I need some advice. My slow cooker pot roast is on the dry side. Without using gravy what is a good way to give it more flavor?
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at
11:44 pm
Question by co-worker: My slow cooker pot roast is on the dry side. Without using gravy what is a good way to give it more flavor?
I cooked it on low overnight. It smells great and isn't too dry, just a bit on the surface. I hate gravy, though, so how can I give it more flavor and juice? I added some whole onions to the cooker. What else can I do?
Best answer:
Answer by cocokutie
boil water with a couple bouillion cubes and slice the roast and add both back into the cooker.
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Tagged with: advice. • COOKER • Flavor • give • good • Gravy • more • Need • roast • side • SLOW • some • Using • Without
Filed under: Slow Cookers
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Onions certainly aren’t going to make it any more moist:) You probably didn’t have enough liquid in there to cover the meat; and it gets dry where it’s out of the liquid. You could add some stock, wine or beer. The wine or beer will also tenderize it alot when it’s cooking; and you can then add a package of dry onion soup mix to the liquid. I assume you already added your herbs to it: oregano, few sprigs of fresh rosemary, bay leaves, garlic, salt & pepper
try some beef broth
Add some aromatics such as celery and carrots, you can also add garlic powder for more flavor.
Try some chicken, beef, or turkey stock.
add a cup of red cooking wine and sliced mushrooms for beef bourginon.
Add can of mushroom or tomato soup and a bit of water.
I usually use a can of beef broth and you can also use a can of coke
I always use a Lipton packet and its always moist and falling apart.
I refuse to add liquids to mine, as I also do not like gravy. I have developed two ways of cooking mine in the slow cooker that do not require added liquid. I rough cut up a onion and put in the bottom of the pot, then add meat, and place a piece of alum. foil over the top and press it down over the sides. Cook on low. The foil will prevent the meat from becoming hard on the top. The other way I cook mine is to take the meat, and wrap it fully in alum foil, then add to cooker along with some water (to keep the foil from burning to the cooker). Cook as normal. Just lift out the bundle when done. Make sure your meat is seasoned to your likeing before you cover or wrap.
To attempt to soften a roast that is hard on top you can take bit of balled up foil and toss in the slow cooker, add liquid to almost cover the foil balls, then take your roast, and place it hard side down on the foil, and let the steam from the liquid infuse the meat without actually having to put the meat in the liquid. Good Luck.
Use beef broth instead of water, and make sure there is enough liquid to keep the roast covered, even after cooking it all night. You might want to turn it once during the cooking time to make sure one side does not dry out.
I would not hesitate to put in some more liquid during the cooking, or near the end. Heat it up before adding it if you don’t want to slow the cooking time.
Do you put veggies in the cooker during the last of the time? Choose moist ones, like carrots, pretty ones like corn, and cook some potatoes, too. My Mom used to cut the potatoes in long fourths, and put them in, if she wanted to cut the cooking time, she used already boiled ones, leftover deliberately from some other dish. The carbs in the veggies will thicken the broth naturally, no starch thickeners needed.
Do you sear your roast before putting it in? I use my stove dutch oven, and put a little grease in, flour the roast, then sear it on both sides, turn down the heat, and add the broth. The little bit of flour stays, and thickens, but does not add taste, you won’t think you are eating gravy.
Mom used a trick in stews and beans, she put a few tablespoons of ketchup in for color. It also added a bit of sugar and salt, both which enhance food flavor. Might also want to try some stewed tomatoes, use the liquid in the can to your advantage. That adds flavored fluid and something that thickens naturally, some natural sugar, and the salt it is packed in.
Experiment with spices, a tiny bit of garlic, a bay leaf, even a little Worchestershire would enhance the flavors. A little red wine, and I have heard of people putting in beer to add flavor.
A light hand with the spices adds flavor, and using them sparingly adds a little mystery, expect to hear, Wow is that good, what did you do?
Not sure why you want to add flavor when you are complaining about it being dry.
However broth, or bullion with water aer good choices as is b-b-q sauce.