Slow cookers are ideal for cooking and breaking down protein fibers into tender and delicious meals. There are two ways to use a crockpot, which differ in the amount of liquid added to the meat.

A good crockpot roast should turn out like a pot roast, tender but firm enough to slice and hold together. If more liquid is added, the meat braises and falls apart. A roast slow-cooked with lots of liquid will shred but won’t carve. The recipe below is for a firm, tender, and tasty roast that can be eaten traditionally.

Other forms of slow cooking are oven roasting or using a technique called sous vide. All will generate the same results, but the texture of the meat can be drastically different. If you want a nice roast with a browned edge that will carve like a dream, let the ingredients generate the liquid, and do not add extra.

Ingredients:

• 3 lb venison roast, e.g. chuck, round, sirloin
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 4 tbsp lard or oil
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• ½ cup beef broth
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions:

1. Take a thawed roast and pat it dry with a paper towel.
2. Combine the flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and black pepper in a shallow plate. Press the roast into the mixture until all sides are coated and no moisture shows.
3. Heat the lard or oil over medium-high heat in a cast-iron frying pan. Sear the roast on all sides until browned.
4. While the roast is browning, rough chop and place the celery, onion, and carrots in the crockpot. Place the roast on top of the mixture.
5. Reduce the frying pan heat to medium and deglaze with the beef broth. Add the soy and Worcestershire sauces and chopped garlic. Pour the mixture over the roast in the crockpot. Add the fresh rosemary and thyme.
6. Place the lid on the crockpot and turn on low for 6-8 hours.
7. Remove the roast from the crockpot and cover with foil. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
8. While the roast is resting, strain the liquid from the crockpot into a medium saucepan over medium heat. In a separate bowl, mix the additional beef broth and cornstarch until smooth. When the liquid is hot, slowly stir in the cornstarch slurry and bring to a simmer to thicken.
9. Carve the roast and serve with the gravy.

Tips

You can add whole potatoes, like Yukon gold, to the pot while cooking the roast, as the Canadian hybrid spud is waxy and won’t break down during the long cooking process. Other varieties tend to get mushy.

If you open the crockpot during cooking, it can add an extra 30 minutes of cooking time. If you are looking, it isn’t cooking. The lids are glass, so they don’t need to be removed to see the results.

You can cook a roast from frozen, but skip the browning process and add an hour or two of time to the cooking process.

Slow cookers can be preheated just like an oven. Instant heat on meat ensures it isn’t sitting out for too long at too low a temperature when bacteria can grow.

Always ensure the lid fits snug with no steam escaping. It is important to have the lid seal the crockpot for best results.