Slow Cooker and Pot Roasts

Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 2

Chapter 3 · Slow Cooker and Pot Roasts

Skill goal

Cook tough cuts of beef slowly until they are tender, in a slow cooker and in the oven.

The basics

Slow cooking is the same idea as braising (Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 1, chapter 5), taken further: a low, steady heat for many hours turns the toughest and cheapest cuts into meat that falls apart. A slow cooker does it with almost no attention, and a covered pot in a low oven gives a similar result with more browning. The cuts that suit it are chuck, brisket, shin and short rib; the tender steak cuts would dry out.

Figure 3. Slow cooking trades hours for effort: the cheaper the cut, the longer it takes and the better it gets.

The method

Brown first, if you can. It adds flavour the slow cooker can't make.
Use less liquid than on the hob. The lid traps moisture.
Keep the lid on. Each lift adds 20 to 30 minutes.
Cook until tender, not to a fixed time. Low is gentler than high.
Skim the fat, thicken the sauce and season at the end.

Dish	Cut	Method	Time (approximate)
Slow-cooker stew	Chuck	Low	8 to 9 hours
Pulled beef	Brisket or chuck	Low	9 to 10 hours
Pot-roast brisket	Brisket	Oven, 150°C, covered	3½ to 4 hours
Beef ragù	Chuck or shin	Oven, 150°C, covered	About 3 hours

Slow cookers, hot pots and leftovers

Slow cooker safety: follow your cooker's manual, because models differ. Brown the beef first for flavour, fill the pot between about half and three quarters full, keep the lid on (every peek adds 20 to 30 minutes), never put frozen meat in, and don't use it to reheat leftovers. Beef must be cooked until tender and steaming hot all the way through.

Hot pot and hot steam: a heavy casserole dish or pan of hot liquid is heavy and scalding. Use oven gloves, lift the lid away from your face so the steam doesn't burn you, keep the handles turned in and never carry a full pot across a busy kitchen.

Slow-cooked leftovers: take leftovers out of the cooker and divide them into shallow containers within about 1 to 2 hours, cool, then chill and eat within about 2 days (or freeze for up to about 3 months), and reheat in a pan or the oven until steaming hot, not in the slow cooker.

Try it

Level 1 · Start here

A slow-cooker beef stew

20 minutes plus 8 to 9 hours on low4 portionsbrowning first, then letting the slow cooker do the rest

A slow cooker keeps food at a low, steady heat for hours. Browning the beef first takes 10 minutes and makes a far better stew than putting it in raw. Use less liquid than on the hob, because none escapes.

Ingredients (4 portions)

800 g chuck or braising steak, in 4 cm cubes
2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned
1 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, in thick slices
2 celery sticks, sliced
1 tbsp tomato purée
400 ml beef stock (low-salt), hot
2 bay leaves

Toss the beef in the seasoned flour. Brown it in the oil in a hot pan, in batches, and tip it into the slow cooker. Soften the onion in the same pan for 3 minutes and add it.
Add the carrots, celery, tomato purée, hot stock and bay leaves and stir. Put the lid on and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours (or high for 4 to 5 hours), until the beef is fork-tender.
Skim off any fat, remove the bay leaves, season and serve.

Slow cooker safety, tender beef and salt

Slow cooker safety: follow your cooker's manual, because models differ. Brown the beef first for flavour, fill the pot between about half and three quarters full, keep the lid on (every peek adds 20 to 30 minutes), never put frozen meat in, and don't use it to reheat leftovers. Beef must be cooked until tender and steaming hot all the way through.

Tough cuts take time: braising beef is done when it is tender, not when a timer rings. If a fork doesn't slide in easily, it needs longer. Simmering gently is better than boiling hard, which toughens the meat.

Salt: stews and sauces get saltier as they reduce, because the water goes and the salt stays. Use low-salt stock, season only at the end, and taste before adding any.

Flour: plain flour is wheat, so a stew thickened with it isn't gluten-free. Cornflour, or a stew with no flour that is reduced instead, makes a gluten-free version.

Level 1 · Pulled

Pulled beef

20 minutes plus 9 to 10 hours on low6 portionscooking a joint until it shreds

Brisket or chuck cooked until it falls apart can be pulled into strands with two forks and piled into rolls, tacos or rice. The spice rub and a splash of vinegar give it a smoky, tangy flavour.

Ingredients (6 portions)

1.2 kg beef brisket or chuck joint, in 2 or 3 big pieces
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp flaked sea salt
1 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
1 onion, sliced
150 ml beef stock (low-salt)
1 tbsp cider vinegar

Mix the paprika, cumin, garlic powder and salt and rub it all over the beef. Brown the beef on all sides in the oil in a hot pan and put it in the slow cooker on top of the onion.
Pour in the stock and vinegar, put on the lid and cook on low for 9 to 10 hours (or high for 5 to 6), until the beef pulls apart easily with a fork.
Lift the beef onto a tray, shred it with two forks, discarding any hard fat, and stir it back into the juices. Serve in rolls or tortillas.

Slow cooker safety, hot juices and leftovers

Level 2 · Oven

A pot-roast brisket

30 minutes plus 3½ to 4 hours cooking and 20 minutes resting6 to 8 portionsslow-roasting a large joint in a covered pot

A pot roast is a braised joint kept whole, then sliced. The pot is covered so the beef cooks in its own steam and the stock, and the juices become the gravy. It is sliced across the grain after resting.

Ingredients (7 portions)

1.5 kg beef brisket joint
1 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
2 onions, thickly sliced
3 carrots, in chunks
300 ml beef stock (low-salt)
1 tbsp tomato purée
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp plain flour (for the gravy)

Heat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan). Brown the brisket on all sides in the oil in a large ovenproof pot, then set it aside. Soften the onions in the pot, add the purée, stock and bay leaves and put the beef back on top with the carrots round it.
Cover tightly and cook for 3½ to 4 hours, turning once, until the beef is tender when pierced with a skewer. Rest it on a board, covered, for 20 minutes.
Skim the fat from the juices, whisk in the flour mixed with water and simmer for 5 minutes. Slice the beef across the grain and serve with the gravy and vegetables.

Hot pot, heavy joint and carving

Hot pot and hot steam: a heavy casserole dish or pan of hot liquid is heavy and scalding. Use oven gloves, lift the lid away from your face so the steam doesn't burn you, keep the handles turned in and never carry a full pot across a busy kitchen.

Tough cuts take time: braising beef is done when it is tender, not when a timer rings. If a fork doesn't slide in easily, it needs longer. Simmering gently is better than boiling hard, which toughens the meat.

Carving: carve on a board with a groove or a tray for the juices, steady the joint with a carving fork, and use a long, sharp knife. Cut across the grain in slices about 5 mm thick, using long, smooth strokes rather than sawing, and keep your free hand behind the fork.

Slow-cooked leftovers: take leftovers out of the cooker and divide them into shallow containers within about 1 to 2 hours, cool, then chill and eat within about 2 days (or freeze for up to about 3 months), and reheat in a pan or the oven until steaming hot, not in the slow cooker.

Level 3 · Ragù

A slow-cooked beef ragù

30 minutes plus 3 hours cooking6 portionsmaking a rich sauce from a tough cut

Instead of mince, a ragù made from chunks of chuck or shin cooked for 3 hours becomes shreds in a deep tomato sauce. It is the same idea as a bolognese, but slower and richer.

Ingredients (6 portions)

700 g chuck or shin, in 3 cm pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp tomato purée
400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
300 ml beef stock (low-salt)
2 bay leaves
400 g pappardelle or other wide pasta

Heat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan). Brown the beef in batches in the oil in an ovenproof pot, then set it aside. Cook the onion, carrot and celery for 8 minutes, add the garlic and purée for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, stock and bay leaves, return the beef, cover and cook for 3 hours, stirring once, until the beef falls apart.
Shred the beef in the sauce with two forks, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes if it is thin, and toss with the cooked pasta.

Hot pot, tender beef and allergens

Hot pot and hot steam: a heavy casserole dish or pan of hot liquid is heavy and scalding. Use oven gloves, lift the lid away from your face so the steam doesn't burn you, keep the handles turned in and never carry a full pot across a busy kitchen.

Tough cuts take time: braising beef is done when it is tender, not when a timer rings. If a fork doesn't slide in easily, it needs longer. Simmering gently is better than boiling hard, which toughens the meat.

Slow-cooked leftovers: take leftovers out of the cooker and divide them into shallow containers within about 1 to 2 hours, cool, then chill and eat within about 2 days (or freeze for up to about 3 months), and reheat in a pan or the oven until steaming hot, not in the slow cooker.

Allergens: beef itself is not a common allergen, but stock cubes and gravy granules often contain celery, gluten or soy, and sauces may contain milk (butter, cream) and mustard. Check every label, and swap in plant butter or gluten-free flour where needed.

Experiments

Experiment

Low or high

Same stew, two settings.

Cook two small stews, one on low for 8 hours and one on high for 4.

Look for: Low gives meat that is tender and holds its shape; high is quicker, but the beef can be stringier. If you have time, choose low.

Experiment

Lid on or lifted

Peeking.

Cook two stews and lift the lid of one every hour, checking when each is tender.

Look for: The peeked-at stew takes longer to become tender, because each lift lets heat escape. Resist the urge.

Experiment

Resting in the juices

Slice at once or after resting.

Take a pot roast out and slice it at once, and slice another after 20 minutes' rest in its covered pot.

Look for: The rested joint is juicier and slices more cleanly. Slow-cooked meat reabsorbs its juices as it rests.

Experiment

Shredded or sliced

Two ways to serve.

Serve one portion of brisket in thick slices and one shredded in the sauce.

Look for: Slices keep a meaty bite; shreds soak up more sauce and feel softer. Slice across the grain if you slice.

Tasting notes

What I tried	Method or amount	What I saw	What I thought	Will I do it again?
Slow-cooker beef stew
Pulled beef
Pot-roast brisket
Beef ragù
Low or high
Lid on or lifted
Resting in the juices
Shredded or sliced

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	What to do
Beef still tough	Not cooked long enough	Keep cooking, with the lid on, and test with a fork
Watery sauce	Too much liquid or lid kept on	Cook the sauce uncovered on the hob until it thickens
Bland stew	Beef not browned or not seasoned	Brown the beef and season at the end, with a splash of vinegar
Stringy, dry beef	Lean cut or cooked too long on high	Use chuck or brisket and cook on low
Greasy sauce	Fatty cut	Skim with a spoon or chill and lift the fat off
Mushy vegetables	Cut too small or added too early	Cut chunky or add soft vegetables for the last hour

Slow cookers, hot pots and leftovers

Checkpoint: can you do this now?

I can brown beef and set up a slow cooker.
I know to keep the lid on and cook until tender.
I can pull or slice slow-cooked beef.
I can pot-roast a joint in the oven.
I cool and store slow-cooked leftovers safely.

Next chapter

Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 2, chapter 4 is Curries and Spiced Stews: layering spices into slow-cooked beef.