Cranberry Roast Beef Slow Cooker 3-Ing. Grandpa vowed by this 3 ingredient way of a crowd cooking it low and slow all day long, creating tender beef with a rich sweet and savory cranberry glaze.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
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3-4 pounds of boneless beef chuck roast.
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1 can (14 ounces) jellied cranberry sauce.
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1 pack (1 ounce) dry onion soup mix.
Cranberry Roast Beef Slow Cooker: Directions
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Put the beef chuck roast in the bottom of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker with only a few pieces of excess fat being removed. Keep the roast intact in large pieces to allow it to cook into large tender pieces.
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Add jellied cranberry sauce and the dry onion soup mix in a medium bowl. Mash and stir together using a fork or whisk until the cranberry sauce is mostly smooth and the soup mix until it is well mixed to create a thick chunky glaze.
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Cover the roast with the cranberry-onion mixture and spread uniformly on the top so that it is covered. It does not matter that part of the roast is not fully covered, the juices will appear as it is roasting.
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Cover with the lid and cook the slow cooker on LOW between 8-10 hours or until the beef becomes very tender and is easily shredded with a fork. Do not open the lid in the first few hours to allow the roast to braise.
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As soon as the roast is fork-tender, carefully remove it in the slow cooker by pulling it to large bite-sized pieces using two forks. Combine the beef with the shiny cranberry-onion sauce until all the beef pieces are covered in the sweet and savory glaze.
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Taste the sauce and, should you wish it, add a bit of salt and pepper to your liking (the onion soup mix is already salty, and as a result you may not need much). Switch the slow cooker to WARM and allow the beef to soak up in the sauce at 10 to 15 minutes then serve.
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You can serve the cranberry roast beef directly out of the slow cooker pouring big portions of the tender beef and sticky ruby red and brown sauce over your favorite side.
Variations & Tips
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To make a slightly more spicy glaze, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the cranberry-onion mixture and pour it over the roast (this is technically a fifth ingredient, but it can actually be very spicy).
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To get a less sweet final product, half a can of cranberry sauce can be used and 1/2 cup of water or beef broth may be added to thin the mixture.
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You could also replace the chuck roast with a comparable marbled one such as beef arm roast or bottom round; again maintain the time of low-and-slow cooking to make sure that it still becomes pull-apart tender.
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To make it ahead, to save some time, prepare the roast and the sauce in the slow cooker the night before, then put it in the inset, cover with a lid and refrigerate; the next morning, put it in the bottom and begin cooking.
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Leftovers are a good option to reheat and can be made into sandwiches, sliders or even a baked potato top in hectic weekdays.
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