I Keep Destroying My Pot Roasts!

Then cook it with a different method than the crock pot. Otherwise you're doing everything right.
What I do when I have a pot roast is I put it in a roasting pan, add water, whatever veggies and potatoes, and use the oven. And it comes out tender.
And if you want a nice sauce to go with it, make a white sauce and add a little creamy horseradish.

Are you using enough water? I use the rump roast, they are the most tender. I also poke it with a fork or knife so more juice goes inside it; I use enough water to completley cover the roast and veggies.

I never add any liquid and I usually make a chuck roast. I think the sirloin tip roasts get dry really fast & I never have success with them. Get a 3 lb. chuck roast. 6 hrs on low should do it.

Your piece of meat might have been too good? You need some fat on meat that you will be cooking for a long time. If you have a leaner cut of meat it won't take as long to break down and will dry out faster.

I love to make pot roast in the crockpot. I usually buy chuck roast (2.5lb piece I think), season it well with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, sear both sides in a hot pan, deglaze the pan with some water, add that to the crock pot, place the meat in the crock pot with water or low-sodium beef broth (I usually almost cover the meat with liquid), sliced onion, rough chopped garlic and cook on low usually from 8-6. I usually add the carrots and potato about 1/2 way thru. Mine never turns out dry.

To make gravy, I just take 2 c. of the liquid out of the crock pot, bring to a boil in a small pot and add some corn starch/water mix. Season to taste!

Your meat does need fat. I cook my roast in the crock for approximately 6 hours and do not add any water or juice and when it is done the roast is sitting in the natural juice of the meat.

I make venison roast all the time and it turns out so tender it falls apart like pulled pork. The night before you make it, put the following ingredients in the crockpot:
*the meat
*1 can of cream of mushroom soup + 1 can of water
*1 onion chopped (carrots too if u like)
*1 tbs of worchestire sauce
*1 tbs of soy sauce
*dash of garlic salt, pepper, season salt to taste

Let sit overnight in fridge!!!
Turn crock on high and cook for 6-8 hours

For the gravy:
Mix 2 Tbs of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of COLD water until blended

Add all juice from crockpot to sauce pan on stove
Add the cornstarch mix
Stir both til it comes to a boil

It will be thick awesome gravy!!!!

This is the best way to make roast

Try doing it in a roasting pan. It keeps the moisture in. Sells at Walmart. When you are adding the water, add some cooking oil to it as well. It will help create the gravy- The potatoes and carrots etc will blend it and thicken it up. You only need to cook for about an hour or so. Good luck.

I just tried a new recipe and it turned out great, I had been having the same problem. I used Sandra Lee's beef pot roast recipe from the food network. Really easy. The secret ingrediant seemed to be a can of cream of celery soup. I cooked it on high for just under 4 hours and it turned out medium rare and was delicious. Hooray!

I season the meat a bit and coat in in flour then brown it in a frying pan in a tiny bit of oil or spray. Brown it on both sides. Spray the crockpot and put the potatoes and carrots and a bit of onion (peppers too if your want), the beef stock & a small amt of water on the bottom. Put the meat on top. Put the onion soup and more onions on top of the meat and add some more water - not too much. I also put worstershire sauce and some catsup or BBQ sauce or a can of low-sodium chopped tomatores on the meat. You can also do the whole thing wrapped tightly in heavy duty foil on a cookie sheet with rims around it. Bake in the over a couple of hours at 350, starting it at 425 for 20 mins first. This should work. You don't want too good a cut of meat because the cheaper cuts are better for slow cooking. Chuck works well or something labeled pot roast. Better cuts are best for just cooking as a roast for a shorter time. I've never spent $15 on a potroast unless I was feeding a lot of people. Browning first and getting a cheaper cut of meat should do it. Good luck! Also, if you use onion soup mix, don't add any other salt! You really don't need it but I like to use it if I'm doing it in the foil/oven then I don't use any other seasonings except maybe a little catsup.

I use chuck roast its usually 1.5 pounds, brown both sides in a pan, then put it in the crock pot with soup mix and a cup of water (or what your soup powder mix says). I add veggies and that's it. for gravy I add a little corn starch to thicken and sometimes a boullion cube for more flavor. Usually I do that on the stove top.

maybe you are cooking it too long? With my old crock pot it would take 6-8 hrs on low but with my new one it takes 4-6 on low took me a few times to figure that out. I like to cook it with some roast beef rub my butcher sells and add some cream of mushroom to it. I set it on top of the potatoes, carrots, and onions. I use the rub, cover with mushrooms and top with the cream of mushroom and I check it after 4 hrs.

I go to my neighborhood butcher shop and tell them I'm making a pot roast. They know exactly what cut of meat. It's not an expensive cut, so going to the butcher is a value for the flavor.

Also, about a year ago, I got a West Bend Slow Cooker (about $25) that is a non stick pot, not the stoneware. We absolutely LOVE how much better the crock pot recipes come out. They used to always have a burnt flavor to us, but not anymore. I'd even let you try out mine if you were closer. :o)

Cooking any kind of meat for 6-8 hours would turn it into shoe leather. Pot roast is so easy, take the meat, pat it dry, salt and pepper on both sides, brown it in some oil, add liquid to almost cover the meat. ( water and beef stock and some red wine), add some carrots,celery , onion and galic cloves, bay leave and fresh thyme and salt and pepper go in next, and finally a choped tomatoe. Bring to simmer and then the lid goes on the pot and into the oven. It stayes there at 350 for 2-3 hours. Check once in a while and add more stock if the liquid gets too low. The pot roast is done when the meat is fork tender. If it is not after 3 hours give another 30 min and check again. To make a gravy or sauce....take the meat out and strain the cooking liquid and degrease it. Then add some cornstarch mixed with a little cold water to the hot cooking liquid and bring back to the boil and it should have thickened. Good luck.

I kept drying meat out with my crockpot or it would be done in like 2 hours even on low. I figured out that my crockpot was too big for the portions I was making. It's supposed to be about 3/4 filled I think. Buying one that was smaller solved my problems.

Be sure you have enough liquid, sounds like its evaporating too much.

To make the gravy, thicken the liquid that is left with either cornstarch or flour. If you use flour, put it in some cold water and into a container with a tight lid, shake until flour is dissolved into the water without lumps. Pour into the liquid and heat, stirring continuously. Same with cornstarch, only you can just stir it in a cup with a spoon.

Another idea is to use some cream of mushroom soup, I think that's what my dad always did. It gives it a nice creamy texture and dilutes in the cooking liquid.

I use English Cut roasts. They are the kind that almost "shred" when done.

I cook it in the oven, or in a table top roasting oven.

Put it in a roasting pan/oven sprinkle a generous amount of lawry's seasoning salt over the top, then garlic powder, onion powder and pepper. again...a generous amont.
cut a small onion into large chunks and place around the roast.
put about 5 or 6 beef boullion cubes arond it too,
Pour about 6 cups of water over the roast. (it might end up under the water and that's ok)
bake at 300 for about 3 hours. then add potatoes and carrots, and increase the heat to 400 for about 30 mins to an hour.
remove the meat and veggies and keep them warm.
strain the remaining liquid into a saucepan. add about 1/2 cup of milk, (and additional water and boullion if needed)
bring to a boil.
once boiling whisk in Wondra flour until thickness is desired.
(you can always strain it if there are flour lumps)
I also add some kitchen bouquet to darken and enrich the flavor of the gravy.

Hi Jennifer---I don't make pot roasts very often...never turn out like my mom's so I don't try very often. You've got a lot of great suggestions so I'm not going to try and give you the ultimate recipe. I do however, know that you have to be careful about how much liquid to use.

Do you know how your fingers turn to prunes in the bathtub when you've been in a long time? It is because the bathwater draws water from your skin via osmosis. Something to do with balancing fluid levels in the body and the tub...anyway, same thing happens with that roast. The cooking liquid draws the moisture out of the roast. I am certain that this why a roast dries out. How to fix that is another thing that I've not explored just yet.

I would google 'the perfect pot roast' and I'm sure you'll get a TON of ideas. Do the same with gravy. Be sure to cook down the liquid so that the flavors are intensified for that make-your-mouth-water gravy. Good luck. D.

My family has always raised animals and the cuts of meat matter the most. Your juicest cuts of meat are the ones with fat on it a rump roast would be ideal for a good roast add lots of water and truth is that your veggies are soaking up all the good juces try adding them about an hour before its supposed to be ready. And lipton onion packages are the bes,t then you brown 3tablespoons of flour in two table spoons oil until thick and then add some of the juice from the roast use a slowcooker it matters something with a timer on it and slow cook it for about 8 hrs. Lots of water is key it should flake off the bone.... you might be in need of a new crockpot hon...

I think I use a cheaper grade of meat; maybe a chuck roast? I put my roast in the crock pot, cut up veggies on top, about one cup of water and then I open an envelope of onion soup mix and sprinkle it on top. Cook on low for at least 6 hours. Its our favorite! We used to have a crock pot that cooked too hot, too quick, so even on low our meat was drying out. I contacted the company - they had me cut off the cord and send it back and they sent me out a whole new crock pot. The meat should be moist and just fall apart.
The other way I have had success is with "cooking bags" ; but this way you cook it in the oven with the meat and veggies in the bag - it takes the guess work out of "is my roast done".
However, we prefer the crock pot version.

I always do my roasts in the crock pot, I just make sure there is plenty of water and cook it on low overnight. A few times we've gotten busy and let the meat cook for 12 hours or more, but as long as it's covered with water it's never gotten tough. We never precook the meat, I just pop it in the crock pot straight out of the fridge. But I usually wait to add the veggies until 1-2 hours before we eat so they don't get too mushy.

My mother in law does her roasts in a pressure cooker and they are always very tender. She doesn't have to add any seasoning like I do, and the meat always has a very rich flavor straight out of the pressure cooker.

Try roast, one can cream of mushroom soup, one envelope lipton onion soup (dried) - cook on low. Gravy is made too. Don't add liquid to this recipe.

The biggest hint for any big piece of meat is to take it out of the crockpot/pan and let it sit for about 15 minutes before cutting it. That way the juices don't run out! (hams and turkey's too!)

My favorite roast is found here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/01/2008_the_year_...
Perfect every time. So yummy. Now I'm hungry...
She suggests using Chuck roast.
Gravy is easy. Remove everything from the pan. Except the juice. Heat it up. Add a mixture of cold water and cornstarch (about 2:1ish) to the juice in the pot and stir with a whisk. I probably use about 1/4-1/2 c water to 2-4Tbsp cornstarch, depending on how much I need. Keep whisking until it gets thick. Sometimes you need a little more. After it starts thickening, add salt and pepper to taste. Usually you don't need much with this recipe because it is so yummy already. With turkey you might need to add more.
Enjoy.

Cut the cook time down and see if that helps, also there should be enough liquid in there to cover the roast. For a good gravy, take some of the drippings and put them into a pan on the stove (1or 2 cups depending on how strong you want the flavor, you can always add more if need be). Mix flour into cold milk with a wisk until smooth, about 1or 2 table spoons of flour for each cup of milk (or with water for a brown, less creamy gravy), than add mixture to hot dressing and heat to a simmer. Let it simmer until it is nice and thick. If it is not getting thick enough add a small amount of corn starch, but dissolve it in water of milk before you put it in or it will clump.

I cook mine in a crock pot but I use "McCormick slow cook pot roast" I get it from walmart, there little paper packets with seasoning and directions, cost $1. I use it for stew too! Both always come out perfect and juicy! Sometimes with the roast I do add a little extra water in the crock pot though. Good luck

If you don't have gravy consider buying Bisto gravy from the English section at Meijer - takes 2 mins to make a rich dark brown gravy to pour over your plated meat or you can add it to stews and bolognaise, chili etc to add flavor! Also try roasting your meat in the oven 20 mins a LB plus 20 mins at the end, at 360 degrees works for most beef and lamb joints - 25 mins plus 25 for pork. As a Brit I KNOW roasts!!!

It's the beef stock plus french onion soup. Both are VERY "dense" (with salts and sugars) that pull out all the moisture from the individual cell in the muscle of the meat.

So option 1 would be to try with just beef broth (and add soup mix at the very very end for the flavor). Make sure the beef broth is pretty dilute. As in... add some extra water.

Option 2 is to make a more traditional potroast by using a dutch oven in the oven. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely... is my fav oven recipe. I add mushrooms with the carrots and cook the potatoes separately. Typically they're leftovers from the night before.

For gravy... you have to transfer dripping from slowcooker into a frying pan and crank the heat up on high. Boil it down a LOT. By at least 2/3s usually. You want it thick and syrupy. Add about 1 cup of red wine. Then add a couple tablespoons of flour and whisk like crazy.. until it's smooth and creamy and brought back up to a boil. Then keep whisking for about twice as long as you think you really need to. Turn it down to low and let it simmer for about 10 minutes to cook out the flour taste. ((Cream gravies are the opposite... you heat up the oil and dripping, add flour, as the flour turns golden brown *then* add milk stir until thick, add enough pepper to make you think you're nuts, and turn it down. The flour taste is cooked off early on and then you reduce. Gravies are just kinda weird that way. Brown gravy one way, cream gravies the other. Mmmmm. Should mention. Making a cream gravy out of beef drippings turns the gravy into an unappetizing weird tasting grey icky "oops".)).

I would definitely add some water to all the veggies and pot roast to keep it moist.

As for gravy from drippings or broth, here's my tried and true recipe (unfortunatly I guess at amounts, so I can't give specifics and you might have to monkey around with it a bit):

In a saucepan melt some butter then add a little flour and cook for a few minutes. It should be quite thick. Then slowly add the drippings/broth a little at a time, whisking the whole time. Once you've got the consistency you want you can season it with a little salt and pepper, but it's usually flavoured with whatever you've flavoured your meat with. I use this for turkey too.

Hi Jennifer!
I see you have a ton of great suggestions. The crock pot is the only way I will cook a roast. Mine get too dried out in the oven. One of the things with a crockpot is it should keep all of the moisture in the pot. This is why you don't have to add too much extra "juice" like in the oven. Is it possible that your crockpot is letting the moisture escape? Or if you are home, are you opening it up to "check" on it? I had read to NEVER lift the lid until the end when it was done. You don't need to stir or anything because the moisture will escape that way. I never use expensive cuts of meat. So I don't think that would be the problem. I kind of look at the crockpot as a way to save money because it makes even cheaper cuts of meat so tender, and I LOVE to save money :)

Good luck and let us know what you find out!

J.