slow cooked roast beef with a side of Hasselback potatoes and oven roasted vegies

Our dear old slow cooker hasn’t had much love since our Weber smoker moved in a few years ago. Whilst I have cooked the occasional beef ragu and lamb shanks, most larger cuts of meat find their way into the smoker. The smokiness and bark achieved from a smoker puts them at a level above what can be produced from a slow cooker. That said, a great flavour can still be achieved from a slow cooker and they require less maintenance during the cook than a smoker. This is where this slow cooked chuck recipe comes into play. You can set the cooker going in the morning and leave it until you come back in the evening.

When researching slow cookers you will most likely here the term ‘crock-pot’. Crock-pot is a brand of slow cooker who were responsible for producing the first line of slow cookers.

Similar to a traditional oven roast, slow cooker meats are great with oven roasted potatoes and vegies.  They are also great the next day in salads, rolls, tacos, on pizzas… there’s plenty of options.

ingredients 

• 1.5kg piece of chuck
• 1 finely diced onion
• 2 star anise*
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder 
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 2.5 cups beef stock
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

*Star anise is a natural flavour enhancer and it is particularly good at bringing out the flavour of onions. I often use them when slow cooking beef or lamb. Just remember to remove them before serving so no one gets a surprise!

directions

for the beef

1. Dry brine the meat by rubbing with kosher salt at the rate of 1 teaspoon per kilo (half a teaspoon per pound). Refrigerate overnight.
2. The next morning combine all the spices and rub over the meat at least 20 minutes before cooking.
3. If you have a slow-cooker with a stove top insert place it on the stove over medium heat. If not, use a large frying pan.
4. Fry the onions (along with the star anise) in some olive oil until the onions are soft and translucent. Transfer to a bowl (or to the slow-cooker if you don’t have an insert).
5. Turn the stove to high heat and brown the meat on all sides. Approximately 3 minutes each side.
6. Return the onions to the insert along with the stock and balsamic vinegar.
7. Cook the meat on the low setting for approximately 6 hours. Timing will depend on your slow-cooker, they’re all different.
8. Remove the meat to a large dish and using 2 forks pull the meat apart. At the same time boil down the remaining stock until it reduces to about a cup full of liquid.

for the vegie bowl

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200c/400f.
2. Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into even-sized florets.
3. Cut the base off the Brussels sprouts (not too much otherwise the leaves will come apart from the stem).
4. Add some olive oil and salt to a large bowl and coat the Brussels sprouts. Place in an oven dish and put in the oven.
5. Coat the Broccoli and Cauliflower in the remaining oil and add to the dish with the sprouts after 10 minutes.
6. Bake for another 30 minutes, shaking the dish every 10 minutes.
7. Coat the kale leaves in some oil and salt and add to the dish with the other vegies until crisp.
8. Take the vegies out of the oven and serve immediately.

You can find our recipe for Hasselback potatoes here.

Serve the beef, vegies and potatoes and spoon over some of the left over juices from the slow cooker. Enjoy!

You can find our other slow cooker recipes here.