Slow Cooker Caribbean Pot Roast

I love my slow cooker. It's what I imagine it would be like to have a personal chef with dinner waiting for me when I get home from work. ("Ahh, thank you, Gerard. That osso bucco you prepared was divine. Check the maid's quarters to see if she wants the leftovers.") Since that isn't going to happen at least until my husband is done with school, I content myself with the wonders of the slow cooker making food for me. I make all kinds of soups and stews and shredded meat dishes in there, but I usually steer clear of pot roast. I tried it a few times, and although the recipes were a breeze to set up, the roast always seemed to come out salty, dry, and a little boring. Not liking the feeling of failure every time I tried to cook pot roast, eventually I just gave up. Then I ran across this recipe (and a sale on chuck roast at the grocery store) and decided to give it another go. 

I finally cooked a good pot roast.

The end result was moist and flavorful. The sauce was delicious and different, with a little sweetness and a great combination of flavors. Have you ever had a meat recipe with cinnamon in it before? Trust me, it's pretty tasty. I also like that the roast cooks along with sweet potatoes instead of the regular Idaho potatoes for an interesting twist.

In case you have leftovers, like my husband and I did, I find that reheating most big cuts of meat can dry them out unless it is done quickly, so I like to cut the roast into small pieces and cook it in a skillet with the leftover sauce from the roast and some quick cooking veggies, like peas. Garbanzo beans are a delicious addition, too. Then I just serve the whole thing over rice and voila, it's like Gerard cooked me a brand new meal.

Slow Cooker Caribbean Pot Roast

Ingredients:

3 medium sweet potatoes, quartered

3 large carrots, sliced (or a handful of baby carrots)

1 boneless beef chuck roast (2.5-3 lb)

1 T canola oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T all-purpose flour

1 T sugar

1T brown sugar

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp ground coriander

3/4 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp grated orange peel

3/4 tsp baking cocoa

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1. Place potatoes and carrots in a 5-6 quart slow cooker. In a skillet, brown meat in oil over medium high heat. Transfer meat to slow cooker.

2. In the same skillet, saute onion in drippings until tender. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Combine next 11 ingredients; stir in tomato sauce. Add to skillet; heat through. Pour over beef.

3. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until beef and vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipe source: Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Dec/Jan 2011

Posted in: Main Dish