Growing up, my sister and I had any choice we wanted for our “birthday meal” on the day we celebrated our birthday.  It was always the same thing… homemade fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, corn, and some variation of a jello salad.  We only ate homemade fried chicken twice a year.  Why do I bring this up in a post about slow cooked pot roast?

Because this meal, my friends, was my second choice.  If for some reason chicken was not able to be on the table, I would have chosen pot roast, potatoes & carrots, fried noodles, and gravy.  Although I never had to have my “second choice” as a meal, I seriously considered changing it up several times.  But, I always came to the conclusion that we had pot roast more than twice a year, and if I were to choose it, we’d only have fried chicken once!

Nowadays when I’m craving one of my favorite meals, I make this dinner.  It’s simple, delicious, and in my opinion, just about as close to perfection on a plate as you can get.

When buying the meat, pick a cut that is good for roasting, like rump roast, top round, or bottom round.  Even brisket would be fine.  Keep in mind that the roast will shrink considerably while it cooks, so buy a cut that’s a little bigger than you think it should be.  Plus, you want leftovers of this delicious meal!

Start your pot roast early in the morning.  Begin by peeling and chunking some carrots.  Place those in the bottom of the crock pot.  Put the roast on top.  Then, add about 2 cups of beef broth.

Carrots Roast Broth

Now, cover it up, set the crockpot on low, and let the magic happen!

Several hours later, about 2-3 before you plan on serving, chunk some potatoes and put those in the crockpot.  The roast and carrots will be looking done at this point.

Potatoes

Cover again, and let cook until the potatoes are done.  You might stir it up a little to move the potatoes down into the broth, but be careful not to break up the roast or the carrots.

When you’re about ready for dinner, take the roast and the vegetables out of the broth.  Set them on a serving plate, cover with foil, and keep warm.  Make the gravy from the reserved broth, fry up some noodles, and you’re ready to eat!

Slow Cooked Pot Roast

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cut of roasting meat rump roast, top round, bottom round
  • 2-3 cups beef broth more for larger roasts
  • 3-4 large carrots
  • 3-4 large potatoes

Instructions
 

  • Peel and chunk carrots. Place in the bottom of a crockpot large enough to hold the roast and vegetables. Place roast on top of carrots. Pour broth over roast. Cook on low for several hours (from 6 to 8). About 2 hours before serving time, peel and chunk potatoes. Add to crockpot, and cook 2-3 hours longer. Before serving, remove roast and vegetables from broth. Reserve broth for making gravy. Keep warm until serving.