Slow Cooker Roast Beef

Since fall is in full swing and everyone’s settling into their fall routines, I thought I’d share this delicious and versatile slow cooker recipe that I came up with a few weeks ago. I had a 5lb chuck roast I needed to get out of my freezer before my in-laws brought us the frozen, butchered quarter cow we buy every year and I ended up taking a bit from 4 different recipes to create my own. I have to say, it was the best slow cooker roast beef recipe I’ve made yet (if I do say so myself ;-), well, Greg agreed with me too).

Here’s some of the ways you could use the meat and sauce from this recipe:
– French Dip Sandwiches
– Philly Style Sandwiches (add sautéed peppers & onions and provolone to the sandwich)
– Italian Beef Sandwiches (add chopped giardinera, pepperoncinis and sautéed peppers & onions)
– BBQ Beef Panini (add BBQ sauce & cheese, then grill)
– Over a baked potato with all of the baked potato toppings (sour cream, bacon bits, chives, etc)
– As part of poutine – a French Canadian dish of fries, gravy and cheese curds (I make a gravy out of the leftover sauce and a touch more broth – so delicious) – This is our favourite way to use the meat
– In quesadillas, burritos, Tex-Mex Enchiladas, taquitos
– Make a stroganoff sauce and add the shredded or chopped meat and serve over rice or egg noodles
– Use the chopped or shredded beef instead of ground beef in a bolognese-style sauce and serve over pasta

See? Told you it’s a versatile recipe!

 

Look at that beefy goodness! 😉

Slow Cooker Roast Beef

*Note: I like to make this recipe a day ahead, then put it in the fridge overnight still in the slow cooker insert to let the fat on top solidify so that I can remove it. If you’re using a very lean roast, like a round, you may not have to do this step, though I do recommend doing it if you’re using the fattier chuck cut.

1 3-5lb roast (I used chuck, but round or sirloin would be fine too)
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, thickly sliced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sherry
1 1/2 cups of beef stock (I love the Campbell’s Stock First – it has a lot more flavour than most stocks)

Dry the roast with paper towels and rub with the salt and pepper. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and once the skillet and oil are hot, brown the roast on all sides. Remove the roast from the skillet and place into your slow cooker insert. Sprinkle the rosemary, thyme, garlic powder and bay leaves around the roast.

Melt the butter in the skillet and sauté the onions until a deep golden brown. Add the soy sauce and sherry, deglazing the pan and making sure to get all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan into the sauce. Bring to a boil and let the sauce boil for 3 minutes before pouring the onion, soy sauce and sherry mixture over the roast. Add the beef stock directly to the slow cooker and set the slow cooker on low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, remove the roast and shred. Enjoy!