2 thumbs up! Of all the slow cooker roast recipes I have tried... there have been many due to my hectic schedule, this is by far the easiest and most tasty. I added quartered potatoes and baby carrots to the cooker to complete this meal. The coloring of the veggies due to the packet mixes were inviting. The flavor was exceptional. Thanks for such a keeper killer recipe!
4 stars for ease of preparation. I have been making versions of this roast for years. It can be made with 1 can beef broth instead of the gravy mix and water; water & gravy- or broth-, and Italian dressing mix; or 2 pkg Italian dressing mix, beef broth -or water & gravy mix-; any combination works. The sodium content will vary with what you end up using. It falls apart so you can easily shred for sandwiches. Also I've made with top or bottom round for less fat. I usually fix mashed potatoes with it and don't salt them. Leftover beef and juices are good for beginnings of soup next day- refrigerate and then skim off the fat that has hardened.
My father in law made this same roast. Really good. I always braise the meat before I add it to the crockpot and add a sliced onion or two. Phenom gravy and really good over garlic/rosemary mashed potatoes. NOTE: If the inclination takes, you can use lemon-lime soda instead of the water. Also, if you're pinching pennies, this also works with stew meat.
I made this for dinner last night (we were having a potluck kinda thing... I made this beef for sandwiches). I only changed one thing and added another. Instead of water I used beef broth. I added 1 George Killians Irish Red beer in for flavor. Holy Ale this was the most tender beef roast w/incredible flavor! Everyone fell head over heels for this!:) I of course directed them to this site! Always find gems here!:)
Couldn't find Italian packet, so substituted 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing and omitted 1/2 cup of the water to compensate... Delish! I will never make slow cooker roast any other way again.
I made this tonight. I've been making roasts in my crock pot or pressure cooker forever with the same old boring onion soup mix, so when I saw this recipe it got my attention as being "different". It went over so well, that I won't ever make it any other way. I was concerned about it being too salty so I used McCormick reduced sodium brown gravy mix and did not season the meat with salt. I would highly suggest this because it was plenty salty enough with this adjustment. I also wanted to make sure the gravy wasn't too thin so I coated the beef with flour, browned it and added an additional tablespoon of flour to the spice/water mixture. To my dismay, the "gravy" was like water when the roast was done. I removed the meat to a plate, covered with foil, and let it rest while I proceeded with making gravy out of the liquid. I cranked the crock pot up to high and did something I normally wouldn't have done, but I was way too lazy to make a gravy out of the normal flour roux. I mixed about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with about 2-3 tablespoons water in a bowl until dissolved and smooth, whisked it into the liquid in crock pot, covered it and let it go for about 10 minutes. Worked famously. The kids and husband tore this up and when they were done, they were already talking about leftovers for tomorrow.
I followed the recipe exactly, and it was truly delicious. The whole family liked it. Here's what's good:
1) It makes its own gravy; there is nothing to do but serve once you get home from work or running errands.
2) The gravy is a lovely deep brown.
3) The gravy is neither too thick nor too thin.
4) The gravy is complex (likely from the Italian salad dressing mix), unlike standard corn starch gravies that you make yourself or pour from a can or jar--yet neither is it too herby-y.
5) No pre-browning of the meat. Browning is a wonderful thing, yes. But with this recipe it's not necessary. Besides, pre-browning messes up your stove with oil splatter and creates another item that has to be washed. I don't miss it!
6) This recipe is so easy that I handed it to my retired husband, and he was able to make it without the aid of my usual long list of instructions. Now that's easy.
7) I worried it would be too salty; it was not at all.
8) I worried it would be too commercial tasting: it was not at all.
9) The meat is fork tender and infused with flavor.
Tips: Cut any visible fat from the meat before you cook it, otherwise that fat will render directly into your gravy. Resist the temptation to use more than 1 cup of water; it's not necessary.
I used 2.75 lb chuck roast on low for 6 hours. Perfect, absolutely perfect.
Instead of the water, I use a can of beef broth and add a sliced onion. Truly delicious... my family always goes crazy for this. They like it over egg noodles as opposed to adding taters and I'll usually add carrots to the mix. Great recipe, Kerstin!
Well....I reviewed this before it was published, but they didn't move my review! SO, here you go again! WONDERFUL! This recipe is the BEST Roast I have ever had! I have made it several times, and it's always perfect! I have used the packets on chicken also, and it turned out really good, and used just the italian dressing/water on a pork tenderloin for pulled pork and it was great, but I will NEVER cook a roast any other way! Thanks Kerstin!
I made this following recipe exactly and thought it smelled so bad that I wouldn't even eat it. My son tasted it and said it was "ok" but I definitely won't be trying this one again!
