Help with roast ideas

[texasgirl]

Okay, I'm getting a new crockpot today. I already have pork butt on my list.
What do you all do with beef roast? Seasonings and stuff?
I am putting carrots and potatoes, that is all these picky people will eat. Although I'll end up steaming some cabbage.

Also, I want to try chicken and dumplings. Will the chicken be okay slow cooking? And, is there another way to do dumplings than using biscuits? They are too soggy and the boys won't eat them.
Enough questions for you?

 

[abjcooking]

I put this recipe from Paula Deen aside to try, but haven't had the chance yet. It looks really good and it got great reviews.

1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast
1 1/2 teaspoons House seasoning, recipe follows
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 bay leaves
3 or 4 beef bouillon cubes, crushed
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup Chardonnay


Sprinkle roast on all sides with house seasoning. Using a skillet over high heat, sear roast until brown in oil. Place roast in a slow cooker, and layer onions, bay leaves, crushed bouillon cubes, garlic, and cream of mushroom soup. Add the Chardonnay and cover with enough water to cover all of the ingredients. Cook on the low setting for 8 hours.


House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder


Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months

 

[Andy M.]

...Also, I want to try chicken and dumplings. Will the chicken be okay slow cooking? And, is there another way to do dumplings than using biscuits? They are too soggy and the boys won't eat them...

You could make the chicken in the crockpot and bake biscuits (or rolls) separately in the oven.

 

[abjcooking]

There are a few crock pot recipes for chicken and dumplings in this threat. I really enjoy this thread because I love chicken and dumpling and I think it has some pretty good recipes for it.
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7830&highlight=chicken+dumplings

 

[Constance]

When I do a roast in the crock pot, I use an envelope of onion soup mix and a can of cream of mushroom soup. As it cooks, it makes it's own gravy. Be sure and put your vegies around the sides of the crockpot, as that's where the heat comes from. I find that baby carrots do fine as is...slice the larger ones. You'll need to slice your potatoes too, or use canned ones, add toward the end of cooking. Trust me...they'll taste great after the cook in the meat juice.

When you cook your pork, put a can of beer in with it...I'm not sure why, but it makes it better.

 

[abjcooking]

Constance, I do a roast in foil which is pretty much the same thing but I add a touch of a-1 sauce to it. It does make a wonderful gravy.

 

[jkath]

Texas, here's a really super-easy crock pot recipe for a roast: (I usually buy whichever roast is cheapest that day)

My Favorite French Dips

1 roast, around 2.1/2-3 lbs
1-2 pkg lipton onion soup mix
2 Tbsp mustard (whichever one you have in the fridge)
2 cans Campbells double strength beef broth

Put all in the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Take meat out onto a platter, fork shred, and then put back into the pot. Serve large helpings on fresh french rolls, and use the broth for dipping.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Boiled Dinner is an absolutely wonderful Midwestern specialty that can be made in a crock pot. The classic version contains corned beef, potatoes, cabbage, onion, celery, and carrots, all boiled to gether and seasoned with salt & pepperl, and for some, caraway seeds.

I have had boiled dinner made with ham, beef (usually from the chuck), venison, and pork. Though I love pork, it really doesn't have a strong enough flavor in my opinion, to stand up to the other flavorful ingredients. But the other meats were equally good. Just make sure to remove all fat from venison if that is the meat used. If there is fat on the venison, it will render during the cooking and turn into solid wax, literally, when cooled.

And don't make the mistake that I made. Very lean meat, such as lean pork or beef, doesn't tenderize to to long morst cooking, if the temperature is high enough to boil liquid. I cooked some very lean pork baby-back ribs in my slow cooker, at its lowest setting, in water, and the end result was extrememly dry and tough. The boiling water overcooked the meat.

But meats with marbled fat and connecting tissue respond well to the slow braising method of a slow cooker as the heat breaks down these tissues and creates a more tender and jucier mouth feel.

Also, a roast cooked in various sauces is great in a slow cooker. You can make chicken caciattori, beef cubes with marinara, beef stroganoff, sweet & sour meatballs, etc. You can also use the slow cooker to make lasagna, or sloppy joes, or pasta alfredo, etc.

You can even make things like shepard's pie or Hungarian Goulash. And don't forget stew and soups.

Myself, I have found that any dish that can be made in a slow cooker can be done in a pressure cooker, and with faster and better results.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[texasgirl]

Wow, thanks everyone!!!

 

[JMediger]

Just another thought to add to the already wonderful list you have ... we always do "hard" dumplings, not the soft ones that sit on top. We add them to most of our chicken dishes or eat them with brown butter on the side. There's no real recipe, it's more of a "when it feels right" but ...

Beat 1 egg, add enough flour to make it stiff, then enough milk to make it soft again (dough should still sit on a spoon), add a pinch of salt. Drop by spoonful into salted, boiling water. Boil for 3 - 5 minutes depending on how big you dropped them. Strain and rinse with hot water. Add to whatever soup, stew or broth you have OR toss them with brown butter and onion.

These will stand up to several hours in a crock pot so can be added in the beginning or at the end. I think my mom has actually made them straight into the crock pot but I won't swear by it.

Enjoy!
JMediger