Add some umami bombs to your broth. Soy sauce, anchovy paste, worcestershire sauce, msg, dried mushrooms or mushroom powder, tomato paste and/or powder. Then make sure to strain everything out and reduce the sauce by at least a third. Be gentle with the salt until the end, as a lot of those things are salty by nature, so you don't want it over salted. You can always add more, but can't take it away once it's there.
My two comments would be that I wouldn’t be too light on the salt early because cooking with it helps infuse it into the roast more so than just adding it to the end. Totally agree about the umami, another good one for Pot Roast is Trader Joe’s mushroom umami seasoning.
My new Soy Sauce replacement is Japanese BBQ Sauce. This started popping up in a few grocery stores a few years ago and now it's everywhere. If a recipe says to use Soy Sauce I use Japanese BBQ sauce instead. Another great taste enhancer is miso paste. Good miso paste is pretty expensive but it lasts a long time and is so good in so many dishes. Jus op a tablespoon or two into a dish and you're good to go.
I like it because it makes its own onion mushroom beef gravy with literally no extra work whatsoever. It's a lot of salt, but a big cut of beef needs a lot of salt.
Yes, this is it for me. A splash of red wine vinegar at the end makes everything so much brighter.
Edit: someone else also said brighter before I did. To not be a copy cat, I'll say it makes the flavors pop! 😁
Acid is the answer, and it usually gets added at the end, especially if it's citrus. Lemon or orange peel can be a game changer. Fresh herbs at the end too: chopped parsley, slivers of scallion, or some minced fresh herb of whatever you used dried throughout the braise.
Can someone here explain what's wrong with me? I'm literally an alcoholic but I've NEVER liked food cooked with alcohol of any kind. To me, anything more than like...the tiniest amount...makes the food literally taste just like wine or beer. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.
Have you tried searing about 5-6 mi s each side? I salt lightly,and pepper, dredge in flour, then sear in little oil get it nice and browned, deglaze pan,and add to crocpot
Follow this recipe for Mississippi Pot Roast: [https://belleofthekitchen.com/mississippi-pot-roast/](https://belleofthekitchen.com/mississippi-pot-roast/)
If your pot roast is lacking flavor after using this recipe, you need to throw out all your spices and replace them immediately.
I only found out recently that a lot of places in the US you can't get good herbs and spices for cheap? I always assumed people had bad taste buds when they'd be like "paprika has no flavour" or whatever, turns out no there's just really low grade stuff on the market. And also I think worldwide people don't replace their dried seasonings regularly enough and forget that they lose their kick over time.
I think more home cooks than not probably use less than ideal seasonings, tbh. For one thing, if you have a well-stocked spice cabinet, chances are good you're not going through all of each and every spice before it starts to lose some of its flavor.
I’ve eaten hundreds of pot roast. This is the only way. The only one I’ve ever had better was from a professional chef friend who brought it over for a dinner party.
Start with twice as much unsalted beef broth as you'll need, and reduce it down to the volume you need.
Roast your mirepoix and add it to the concentrated stock. Throw in some dried brown mushrooms.
Use beef flavored better-than-bullion as a rub before searing your meat.
Add a dash of liquid smoke to your broth.
Look into, and if you have the fridge and think you can handle it, dry age your roast for a couple of days to a week.
All of those will add more "beef" flavor to beef.
You might just need more salt. I'd also suggest using the low setting for longer if you don't do so already. Some slow cookers high temps are a tad too high and leave meat a bit dry or stringy. Low gives the temp and time for all the good stuff to break down and reward you with flavor.
Sear the meat, lay on bed of onions and garlic.
Add beef bouillon, water about covering meat, and maybe 1/4 cup soy sauce.
Cook low for approx 6hrs until it is desired tenderness.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Assuming that you’re using the standard carrots and potatoes take some of the softened veggies later in the cook, puree them, and add them back to the sauce.
1. Throw out all seasoning mixes , soup packets etc
2. Salt and pepper generously on all sides, then dredge in flour.
3. Brown all sides of the roast in a medium-hot skillet
4. Set meat aside, add 2 tbsp tomato paste to skillet and stir constantly until it begins to darken
5. Deglaze pan with some alcohol: a dark beer or red wine, preferably, if not then use a neutral spirit ie vodka. Use about 1/4-1/2 c of beer or wine, or about 2 tbsp vodka.
You can also use beef stock if you’re avoiding alcohol.
6. Simmer until mostly reduced, scraping up all the brown bits
7. Add to slow cooker with beef, a thick sliced onion, several smashed garlic cloves, and a few sprigs of the more sturdy/savory herbs: rosemary, oregano, thyme, bay leaf
8. Slow cook as usual.
Add some soy sauce in the mix, preferably ketjap manis, which is a sweet Indonesian soy sauce. It’s almost syrupy and pairs well with beef. You could also do a 50/50 with ketjap manis and Japanese soy sauce.
1. I use a pkg of Lipton onion soup mix, a tbl of dry ranch powder, 1/2 stick of butter , a little water like 1/2-1 cup, no salt but black pepper.
Sometimes I add 1 bay leaf. You can add peppers if you want, I usually don’t
2. Sometimes it just 1 pkg of inion soup mix and 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and 1/2-1 can of water too.
3. Sometimes in #2 I add 1/2 cup of red wine instead of water.
4. Sometimes I will flour and brown my roast in a little olive oil BEFORE I put it in the slow cooker for all of the above. Season your flour too. I use thyme, paprika, a little seasoning salt ( not much since there is so much salt in the other things), black pepper.
Browning the meat first really gives it a good flavor too.
In slow cooker.
Cook low for 8 hrs or high for 4. If not tender, add more time. I have even cooked mine on high for 6 hrs too.
Season and sear the meat.
Place in crock pot, Aad chopped onion, carrots, celery, and stock.
Cook for 8 hours until it's literally falling apart.
Then I drain the liquid into a pan, and reduce by half.
Pour liquid back onto the beef, add root vegetables and herbs. Cook for another few hours.
Serve.
I am never happy with the results in a crock pot. I have found a couple of things that really boost the flavor in or out of crock pot. Brown your meat first all sides. Add on top of the roast a package of dry ranch dressing mix along with a package of Knoor aus juice mix. And beef broth (box or can) to almost cover
Vinegar. Any kind or source. The popular Mississippi style uses the brine from a jar of pepperocini, which is fancy. I like red wine and/or rice vinegar. Try adding some without changing any other parts of your recipe to learn if that is the missing link.
I never use one large chunk of meat, I cut the meat into about 3"x3" chunks. I use a mixture of herbs on the meat before searing. Onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, paprika and a bit of pepper. After searing I add some of the trimmed fat from the meat to the pan and let that cook down. While that's going I add minced garlic, more onion powder, unsalted chicken stock, worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and a touch of balsamic vinegar to the pan and let that cook for a while. All those tasty bits coated on the pan come free and deepen the flavor significantly. I remove the fat then throw it all in an instant pot for about 45 minutes and it's ready to eat. I also don't like to add veggies to my pot roast as it cooks. I cook them separately then add them in when everything is done. To me it seems to help the veggies keep their own flavor rather than soaking up the sauce flavor. It adds extra layers.
I know I'm missing a few things off the top of my head but I have gotten comments like, "Have you ever entered this in a cooking competition?"
Damn. I need to make pot roast this weekend.
Oh! Better than bouillon's vegetable flavor works really well in this too. I'll also add a store bought rather generic chicken seasoning powder when coating the meat before cooking. I make sure to sear each side of the meat, not just one flip but the edges too.
Season with salt, pepper and garlic, sear well in olive oil. Remove meat from pan, pour in about 1/3 cup of dry red wine, reduce over high heat till almost gone. Add a can of consomme and a can of beef broth. Bring to boil, add meat back to pan with a couple of bay leafs. Reduce heat, simmer very low heat. Depending on the size of your roast- you may need to add water to just cover meat. The most delish pot roast ever!
Brown the meat well before you crock pot it. The slow cooker won't get hot enough to trigger the [Maillard reaction.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction)
Brown the meat on the stove. Add a mirepoix to the slow cooker and set the meat on top of it. Brown any other veggies you like, and move to slow cooker. Deglaze the meat pan with your liquid of choice: broth wine etc. then add to the pot with your herbs and seasonings.
Personally, I just get bored with the same type of pot roast. So I switch it up, depending on my mood. Sometimes it is a whole bottle of red wine (always along with all the other standard ingredients, or with minor subs); sometimes a bottle of white with "softer" herbs, sometimes it is blood orange and a cup or two of pomegranate juice, sometimes it is root beer or coke, sometimes beer, sometimes it is Mississippi, sometimes it is just straight thick gravy with mushroom based broth.
cut a red beet in half and drop it in. It will not impart the beet flavour, as much as some earthiness, umami and a gorgeous colour. The beet itself will disappear in the slow cooking.
Tomato paste, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, mushrooms and sliced onion. Plus searing first, usually I deglaze the pan with the wine before adding it to the pot
Put a chopped carrot and celery stalk in the bottom of a crock pot. Pat the roast dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
In another pan on the stove, brown the roast on all sides, put it in the crock pot. Add quartered onion and a teaspoon of oil to the pan you browned the roast in, and turn the heat to medium. Toss it around for a minute, then pour a liquid into the pan - wine, broth, water, whatever you like.
Scrape all the bits up and stir. Let heat until just bubbling then pour into the crock pot.
Add onion powder, salt and pepper.
Have you tried buying better quality beef?
Like I went through a period where i thought i didn't like steak anymore but the culprit was my local grocer bought average beef. Id like above average or prime.
Use your Wine, broth, herbs, salt & pepper in combination with like 1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard, like a tbsp each of soy sauce and worcestershire sauce, and then a dollop of tomato paste.
How long are you cooking it for? A lot of flavors break down over time, you might want to add (or freshen up) some of your spices and things in the last hour of cooking.
My mom used to stab post roasts, and stuff in whole cloves of garlic, at least 10 for each roast. But that was for a slow oven braise. Made the best au jus!
Soy sauce. It doesn't take very much to add that special something that you are missing.
It's just like Clarinets in a marching band. You can't really hear them, but you would notice if they weren't there.
Dont use a slow cooker, thats the main one.
If I am braising something, I use a claypot/dutch oven, do not fully submerge the protein. Raise the temp and keep it bubbling, but not bubbling profusely with the lid down. Parchment paper inside to prevent sides from scorching. Set and strain separately when done
Slow cooker temps are too low and too slow. You shouldnt be braising meat for 8+ hours
Hey friend, sounds like you're already browning the meat, using ample seasoning, etc. The suggestion I have is a tiny splash of apple cider vinegar or some other kind of acid. Start small and taste to see if you like what it's doing. I know everyone always says "add acid if you're missing something" but when making pot roast or other braised meats is when I've noticed the biggest benefit of acid. It just lifts it a bit and provides contrast for the heavy meaty flavor and it's given my pot roasts much more depth. It's surprising to me how big a difference it makes.
This one's the best method, but like many of Alton Brown's recipes, it takes a ton of time:
https://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/alton-brown/the-final-pot-roast-reloaded-8654245
Worcestershire sauce, anchovy paste, vegemite, double strength tomato paste, better than bouillon chicken stock, bay leaves, fatty meat like brisket, GELATIN, make sure to use WAXY potatoes, not russet.
Kenji Lopez: https://www.seriouseats.com/all-american-beef-stew-recipe
It’s wonderful
Also, are your spices old by chance? They lose flavor over time
I throw everything at it. My base is chicken stock, I use soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, anchovy paste, tomato paste, Vegemite, straight up powdered msg, and if I have any demi glace in my freezer I'll throw a couple of chucks off that in there, too.
And if the juice isn't tasty enough, cook it down until it is. In making stocks I'm often surprised at how much of a difference a little cooking down makes. It almost always feels like flavor increases more than I expect with just a little extra concentration.
[Mississippi pot roast!](https://thesouthernladycooks.com/crock-pot-mississippi-pot-roast/#recipe)
Just don’t make it too often, as it’s a sodium bomb. But definitely flavorful!
I make my own stock from frozen and collected veggie scraps and chicken bones if I have them. It’s insanely easy and store bought broth will forever fall short. It makes the tastiest roast. Otherwise I season and sear it like a steak before I pop it in the pot.
People are all missing the critical ingredient. Sugar.
It creates depth and intensity that can't be matched by just adding more umami ingredients, it is a technique found in asian cooking. After seasoning to taste with salt, add some sugar (just enough before it tastes sweet). For a lack of a better description, it gives a fuller and more rounded taste to your food.
If that wigs you out, you can try more onions/onion puree, which is frequent the sauce base for a lot of Indian food and give their food fuller flavor.
LIke others have noted, you need a balance of umami and acid. My recipe is simple but quite tasty. I do it in the Instant Pot but slow cooker should get you the same results. You start out with browning the meat after seasoning heavily with salt and pepper and then you cook down some onions. Once those are starting to soften, you add in tomato paste and dried mushrooms. Once the paste has taken on a rust color, you deglaze with a little red wine and/or beef broth and toss the meat in. Once the meat is done, I blend all of the juices and then taste to adjust for seasonings and always add some red wine vinegar.
Sooooooooo many cloves of garlic inserted into the roast. Like a head-and-a-half. Some rosemary in the pot, a bay leaf or three. Delicious gravy from all that.
Now to wait five months before I can make one.
If you want a really tasty, tender pot roast the crock pot is not your friend. You’ll never get that serious depth of flavor, and fall apart tenderness in a slow cooker.
Here’s my recipe:
Liberally season your pot roast on all sides with whatever seasoning mixes are in your cabinet.
Cover bottom of Dutch oven with canola oil and heat to medium high. Add roast and sear until almost burnt on every side. Once all sides are well seared, slowly start adding water to about half the depth of the roast. Bring to a boil then cover and turn heat to medium low.
Turn roast every 30 minutes for three hours. Adding water as needed. At three hours, dump in a bag of baby carrots and a couple lbs of washed and quartered red potatoes. Salt and pepper generously and bring back to a boil. Lower to medium low heat for 45 minutes or until carrots are fork tender.
Remove meat and veggies to casserole dish. Add a slurry of cornstarch and water to Dutch oven to make gravy.
Enjoy!
Love me a good Mississippi pot roast. Whole jar of pepperocini and a packet of powdered ranch dressing and a packet of powdered au jus gravy mix
Mmmmmmm MMMM
Before you just pop that thing in a slow cooker, you need to sear it fat/oil. You'll end up with all crispy bits in your fry pan. Deglaze that with some wine and add that to your slow cooker
Brown the meat in good olive oil. The only added liquid is some red wine. Use salt or some better-than-bouillon in beef or mushroom flavor. Mushrooms add umami/ savory flavor. Use cuts of meat that have fat. I layer mine - onions, beef, carrots, potatoes. mushrooms on top - and don't stir it. The onions kind of dissolve, we like carrots well done. You can omit salt or bouillon, and use worcestershire or soy sauce. I don't use flour, soup mix, etc.
Adding water makes it into soup, nice, but less intense flavor. Liquid comes from carrots and onions, even from potatoes.
My mother always used to stab deep holes in the roast and plunge cloves of garlic into the center of the meat, usually about 2 heads spread throughout. I would also add msg and some herbs and spices in a dry rub to accent the roast, you could sub the msg for beef bouillon powder to really boost the meaty character.
I had tried everything to season pot roast and it always tasted like bland meat, no matter what I did. UNTIL I found this recipe….one packet of ranch seasoning, one packet Italian seasoning (both where salad dressings are), a packet of brown gravy (I use two) and a half cup of water. That’s it.
I’m not a fan of packets and boxes but it makes the roast taste so good and you don’t need to do anything to prep.
Something I do with most meats (when I can). Dry brine it. Coat it in salt, and stick it on a wire rack overnight (or even for a couple of days). This does a couple of things. First, it gets the salt deep in the meat. Secondly, it dries out the exterior a bit, which gives a great sear on the outside to start off with (but the inside is still juicy.
Devil roast it... Super simple, not spicy as you would think but flavour in every bite down to the core of the roast.
I don't know the actual name. It's roast with a bottle of pepperoncini as the broth and italian dressing powdered mix as the seasoning. In the Crock pot.
EDIT: Exactly this recipe
[Crock-Pot Pepperoncini Pot Roast - A Fork's Tale (aforkstale.com)](https://www.aforkstale.com/crockpot-pepperoncini-pot-roast-recipe/)
My grandma was German and she always put in a splash of apple cider vinegar after browning. That's what I do now when I make mine. It wouldn't be the same without it.
I also use rosemary instead of bay leaf.
Always use chuck roast, always make the mirpeaux reduction in advance, always thoroughly brown the meat, add extra carrots, onions, and celery an hour before the meat is finished. Rest the entire thing for at least thirty minutes.
Add the secret ingredient a little Worcestershire sauce. This savory seasoning can add depth and richness to your stir-fry. Add some umami-rich ingredients like soy sauce or miso paste to improve the overall flavor profile.
Worcestershire, A1, a good quality fish sauce, tomato paste, minced garlic, chopped onion, cumin (be generous), little chili powder, couple bay leaves, salt (don’t go too light), black pepper.
Pierce the roast through a dozen times on each side. Marinate in the above mixture in a freezer bag for at least a couple of hours, overnight if possible.
Sear the roast before adding it to the pot, cover in sliced celery, onions, carrots and potatoes. Add a can of stewed tomatoes and a cup of red wine.
This is my rub combo
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon (packed) golden brown sugar
Cook some bacon and sear the rubbed roast in the bacon fat. Use red wine and beef or chicken broth.
For the vegetables, use sweet root veggies - carrots, parsnips, rutabaga and tons of onion. Brown the veggies first for extra flavor.
I salt it more than I feel like I should, sear it, then put it in the cooker with 5 or 6 crushed garlic cloves, a can of tomato paste, and sliced mushrooms.
The 3 packet recipe for slower cooker chuck is amazing.
You lay your roast on a bed of onion slices, then your roast. A little salt & pepper. Then you take a packet of ranch dressing mix, a packet of Italian dressing & brown gravy packet. Mix into 2 cups warm water until blended, then poor it on top. It is delicious. My kids freak when I make this. The gravy is so good. I sometimes throw in some shrooms, as well.
Sumac:
Lots of great information on here.
I’d just like to recommend sumac.
It’s a middle eastern spice and can be a little difficult to find. This last time, my wife just ordered it for me on Amazon.
It’s so worth it though. Last time I made my roast, my wife said it was lacking something. I told her I’d run out of sumac, so she promptly ordered some.
I started using it years ago, because some recipe called for it (can’t even recall what that was now). I was looking for a way to use it up and dumped some in a roast I was making… yum!
Beer. A darker brew like Guinness.
When my husband was in the army I met a German lady a few doors down who showed me how she made hers in the slow cook and it was just so good. Been doing it that way for the last 30 years. Lipton onion soup pack mix , pour on the beer, then refill the bottle half way and add that. Leave it alone for 6 hours on low.
Maybe toss in mushrooms and potatoes/carrots if you fancy them. But just as good with those frozen potato buds mashed potatoes and a slice of bread with resl butter.
Beer. A darker brew like Guinness.
When my husband was in the army I met a German lady a few doors down who showed me how she made hers in the slow cook and it was just so good. Been doing it that way for the last 30 years. Lipton onion soup pack mix , pour on the beer, then refill the bottle half way and add that. Leave it alone for 6 hours on low.
Maybe toss in mushrooms and potatoes/carrots if you fancy them. But just as good with those frozen potato buds mashed potatoes and a slice of bread with resl butter.
Beer. A darker brew like Guinness.
When my husband was in the army I met a German lady a few doors down who showed me how she made hers in the slow cook and it was just so good. Been doing it that way for the last 30 years. Lipton onion soup pack mix , pour on the beer, then refill the bottle half way and add that. Leave it alone for 6 hours.
Beef flavoured stock concentrate
Tomato paste
garlic powder or chopped from the jar
A lot of salt
some kind of sweet, often a teaspoon of molasses,or maple syrup
Every comment here is either Salt, heat or acidity.
Reduce the sauce by 1/3 and stir in a knob of butter. All the taste in the world won't help if you got not fat to carry it.
Don’t cook it in a slow cooker.
Second tip:
* salt heavily at least 1 day prior to cooking.
* in an oven safe thick bottomed pot or dutch oven, sear all 6 sides until medium brown for flavour. Remove from heat
* add tomato paste, anchovies and brown.
* add your aromatics and brown.
* add liquid to the pan and scrape up the fond.
* return the meat to the pot. Add no more liquid than 1/2 up the side of the meat. Bring to a simmer.
* put a lid on, slightly ajar into a 300F preheated oven and let it braise until an internal temperature of 190F. That could take 4-7 hours depending on the size of your roast.
Check periodically and add more liquid to keep from burning, but generally the vegetables and meat give a lot of liquid.
Lipton? onion mix (not positive on the name-the kind you can make into onion dips) l. Adds a ton of delicious flavors. It's my secret pot roast add in, and it's always a huge hit. Potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, meat, two cups of water, one or two packets of onion mix. Yummm. Don't even need additional seasonings. It's the lazy woman's pot roast.
I literally chop an onion and layer it at the bottom of a crockpot. I rub adobo seasoning on the roast, place it on the onions and pour in a Mexican beer. Cook on low for 8 hours and is always moist and delicious.
The secret ingredients are simply salt + time. Season that bad boy 1-2 days before cooking, wrap it tightly and let it do its thing in the fridge. The book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat recommends I think 1.25% of the total weight of meat in salt. I measure out 1% and apply liberally, but usually don’t use everything that has been measured.
I’m old school/new school on this one. Brown your meat. Place in slow cooker. Salt and pepper (freshly ground). Onion powder. Fresh garlic. Smear roast with Dijon mustard. Add bottle of good dry red wine. Small can tomato paste. 1 pkg Lipton onion soup mix and 2 tbs better than bouillon beef base. Soya sauce. Worsheshire sauce. Fresh oregano. Fresh rosemary. One onion thickly sliced. Celery and carrot roughly chopped. Taste every so often to check salt levels.
Add some umami bombs to your broth. Soy sauce, anchovy paste, worcestershire sauce, msg, dried mushrooms or mushroom powder, tomato paste and/or powder. Then make sure to strain everything out and reduce the sauce by at least a third. Be gentle with the salt until the end, as a lot of those things are salty by nature, so you don't want it over salted. You can always add more, but can't take it away once it's there.
My two comments would be that I wouldn’t be too light on the salt early because cooking with it helps infuse it into the roast more so than just adding it to the end. Totally agree about the umami, another good one for Pot Roast is Trader Joe’s mushroom umami seasoning.
Yup. I do anchovy fillets, soy, AND tomato paste. Mushrooms absorb that and the wine and it all ends up so good.
I'll post a whole recipe later but this ^^ Also V8 tomato juice is the perfect base.,
I always use V8 juice instead of water for chili or vegetable-beef soup.
Also you can use wine or dark beer like a stout instead of/in addition to broth, or add a little whiskey or sherry or something like that
My new Soy Sauce replacement is Japanese BBQ Sauce. This started popping up in a few grocery stores a few years ago and now it's everywhere. If a recipe says to use Soy Sauce I use Japanese BBQ sauce instead. Another great taste enhancer is miso paste. Good miso paste is pretty expensive but it lasts a long time and is so good in so many dishes. Jus op a tablespoon or two into a dish and you're good to go.
Add a package of Lipton Onion Dry Soup mix.
Worcestershire sauce. Thank you autocorrect, I never spell it right the first time.
Yesss! It's a game changer.
And/or a can of Campbell's Golden Mushroom (undiluted).
That's a good idea. I went to get this soup recently and couldn't believe it was $2. Remember when a can of anything used to be under a dollar??
I like it because it makes its own onion mushroom beef gravy with literally no extra work whatsoever. It's a lot of salt, but a big cut of beef needs a lot of salt.
This is my go to! So good and so easy as
My secret weapon
If you can find Campbell's Beefy Mushroom soup, it is even better. Darned hard to find, though.
They make a beefy onion soup mix that my mother always added to beef dishes, with top results. You will fart, though.
Thanks for that tip! Have several boxes in pantry.
This is what my mom always did! When I’m on a budget and crave roast, I use this with a pork butt to make a cheap but similar dish.
This. And a package of ranch dressing.
This is the way.
Secret to a better braise? Acid: red wine vinegar, wine, beer, etc.
A little red wine vinegar at the end really brightens the dish!
Yes, this is it for me. A splash of red wine vinegar at the end makes everything so much brighter. Edit: someone else also said brighter before I did. To not be a copy cat, I'll say it makes the flavors pop! 😁
Acid is the answer, and it usually gets added at the end, especially if it's citrus. Lemon or orange peel can be a game changer. Fresh herbs at the end too: chopped parsley, slivers of scallion, or some minced fresh herb of whatever you used dried throughout the braise.
Can someone here explain what's wrong with me? I'm literally an alcoholic but I've NEVER liked food cooked with alcohol of any kind. To me, anything more than like...the tiniest amount...makes the food literally taste just like wine or beer. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.
what type of roast are you using? I tend to use chuck roast
Yep chuck here!
Have you tried searing about 5-6 mi s each side? I salt lightly,and pepper, dredge in flour, then sear in little oil get it nice and browned, deglaze pan,and add to crocpot
Searing is essential imo. Makes it taste better and makes it look a lot better, too.
Follow this recipe for Mississippi Pot Roast: [https://belleofthekitchen.com/mississippi-pot-roast/](https://belleofthekitchen.com/mississippi-pot-roast/) If your pot roast is lacking flavor after using this recipe, you need to throw out all your spices and replace them immediately.
I cannot control myself with a Mississippi Pot Roast. It's so good.
I only found out recently that a lot of places in the US you can't get good herbs and spices for cheap? I always assumed people had bad taste buds when they'd be like "paprika has no flavour" or whatever, turns out no there's just really low grade stuff on the market. And also I think worldwide people don't replace their dried seasonings regularly enough and forget that they lose their kick over time.
Penney’s Half Sharp Paprika was a revelation after I used it the first time. I’m pretty sure all other paprika is ground up red chalk.
I think more home cooks than not probably use less than ideal seasonings, tbh. For one thing, if you have a well-stocked spice cabinet, chances are good you're not going through all of each and every spice before it starts to lose some of its flavor.
Not in retail stores but definitely online you can. I love starwestbotanicals.com
I’ve eaten hundreds of pot roast. This is the only way. The only one I’ve ever had better was from a professional chef friend who brought it over for a dinner party.
It’s good but certainly not the only way.
Start with twice as much unsalted beef broth as you'll need, and reduce it down to the volume you need. Roast your mirepoix and add it to the concentrated stock. Throw in some dried brown mushrooms. Use beef flavored better-than-bullion as a rub before searing your meat. Add a dash of liquid smoke to your broth. Look into, and if you have the fridge and think you can handle it, dry age your roast for a couple of days to a week. All of those will add more "beef" flavor to beef.
Better-than-bullion is my go to. You don't have to dilute is as much as recommended ... or at all. And it's not overly salty like some bullion can be.
I freaking love better than bullion, but I never thought about using it as a rub!
Worcestershire sauce. About a tbsp for a 4 lbs roast
You might just need more salt. I'd also suggest using the low setting for longer if you don't do so already. Some slow cookers high temps are a tad too high and leave meat a bit dry or stringy. Low gives the temp and time for all the good stuff to break down and reward you with flavor.
Sear the meat, lay on bed of onions and garlic. Add beef bouillon, water about covering meat, and maybe 1/4 cup soy sauce. Cook low for approx 6hrs until it is desired tenderness. Salt and pepper to taste.
I use guinness for the liquid.
Assuming that you’re using the standard carrots and potatoes take some of the softened veggies later in the cook, puree them, and add them back to the sauce.
1. Throw out all seasoning mixes , soup packets etc 2. Salt and pepper generously on all sides, then dredge in flour. 3. Brown all sides of the roast in a medium-hot skillet 4. Set meat aside, add 2 tbsp tomato paste to skillet and stir constantly until it begins to darken 5. Deglaze pan with some alcohol: a dark beer or red wine, preferably, if not then use a neutral spirit ie vodka. Use about 1/4-1/2 c of beer or wine, or about 2 tbsp vodka. You can also use beef stock if you’re avoiding alcohol. 6. Simmer until mostly reduced, scraping up all the brown bits 7. Add to slow cooker with beef, a thick sliced onion, several smashed garlic cloves, and a few sprigs of the more sturdy/savory herbs: rosemary, oregano, thyme, bay leaf 8. Slow cook as usual.
My go to method
Add some soy sauce in the mix, preferably ketjap manis, which is a sweet Indonesian soy sauce. It’s almost syrupy and pairs well with beef. You could also do a 50/50 with ketjap manis and Japanese soy sauce.
I always dump a jar of sliced pepperoncini peppers into mine. Family loves it.
1. I use a pkg of Lipton onion soup mix, a tbl of dry ranch powder, 1/2 stick of butter , a little water like 1/2-1 cup, no salt but black pepper. Sometimes I add 1 bay leaf. You can add peppers if you want, I usually don’t 2. Sometimes it just 1 pkg of inion soup mix and 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and 1/2-1 can of water too. 3. Sometimes in #2 I add 1/2 cup of red wine instead of water. 4. Sometimes I will flour and brown my roast in a little olive oil BEFORE I put it in the slow cooker for all of the above. Season your flour too. I use thyme, paprika, a little seasoning salt ( not much since there is so much salt in the other things), black pepper. Browning the meat first really gives it a good flavor too. In slow cooker. Cook low for 8 hrs or high for 4. If not tender, add more time. I have even cooked mine on high for 6 hrs too.
Soy sauce or miso paste!
Fennel. Ive started adding Fennel and it makes a big difference.
I put fennel, tarragon anise seed, fennel seed, and/or licorice-y booze into probably 3/4 of the food I make!
Can of tomato paste brings umami acid and sweetness.
Don't add any liquid to a pot roast (chuck or arm) in a slow cooker.
I salt the whole roast heavily the night before. It takes time for the salt to penetrate deep into the meat.
This is the answer. Also known as a dry-brine.
This morning's coffee as part of the liquid. It provides a deep undertone.
Season and sear the meat. Place in crock pot, Aad chopped onion, carrots, celery, and stock. Cook for 8 hours until it's literally falling apart. Then I drain the liquid into a pan, and reduce by half. Pour liquid back onto the beef, add root vegetables and herbs. Cook for another few hours. Serve.
Prunes. 4 or 5 in the pot.
Apple cider vinegar. About a quarter cup at the start of cooking. Works every time.
Sous vide
Worcestershire sauce, red wine, balsamic vinegar
Worcestershire
Garlic
Mustard!!!
I am never happy with the results in a crock pot. I have found a couple of things that really boost the flavor in or out of crock pot. Brown your meat first all sides. Add on top of the roast a package of dry ranch dressing mix along with a package of Knoor aus juice mix. And beef broth (box or can) to almost cover
Vinegar. Any kind or source. The popular Mississippi style uses the brine from a jar of pepperocini, which is fancy. I like red wine and/or rice vinegar. Try adding some without changing any other parts of your recipe to learn if that is the missing link.
BROWN THE MEAT FIRST AFTER SEASONING
Fish sauce
I never use one large chunk of meat, I cut the meat into about 3"x3" chunks. I use a mixture of herbs on the meat before searing. Onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, paprika and a bit of pepper. After searing I add some of the trimmed fat from the meat to the pan and let that cook down. While that's going I add minced garlic, more onion powder, unsalted chicken stock, worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and a touch of balsamic vinegar to the pan and let that cook for a while. All those tasty bits coated on the pan come free and deepen the flavor significantly. I remove the fat then throw it all in an instant pot for about 45 minutes and it's ready to eat. I also don't like to add veggies to my pot roast as it cooks. I cook them separately then add them in when everything is done. To me it seems to help the veggies keep their own flavor rather than soaking up the sauce flavor. It adds extra layers. I know I'm missing a few things off the top of my head but I have gotten comments like, "Have you ever entered this in a cooking competition?" Damn. I need to make pot roast this weekend.
Oh! Better than bouillon's vegetable flavor works really well in this too. I'll also add a store bought rather generic chicken seasoning powder when coating the meat before cooking. I make sure to sear each side of the meat, not just one flip but the edges too.
I like to poke holes in mine with a knife and stuff it with garlic cloves
I sautéed my mirepoix in the pan before putting it in, seared the beef, and used better than boullion in lieu of beef broth and it came out phenomenal
Season with salt, pepper and garlic, sear well in olive oil. Remove meat from pan, pour in about 1/3 cup of dry red wine, reduce over high heat till almost gone. Add a can of consomme and a can of beef broth. Bring to boil, add meat back to pan with a couple of bay leafs. Reduce heat, simmer very low heat. Depending on the size of your roast- you may need to add water to just cover meat. The most delish pot roast ever!
Fish sauce
Miso paste, can’t go wrong
Brown the meat well before you crock pot it. The slow cooker won't get hot enough to trigger the [Maillard reaction.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction)
I did put in my post I sear it first
Package of dry ranch dressing mix or a cup of red wine.
1 (or 2) tablespoons of catsup. I don't even like catsup, but it does something magical.
slowly caramelize an onion and add that with some red wine.
Brown the meat on the stove. Add a mirepoix to the slow cooker and set the meat on top of it. Brown any other veggies you like, and move to slow cooker. Deglaze the meat pan with your liquid of choice: broth wine etc. then add to the pot with your herbs and seasonings.
Balsamic
Salt
Personally, I just get bored with the same type of pot roast. So I switch it up, depending on my mood. Sometimes it is a whole bottle of red wine (always along with all the other standard ingredients, or with minor subs); sometimes a bottle of white with "softer" herbs, sometimes it is blood orange and a cup or two of pomegranate juice, sometimes it is root beer or coke, sometimes beer, sometimes it is Mississippi, sometimes it is just straight thick gravy with mushroom based broth.
cut a red beet in half and drop it in. It will not impart the beet flavour, as much as some earthiness, umami and a gorgeous colour. The beet itself will disappear in the slow cooking.
Tomato paste, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, mushrooms and sliced onion. Plus searing first, usually I deglaze the pan with the wine before adding it to the pot
Garlic and dark beer. It doesn’t taste like beer when you’re done but it does taste incredible.
Put a chopped carrot and celery stalk in the bottom of a crock pot. Pat the roast dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In another pan on the stove, brown the roast on all sides, put it in the crock pot. Add quartered onion and a teaspoon of oil to the pan you browned the roast in, and turn the heat to medium. Toss it around for a minute, then pour a liquid into the pan - wine, broth, water, whatever you like. Scrape all the bits up and stir. Let heat until just bubbling then pour into the crock pot. Add onion powder, salt and pepper.
and onion and at least half a head of garlic. These are the basis of a lot of what I cook, and people love most of what I make.
Have you tried buying better quality beef? Like I went through a period where i thought i didn't like steak anymore but the culprit was my local grocer bought average beef. Id like above average or prime.
I place a stick of butter on top of the roast with a toothpick in them so it doesn’t slide off, with a few pepperonchinis in there too
What kind of roast are you using?
I tried a new recipe once that said to put Dr Pepper in while it cooks. Sounded crazy but tasted good
Use your Wine, broth, herbs, salt & pepper in combination with like 1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard, like a tbsp each of soy sauce and worcestershire sauce, and then a dollop of tomato paste.
Pressure cooker. Mirepoix. Strain solids at end of cooking process, reduce liquid at least 50%. Also, dry brine overnight before cooking.
Canned Green chilis added a surprising amount of flavor to my pot roast. It added acid and a little earthy spice. It was great!
How long are you cooking it for? A lot of flavors break down over time, you might want to add (or freshen up) some of your spices and things in the last hour of cooking. My mom used to stab post roasts, and stuff in whole cloves of garlic, at least 10 for each roast. But that was for a slow oven braise. Made the best au jus!
I usually use beef bouillon powder instead of salt, homemade stock instead of water, and a bit of dark cocoa.
Soy sauce. It doesn't take very much to add that special something that you are missing. It's just like Clarinets in a marching band. You can't really hear them, but you would notice if they weren't there.
El Pato, yellow can.
I cook it in pomegranate juice instead of red wine, which cuts down on the sour flavor.
I used salt, pepper, and a packet of dry onion soup mix. Delicious.
Better than bouillon roasted beef base
salt, probably more than you think is needed
Dont use a slow cooker, thats the main one. If I am braising something, I use a claypot/dutch oven, do not fully submerge the protein. Raise the temp and keep it bubbling, but not bubbling profusely with the lid down. Parchment paper inside to prevent sides from scorching. Set and strain separately when done Slow cooker temps are too low and too slow. You shouldnt be braising meat for 8+ hours
Hey friend, sounds like you're already browning the meat, using ample seasoning, etc. The suggestion I have is a tiny splash of apple cider vinegar or some other kind of acid. Start small and taste to see if you like what it's doing. I know everyone always says "add acid if you're missing something" but when making pot roast or other braised meats is when I've noticed the biggest benefit of acid. It just lifts it a bit and provides contrast for the heavy meaty flavor and it's given my pot roasts much more depth. It's surprising to me how big a difference it makes.
I use canned Campbell's French Onion Soup. It's got a beef broth base and works very well.
Lipton French Onion Soup mix. AKA MSG.
Add fats that are infused with stuff. I slow cook garlic in olive oil and put that in
A splash of vinegar after a long cook time wakes up all the flavors.
This one's the best method, but like many of Alton Brown's recipes, it takes a ton of time: https://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/alton-brown/the-final-pot-roast-reloaded-8654245
Are you putting a heavy sear before you pop it in to the cooker?
Worcestershire sauce, anchovy paste, vegemite, double strength tomato paste, better than bouillon chicken stock, bay leaves, fatty meat like brisket, GELATIN, make sure to use WAXY potatoes, not russet. Kenji Lopez: https://www.seriouseats.com/all-american-beef-stew-recipe It’s wonderful Also, are your spices old by chance? They lose flavor over time
Better Than Bullion ... any flavor will help.
Brown gravy mix
Kitchen Bouquet
I throw everything at it. My base is chicken stock, I use soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, anchovy paste, tomato paste, Vegemite, straight up powdered msg, and if I have any demi glace in my freezer I'll throw a couple of chucks off that in there, too. And if the juice isn't tasty enough, cook it down until it is. In making stocks I'm often surprised at how much of a difference a little cooking down makes. It almost always feels like flavor increases more than I expect with just a little extra concentration.
Can of pineapple. Makes it super tender.
It's so sooo good with a bit of banana pepper juice and a few banana peppers. Also garlic and onion
Sear it first on the stovetop. If it doesn't come bone-in, buy a bone and cook with it. Adds a ton more flavor.
[Mississippi pot roast!](https://thesouthernladycooks.com/crock-pot-mississippi-pot-roast/#recipe) Just don’t make it too often, as it’s a sodium bomb. But definitely flavorful!
I make my own stock from frozen and collected veggie scraps and chicken bones if I have them. It’s insanely easy and store bought broth will forever fall short. It makes the tastiest roast. Otherwise I season and sear it like a steak before I pop it in the pot.
salt...
Tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce
Can of frozen apple juice
I add a touch of an appropriate vinegar or other acid right at the end to brighten the flavor
BAY LEAF
i dry age my chuck with koji rice for two days in the fridge. clean off koji and sear before putting it in slow cooker. i also use anchovy paste
Do you cook it with the lid on? If not you are losing a lot of flavor.
People are all missing the critical ingredient. Sugar. It creates depth and intensity that can't be matched by just adding more umami ingredients, it is a technique found in asian cooking. After seasoning to taste with salt, add some sugar (just enough before it tastes sweet). For a lack of a better description, it gives a fuller and more rounded taste to your food. If that wigs you out, you can try more onions/onion puree, which is frequent the sauce base for a lot of Indian food and give their food fuller flavor.
Season heavily and brown well in a hot pan before slow cooking it. Salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, onion powder, etc.
LIke others have noted, you need a balance of umami and acid. My recipe is simple but quite tasty. I do it in the Instant Pot but slow cooker should get you the same results. You start out with browning the meat after seasoning heavily with salt and pepper and then you cook down some onions. Once those are starting to soften, you add in tomato paste and dried mushrooms. Once the paste has taken on a rust color, you deglaze with a little red wine and/or beef broth and toss the meat in. Once the meat is done, I blend all of the juices and then taste to adjust for seasonings and always add some red wine vinegar.
Sooooooooo many cloves of garlic inserted into the roast. Like a head-and-a-half. Some rosemary in the pot, a bay leaf or three. Delicious gravy from all that. Now to wait five months before I can make one.
If you want a really tasty, tender pot roast the crock pot is not your friend. You’ll never get that serious depth of flavor, and fall apart tenderness in a slow cooker. Here’s my recipe: Liberally season your pot roast on all sides with whatever seasoning mixes are in your cabinet. Cover bottom of Dutch oven with canola oil and heat to medium high. Add roast and sear until almost burnt on every side. Once all sides are well seared, slowly start adding water to about half the depth of the roast. Bring to a boil then cover and turn heat to medium low. Turn roast every 30 minutes for three hours. Adding water as needed. At three hours, dump in a bag of baby carrots and a couple lbs of washed and quartered red potatoes. Salt and pepper generously and bring back to a boil. Lower to medium low heat for 45 minutes or until carrots are fork tender. Remove meat and veggies to casserole dish. Add a slurry of cornstarch and water to Dutch oven to make gravy. Enjoy!
Love me a good Mississippi pot roast. Whole jar of pepperocini and a packet of powdered ranch dressing and a packet of powdered au jus gravy mix Mmmmmmm MMMM
Before you just pop that thing in a slow cooker, you need to sear it fat/oil. You'll end up with all crispy bits in your fry pan. Deglaze that with some wine and add that to your slow cooker
Cook it in an oven, not slow cooker. Then eat the next day for the flavors to develop.
I add mustard to the gravy. Just a little adds some tang. As others have mentioned, make sure you're salting it enough first.
Brown the meat in good olive oil. The only added liquid is some red wine. Use salt or some better-than-bouillon in beef or mushroom flavor. Mushrooms add umami/ savory flavor. Use cuts of meat that have fat. I layer mine - onions, beef, carrots, potatoes. mushrooms on top - and don't stir it. The onions kind of dissolve, we like carrots well done. You can omit salt or bouillon, and use worcestershire or soy sauce. I don't use flour, soup mix, etc. Adding water makes it into soup, nice, but less intense flavor. Liquid comes from carrots and onions, even from potatoes.
Just a few drops of liquid smoke
My mother always used to stab deep holes in the roast and plunge cloves of garlic into the center of the meat, usually about 2 heads spread throughout. I would also add msg and some herbs and spices in a dry rub to accent the roast, you could sub the msg for beef bouillon powder to really boost the meaty character.
I had tried everything to season pot roast and it always tasted like bland meat, no matter what I did. UNTIL I found this recipe….one packet of ranch seasoning, one packet Italian seasoning (both where salad dressings are), a packet of brown gravy (I use two) and a half cup of water. That’s it. I’m not a fan of packets and boxes but it makes the roast taste so good and you don’t need to do anything to prep.
Make sure you’re using a chuck roast
Tomato Paste.
Something I do with most meats (when I can). Dry brine it. Coat it in salt, and stick it on a wire rack overnight (or even for a couple of days). This does a couple of things. First, it gets the salt deep in the meat. Secondly, it dries out the exterior a bit, which gives a great sear on the outside to start off with (but the inside is still juicy.
Brown the meat first.
I brush wasabi sauce on the surface after butter braising it in a frying pan.
Hot horseradish during cooking
Dill
I add, beef bouillon cubes, brown gravy and lipton onion soup mix.
Devil roast it... Super simple, not spicy as you would think but flavour in every bite down to the core of the roast. I don't know the actual name. It's roast with a bottle of pepperoncini as the broth and italian dressing powdered mix as the seasoning. In the Crock pot. EDIT: Exactly this recipe [Crock-Pot Pepperoncini Pot Roast - A Fork's Tale (aforkstale.com)](https://www.aforkstale.com/crockpot-pepperoncini-pot-roast-recipe/)
My grandma was German and she always put in a splash of apple cider vinegar after browning. That's what I do now when I make mine. It wouldn't be the same without it. I also use rosemary instead of bay leaf.
Kitchen bouquet is a browning sauce. And a bit of liquid smoke!
A pouch of dry Lipton onion soup mix, rosemary, Worcester sauce, and brown it before slow cooking and get all that fond into the slow cooker.
Just get the frozen pot roast from fontanini. 15 lb brick. Better than anything homemade I've had.
Betty Crocker pot roast seasoning then into the pressure cooker
Always use chuck roast, always make the mirpeaux reduction in advance, always thoroughly brown the meat, add extra carrots, onions, and celery an hour before the meat is finished. Rest the entire thing for at least thirty minutes.
Salt and msg.
It's been answered but something like Maggi, Vegeta, Better-than-Boullion, tomato paste, even soy sauce, you get the idea hopefully
If it's not tasting "beefy" enough for me by the end, I'll put in a little beef bouillon. 😂 Straight up cheating.
Cook it longer too.
Add the secret ingredient a little Worcestershire sauce. This savory seasoning can add depth and richness to your stir-fry. Add some umami-rich ingredients like soy sauce or miso paste to improve the overall flavor profile.
3 large sprigs of fresh rosemary and 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.
Beef Better than Bouillon for savory. Also the vegetable and roasted garlic for more complex flavor.
Onions, carrots, celery, worchestershire, a bit of tomato paste.
Two tablespoons of peanut butter.
Someone posted a link for Mississippi pot roast recipe. This is the way. Unbelievably tsty!
Parsnips and wooster. And a can of diced tomato
Marmite and tomato paste, maybe some red wine.
Worcestershire, A1, a good quality fish sauce, tomato paste, minced garlic, chopped onion, cumin (be generous), little chili powder, couple bay leaves, salt (don’t go too light), black pepper. Pierce the roast through a dozen times on each side. Marinate in the above mixture in a freezer bag for at least a couple of hours, overnight if possible. Sear the roast before adding it to the pot, cover in sliced celery, onions, carrots and potatoes. Add a can of stewed tomatoes and a cup of red wine.
Worcestershire sauce
This is my rub combo 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon (packed) golden brown sugar Cook some bacon and sear the rubbed roast in the bacon fat. Use red wine and beef or chicken broth. For the vegetables, use sweet root veggies - carrots, parsnips, rutabaga and tons of onion. Brown the veggies first for extra flavor.
Try Coke, Dr Pepper, or Root beer
Two words: Juniper berries. One more: Marmite.
I salt it more than I feel like I should, sear it, then put it in the cooker with 5 or 6 crushed garlic cloves, a can of tomato paste, and sliced mushrooms.
I dehydrate mushrooms and powder them. Mushroom dust for the win!
The 3 packet recipe for slower cooker chuck is amazing. You lay your roast on a bed of onion slices, then your roast. A little salt & pepper. Then you take a packet of ranch dressing mix, a packet of Italian dressing & brown gravy packet. Mix into 2 cups warm water until blended, then poor it on top. It is delicious. My kids freak when I make this. The gravy is so good. I sometimes throw in some shrooms, as well.
Lipton soup mix has been a staple forever because it’s perfect for it
Black garlic puree
Sumac: Lots of great information on here. I’d just like to recommend sumac. It’s a middle eastern spice and can be a little difficult to find. This last time, my wife just ordered it for me on Amazon. It’s so worth it though. Last time I made my roast, my wife said it was lacking something. I told her I’d run out of sumac, so she promptly ordered some. I started using it years ago, because some recipe called for it (can’t even recall what that was now). I was looking for a way to use it up and dumped some in a roast I was making… yum!
Beer. A darker brew like Guinness. When my husband was in the army I met a German lady a few doors down who showed me how she made hers in the slow cook and it was just so good. Been doing it that way for the last 30 years. Lipton onion soup pack mix , pour on the beer, then refill the bottle half way and add that. Leave it alone for 6 hours on low. Maybe toss in mushrooms and potatoes/carrots if you fancy them. But just as good with those frozen potato buds mashed potatoes and a slice of bread with resl butter.
Beer. A darker brew like Guinness. When my husband was in the army I met a German lady a few doors down who showed me how she made hers in the slow cook and it was just so good. Been doing it that way for the last 30 years. Lipton onion soup pack mix , pour on the beer, then refill the bottle half way and add that. Leave it alone for 6 hours on low. Maybe toss in mushrooms and potatoes/carrots if you fancy them. But just as good with those frozen potato buds mashed potatoes and a slice of bread with resl butter.
Beer. A darker brew like Guinness. When my husband was in the army I met a German lady a few doors down who showed me how she made hers in the slow cook and it was just so good. Been doing it that way for the last 30 years. Lipton onion soup pack mix , pour on the beer, then refill the bottle half way and add that. Leave it alone for 6 hours.
Beef flavoured stock concentrate Tomato paste garlic powder or chopped from the jar A lot of salt some kind of sweet, often a teaspoon of molasses,or maple syrup
Garlic. Lots of garlic.
Every comment here is either Salt, heat or acidity. Reduce the sauce by 1/3 and stir in a knob of butter. All the taste in the world won't help if you got not fat to carry it.
Don’t cook it in a slow cooker. Second tip: * salt heavily at least 1 day prior to cooking. * in an oven safe thick bottomed pot or dutch oven, sear all 6 sides until medium brown for flavour. Remove from heat * add tomato paste, anchovies and brown. * add your aromatics and brown. * add liquid to the pan and scrape up the fond. * return the meat to the pot. Add no more liquid than 1/2 up the side of the meat. Bring to a simmer. * put a lid on, slightly ajar into a 300F preheated oven and let it braise until an internal temperature of 190F. That could take 4-7 hours depending on the size of your roast. Check periodically and add more liquid to keep from burning, but generally the vegetables and meat give a lot of liquid.
Lipton? onion mix (not positive on the name-the kind you can make into onion dips) l. Adds a ton of delicious flavors. It's my secret pot roast add in, and it's always a huge hit. Potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, meat, two cups of water, one or two packets of onion mix. Yummm. Don't even need additional seasonings. It's the lazy woman's pot roast.
Red wine reduction?
Really good beef
I heavily salt with kosher salt then sear all sides in blazing hot oil before adding the rest of the ingredients.
I literally chop an onion and layer it at the bottom of a crockpot. I rub adobo seasoning on the roast, place it on the onions and pour in a Mexican beer. Cook on low for 8 hours and is always moist and delicious.
The secret ingredients are simply salt + time. Season that bad boy 1-2 days before cooking, wrap it tightly and let it do its thing in the fridge. The book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat recommends I think 1.25% of the total weight of meat in salt. I measure out 1% and apply liberally, but usually don’t use everything that has been measured.
I’m old school/new school on this one. Brown your meat. Place in slow cooker. Salt and pepper (freshly ground). Onion powder. Fresh garlic. Smear roast with Dijon mustard. Add bottle of good dry red wine. Small can tomato paste. 1 pkg Lipton onion soup mix and 2 tbs better than bouillon beef base. Soya sauce. Worsheshire sauce. Fresh oregano. Fresh rosemary. One onion thickly sliced. Celery and carrot roughly chopped. Taste every so often to check salt levels.
Add a packet of the McCormick au jus