Brown a Roast for Cooking in a Crockpot
You can cook a roast in a crockpot without browning it, but the meat is more flavorful and appealing if you brown it first since browning helps seal in the juices. The high heat used when searing the meat also caramelizes the sugars and fats and imparts a richer flavor when the roast is finished cooking.
Contents
Ingredients
Servings: 4 to 8
- 4 to 5 lb. roast (1.8 to 2.2 kg)
- 2 tbsp. cooking oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Steps
- Rinse the roast with cold water.
- Place the meat on a cutting board.
- Pat it dry with paper towels, pressing to absorb as much water as possible.
- The drier the outside of the meat is, the easier it will be to coat it with seasoning, as well as to sear it.
- Searing turns into steaming if there is too much moisture on the surface of the meat and in the pan.
- Trim any excess fat off the meat.
- Cut the roast into smaller pieces if it is too large to fit into your crockpot.
- Heat 2 tablespoons (30 mm) of cooking oil in a large Dutch oven on medium high heat.
- Sprinkle and rub salt and pepper all over the meat.
- Brown the meat in the hot oil for several minutes on each side. Rotate it carefully so that the grease doesn’t splash onto your skin.
- Remove the seared meat and place it in the crockpot you’ll use to roast it.
Tips
- You can brown the roast the night before and refrigerate it overnight.
Warnings
- Be sure the oil is hot enough to sear the meat, but not so hot that it burns it.
Things You’ll Need
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Dutch oven (or any pan large and deep enough to contain the roast)
- Paper towels
