Do you have to brown a pot roast before putting it in a crock pot?

Don’t skip the browning! When you brown the meat before adding it to a slow cooker pot roast with vegetables, it will take on richer, more complex flavors while it cooks and add to the taste profile of the overall dish. The good news is that browning doesn’t take very long! It should take just a few minutes to get the pot roast brown on all sides before adding it to the crockpot and letting your favorite countertop cooker do the rest of the work.

What are some of the mistakes people make using a slow cooker?

Some common mistakes people make when prepping a slow cooker pot roast recipe are: adding delicate vegetables (or adding them too early) or overfilling the slow cooker. An exception would be adding small frozen vegetables (like peas and carrots) toward the end of a slow cooking recipe.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Name: Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 8 h 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 medium potatoes, peeled, each cut into 6 pieces; 4 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 large onion, thinly sliced; 1 dried bay leaf; 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon pepper; 1 beef top round steak, 1/2 inch thick (1 1/2 lb), cut into 4 serving pieces; 1 3/4 cups Progresso™ beef-flavored broth (from 32-oz carton); 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 2 tablespoons cornstarch

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Prep 25 min
Total 8 hr 25 min
Ingredients 11
Servings 4

Ingredients

4 medium potatoes, peeled, each cut into 6 pieces
4 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 dried bay leaf
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 beef top round steak, 1/2 inch thick (1 1/2 lb), cut into 4 serving pieces
1 3/4 cups Progresso™ beef-flavored broth (from 32-oz carton)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Steps

1

Spray 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In slow cooker, place potatoes, carrots, onion and bay leaf.
2

In shallow bowl, mix flour, salt and pepper. Add beef pieces; turn to coat both sides. Spray 12-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add beef and brown on all sides; place in slow cooker. In small bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups of the broth and the Worcestershire sauce. Pour over beef.
3

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.
4

With slotted spoon, remove beef and vegetables to serving platter; cover to keep warm. Pour liquid from slow cooker into 2-quart saucepan; discard bay leaf. In small bowl, mix remaining 1/4 cup broth and the cornstarch until smooth; add to liquid in saucepan. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Serve sauce with beef and vegetables.

Chop veggies to a uniform size, so they cook evenly. And resist the temptation to take off the lid of the slow cooker and peek while the meat and veggies are cooking. You want to keep all the heat inside the slow cooker.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving

Calories: 370

Total Fat: 6g; 0%

Saturated Fat: 2g; 0%

Sodium: 860mg; 0%

Total Carbohydrate: 40g; 0%

Dietary Fiber: 4g; 0%

Protein: 39g

% Daily Value*:

Vitamin A: 0%; 0%

Vitamin C: 0%; 0%

Calcium: 0%; 0%

Iron: 0%; 0%

Exchanges:

2 Starch; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 4 1/2 Very Lean Meat;

Carbohydrate Choice

2 1/2

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.