Slow Cooker Roast with Gravy

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds of your preferred roast (such as chuck or sirloin)
3/4 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet (browning and seasoning sauce for roast)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of mushroom soup
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 package onion soup mix (1 ounce)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon each of dried thyme and garlic powder
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, combine beef broth, mushroom soup, onion soup mix, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, thyme, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Coat the roast with Kitchen Bouquet. Brown it in a skillet.

3. Transfer roast into slow cooker.

4. In the same skillet, melt butter, add flour, and cook briefly.

5. Pour the prepared gravy mixture into the skillet, whisking to loosen browned bits. Cook until the gravy thickens.

6. Pour the thickened gravy over the roast.

7. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours until roast is tender

Amazing Meatloaf

Cook 1hr 25 min @ 325 deg
YIELD 6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon good olive oil
3 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup canned chicken stock or broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (81 percent lean)
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs (recommended: Progresso)
2 extra-large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup, tomato sauce, chili sauce (your choice)
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown. Off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork. Don't mash or the meat loaf will be dense. Shape the mixture into a rectangular loaf on a sheet pancovered with parchment paper. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F and the meat loaf is cooked through. (A pan of hot water in the oven, under the meat loaf, will keep the top from cracking.) Serve hot

Perfect Pot Roast

I love this recipe because it makes it's own gravy which is great over mashed potatoes or rice! You also just can't mess this up - it's perfect every time.

1 - 2 or 3 lb beef pot roast of your choice (I prefer chuck roast)
1 - 10.5 oz can golden mushroom or cream of mushroom soup
1 - packet Lipton beefy onion or onion soup mix (dry)
2 - tablespoons olive or vegetable oil (to sear the meat)
pepper (to taste)
3 - 4 carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
4-5 med - large potatoes, quartered  or use whole new potatoes

Rinse the roast with water and pat dry with paper towels. Add 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil to a large skillet. Bring the heat up and really get that pan hot.

Add the roast and let it sear for about 5- 7 minutes per side. Add the seared roast to the crock pot. 

Sprinkle dry onion soup mix over the roast and add cream of mushroom soup. Cover and set slow cooker on low and cook for 6 - 7 hours. Turn pot roast over about half way through cooking time.

During the last hour of cooking prepare the carrots and potatoes. Peel carrots and potatoes and cut into pieces. I like to par-boil my veggies for about 8 - 10 minutes in a pot of water before adding to my crock pot. 

This way the veggies cook all the way through and they are not mushy when the roast is done. 

Drain the water off the potatoes and carrots and add to the crock pot the last hour of cooking. Season with a bit of pepper and cover and cook the last hour. 

The meat just falls apart and this recipes makes it own gravy. This is so wonderful the next day for roast beef sandwiches, or in flour tortillas or just warmed up and served with some rice.

Note: If you do not want to par boil the potatoes and carrots before adding. Then just add them the last 3-4 hours of cooking which is usually what I do.