love making turkey breast and a whole chicken in it. Beef has never been my favorite meat, maybe because I never ate it when I was young. It’s a good thing I don’t buy it often with the price of beef out the roof. Your dinner looks delicious. A similar dinner at my house would be smothered in A-1 Sauce.
My mother used to make her beef stew almost exactly the way you described making a pot roast. The only real difference was the cut of meat; instead of using a roast she used cubed stew meat. She served it with cornbread and it was delicious. The way she cooked her pot roast was similar, but she used her black iron frying pan. She browned the roast first and then added some water and put the frying pan in the oven and cooked it for about 3-4 hours. It was delicious. She made gravy with the drippings and served it with mashed potatoes and her own homemade yeast rolls. These are hearty meals for the freezing weather we’ve been having.
My mom used to make pot roast with carrots and potatoes for Sunday dinner and we really liked it but also loved roast beef sandwiches the next day from the leftovers. Cooking carrots and potatoes with meat gives them such a good flavor. And of course onion soup mix adds great flavor to a lot of recipes as does mushroom soup. I REALLY like easy to prepare meals like this. Have a great day Tipper.
I watched your post Tipper, it was wonderful. I too love a crock pot roast. I wonder why we get away from them when they’re so easy and delicious? No matter, you’ve inspired me to get my crock pot out and cook me a pot roast!
Tipper–I prepare deer roast almost the same way, although I do add a can of mushroom soup and fill the can twice with water and add that as well. The other difference is a couple of minced garlic cloves atop the roast and a sprinkling of Montreal steak seasoning.
Of course the venison is drier than beef and thus requires the extra moisture. I’m lucky enough to be able to take plenty of deer each year and that consideration, the fact that it’s healthier, and the sky-high cost of beef combine to make my decision on what type of roast to have an easy one.
I’ve never had much exposure to turnips. I’ve eaten lots of turnip green though. Guess I need to try and see if I like them cooked the way you did it. Matt looked tired. I bet after the scrumptious meal he fell asleep in his easy chair. I’ll also have to try your cobble recipe. Looks pretty easy and you both certainly enjoyed it. Blessings for the new week coming up. Stay safe with this bad weather coming in.
Pot roasts are easy to make, even my mother could make them, and she wasn’t much of a cook! One of the things I liked most about pot roast was that it didn’t matter what vegetables you added it was always good so you could just add whatever you have on hand!
Just like low country boil, that’s a one pot neal. Strange you should post just now. Friday is my wife”s birthday and she wants to go to Cracker Barrel. I have been thinking I may just have their pot roast. Since having the virus, I almost never want any particular food. Hope this one is one of the few. Your post helps, thank you.
Sharon uses a variation of your recipe with cream of chicken or mushroom. And she adds brown gravy mix. She does her vegetables separate to keep them firmer. I still have little Red Pontiac potatoes in the garden that will go real well in this recipe.
One of my favorites too. My Mother used to make one every Sunday when I was growing up. That was our one “fancy” meal for the week. She used a big cast iron pot. We still make them in the crockpot and our kids loved it growing up. Thanks for the good memories.
For the past couple of months I have thought about using my crockpot more often than a couple times a year! You have motivated me into doing so. I love pot roast, and your video last night looked like a wonderful meal! Thank you for the suggested ways to spice up a pot roast in this blog post. I will be using all of them!
Donna. : )