Pot Roast & Gravy

A few years ago, when I embarked on being a domestic goddess, one of the first things I wanted to learn how to make was a roast. I mean, come on, how could you be a domestic goddess without having a simple roast recipe in your cookbook?? :rollseyes: 

So I searched and searched. And this one caught my eye almost immediately. I don't really remember why exactly, but it just did. Maybe because the gravy sounded yummy? Let's face it, I love gravy.

Anyhow, this is quickly became one of my favorite recipes. I love the taste. I love the gravy. I love the meat when cooked to perfection. Mmm, mmm, mmm.

Sounds perfect, especially with all this cold weather we've been having. 

Without further ado:

Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients:

2 (10.75 oz) cans condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 (1oz) pkg dry onion soup mix

1 1/4 cup water

5 1/2 lbs pot roast

Directions:

In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion mix and water. Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture. Cook on High setting for 3-4 hours or on low for 8-9 hours.

Here's what I do differently:

The original recipe sounds amazing, but when I initially browse for new recipes, I always make sure to read through any reviews and comments.  And one of the things commented was to try a tri-tip roast, brown the meat and also to use Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic soup. Since I didn't know much about meat and a vague ingredient like "5 1/2 pot roast" doesn't help a novice, I went with tri-tip. And OMG. When cooked right....delish. And also, ALWAYS on sale at my local grocery store, which is awesome when on a tight budget. (I just freeze the meat and defrost the night before) And since we like things tasty (to say the least) I went with the COM w/Roasted Garlic. 

Since one of the tips by a commenter was to season and brown the meat to keep in flavor I figured that sounded like common sense and decided that was a must-do. I can't vouch otherwise and like the way it tastes this way. So I season the roast with garlic, salt and black pepper and brown the meat with olive oil. It makes the house smell heavenly. 

When browning, I get the gravy ready. Sometimes I use one can of soup and sometimes two. Sometimes I dilute the soup a little and sometimes I don't. Just depends the mood I'm in. :D When I first did this and smelled the soup and dry onion pkg, I was pregnant and not too sure about the smell of this gravy. But give it a try, I promise you'll like it.

Once the meat is brown on all edges, I toss it in the crock pot, cover it with some of the gravy, cover and let it sit. I always have to play with the cook time, but I usually have approx 3-4 lbs roasts and just let it cook on low for a few hours. Your house will smell so warm and yummy. Make sure to whip up some yummy mashed potatoes for sure. You'll thank me, I promise!