Pot roast has a long history in our Dutch midwestern town. It is the meal that Mom or Grandma gets ready to cook while you are at church, so everyone can eat roast at noon. Pair with some mashed potatoes, and it is a meal that brings comfort to everyone.
Being from a busy farm family, we don't always have time to prepare a big noon meal. However, we do enjoy a good comforting meal at the end of a long, cold day. Pot roast is just the ticket.
Considering we are farmers and not professional chefs, this is a simple recipe cooked in a slow cooker. We love it, and hope your family will as well.
Ingredients for roast:
3 lb. Rump Roast
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 cups water
1/2 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
Ingredients for gravy:
Reserved juices from roast
3 tablespoons corn starch (approximate)
3/4 cup water
1. Select a roast. This roast was frozen, as we don't always plan ahead! But that is okay, there is no difference in texture or taste. We are using a standard sized 6 quart slow cooker for this recipe.
Remove your roast from its packaging. It tastes better this way. :)
2. Measure 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce. Bonus points if you can pronounce "Worcestershire".
3. Measure 2 cups of water. We know how to pronounce "water."
3. Mix the two together!
4. Pour over the roast.
5. Add 1/2 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning over the roast.
6. Add 2 additional cups of water to the sides of the roast, being careful not to rinse the sauce mixture and seasoning off the roast.
7. Set the lid on the slow cooker. For a frozen 3 lb. roast, we cooked it on High for 9 hours. Aim for a final temperature of 160 degrees. Or, if you are like us, until it falls apart easily!
8. Shred and prepare for eating. But wait! The gravy!
9. Remove the juices from the slow cooker and add to a pan on the stove.
10. Mix (roughly) 3 tablespoons of corn starch with 3/4 cup COLD water until smooth. (Warm water ends with lumpy gravy). Turn the stove on medium heat, and let it boil down with the corn starch mixture until it thickens. If after five to ten minutes the juice does not thicken, add an additional tablespoon of corn starch mixed in a little more cold water.
That's it! Make sure to slather your roast in gravy. Feel free to share your ideas for your favorite roast!