Crock pot beef

Originally posted 5/22/07

This is a great beef and veggies dish, good for a cold night. You slice it when it is done, so it presents nicely, and makes its own gravy as it goes.

What you will need:

2.5-3lbs of chuck roast beef, whole and tied. It usually comes this way.
a few carrots, peeled and cut into discs
an onion, peeled and halved
a few Idaho potatoes, cut into chunks. I left the skin on.
a can of Campbell's cream of celery soup
4 oz. of Campbell's double-rich beef stock
some red wine
dried rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper
olive oil

If cooking on low heat, you will want to make your veggies chunkier, especailly the potatoes.

Pour the cream of celery soup, stock and one can of red wine (or you can use water, but wine adds a nice flavor) into the crock pot and whisk together. It may not blend well.

On a plate, mix a LITTLE bit of salt and some pepper, rosemary and thyme (you can be more generous with these).
Coat the sides of the chuck with the spice mixture.
In a heavy pan with a turn of olive oil, heated over a medium-high heat, sear each side of the chuck by placing it in the pan for 30-45 seconds.
Put the chuck in the pot.

Now. This is where it gets tricky.
If you have time and are preparing this 3-4 hours before the meal, do the following.
If not, skip this part and just stick it all in the pot to cook for 5-7 hours on low.

In a pan with some olive oil over medium heat (you can use the same searing pan) place the onion (cut side down) and and veggies in with some salt, pepper and rosemary (fresh is best). Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally to prevent burning. They should resemble roasted veggies or home fries. When still firm, but browned slightly, add to the pot.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours.

I like to turn the meat once, and occasionally pour juices over the top.
Season the broth to taste 30 min. - 1 hour before you eat.
Remember, as it cooks it will get more salty.

I also serve this with bread.

If you want, you can substitute the cream of celery with cream of mushroom or another can of broth. Adding the cream soups will make the broth a gravy.