Sear slow cook pot roast the night before?

[ottenm]

Hey All-

I have a nice roast I plan to slow cook tomorrow with potatoes, carrots, onions, etc.. My mornings are a little hectic. May I have permission to sear the roast tonight, and then pop it back into the fridge overnight with the crock pot loaded up for the morning?

My searing strategy would be to leave it out of the fridge for 1/2 hour or so, rub it with olive oil and some herbs/spices, then sear for about 4 minutes per side. Perhaps listening to some gentle music.

Thanks for any feedback.

[Andy M.]

No point in leaving it out of the fridge before you start. Sear it over HIGH heat and play hard rock while you do it. It's seared when the surface is the color of dark chocolate. Season with salt and pepper. Other herbs and spices can burn during searing.

[jennyema]

According to the USDA

Never brown or partially cook beef to refrigerate and finish cooking later because any bacteria present wouldn't have been destroyed. It is safe to partially pre-cook or microwave beef immediately before transferring it to the hot grill to finish cooking.

Although this is a very dangerous practice with poultry, it is probably less risky with a beef roast since the bacteria will only be on the surface of the meat.

[no mayonnaise]

I wouldn't do that. You won't save but maybe 5 minutes of time by searing it right before you cook it. Plus you need to deglaze the pan while it's hot right after searing.

[Dawgluver]

I hate to say it, but I don't brown my roast. I just throw/fling/chuck/launch it into the CP and cook it.

[pacanis]

Originally Posted by Dawgluver

I hate to say it, but I don't brown my roast. I just throw/fling/chuck/launch it into the CP and cook it.

That's how I used to do them. I still enjoyed them. If I was pressed for time and didn't want to smoke up the kitchen or dirty my CI skillet I wouldn't hesitate to just drop it in the CP straight out of the fridge.

[Dawgluver]

Originally Posted by pacanis

That's how I used to do them. I still enjoyed them. If I was pressed for time and didn't want to smoke up the kitchen or dirty my CI skillet I wouldn't hesitate to just drop it in the CP straight out of the fridge.

For me, I find the browning disappears after cooking in the CP. It's not throughout the meat, and for me, everything comes out the same color, browning or not. It's all good!

BTW, welcome to DC!

[jennyema]

Browning meat gives it much more meaty flavor. IMO you should always do it if you can. It's the Maillard Reaction.

It takes less than 10 min to sear and the point about deglazing is an excellent one because there is a lot of flavor in the fond.

[ottenm]

Thank you to all. Perfect advice all around. I know what's at stake.

Also, I will unload the ABBA and try out one of the dusty CD's. Let's see, I wonder what "Back In Black" means....

Peace!

[jennyema]

I love ABBA!!!! :-)