Improvisation

I haven't been feeling super motivated to cook lately, so when we were grocery shopping yesterday (Aldi's, baby) and beef pot roast sounded delicious, I was actually excited.  Buuuuut then I remembered the broken oven.  Boo.

Good thing I have no fewer than three slow cookers to choose from.

Pot roast on the right, homemade applesauce on the left.

The reason pot roast is perfect for a slow cooker has to do with the cut of beef you use.  Stew meat is fairly tough with thin connective tissue.  Cooking it at a low temperature for a long time allows the connective tissue to turn gelatinous- yummm.  You wouldn't ever want to pan-fry or grill this meat.

I didn't really have the 6-8 hours required- I put it on HIGH for 3.5 hours and called that good.  Fortunately my husband and I have strong teeth.  Don't try what I tried.  If you are going to use stew meat (chuck, flank, skirt), make sure you cook it on low until it is done.

I think we'll stick to sandwiches for dinner tonight.