Slow cooker dinners are a popular way to take tough cuts of meat and turn them into tender, delicious meals. One type of slow cooker, the crock-pot®, is so well known that its name is synonymous with slow cooking for many people. When cooking food in this manner, everything is generally placed into the pot at one time and allowed to simmer for many hours. A crock-pot® chuck roast is this type of a meal made with a chuck roast and various kinds of vegetables.
For many people, the low cost of the meat is attractive in a crock-pot® chuck roast. Since chuck roast tends to be a tough cut of meat with a lot of gristle and fat, it is usually priced quite a bit lower than other types of beef. For families on a tight budget, this can be an important consideration.
Despite its relatively low cost, the meat in a crock-pot® chuck roast is very flavorful. Chuck is heavily marbled with fat, which adds flavor to meat, so the end result is a cut of beef with a great deal of flavor. When made in a slow cooker, this flavor is also passed on to the vegetables that are cooked with it.
At the time the meat is placed in the slow cooker, vegetables are typically added so that they can cook at the same time. Usually, everything is put in first thing in the morning and then allowed to cook all day. By dinner time the meat has become very tender and the vegetables are thoroughly cooked and tender as well. The crock-pot® chuck roast is normally also covered with water, broth, or other liquid that is easily turned into gravy if desired.
Choice of vegetables is up to the cook, but it is important to consider that they will be cooking all day. The best choices to add to the meal are usually potatoes, onions and carrots. When added to a crock-pot® chuck roast, they also blend well with the other flavors. Most cooks place a layer of vegetables in the bottom of the slow cooker, then add the meat and fill in around it with more vegetables. Enough liquid and seasonings are added to the food for the right amount of flavor for an easy meal that's ready with a minimum of fuss.
