A Pot Roast Recipe So Great It's "To Die For"

If you're a fan of quick and easy, "To Die For" Pot Roast is for you. Some water, three packets of flavorings and your crock pot takes care of the rest. It couldn't be simpler.

Now the name of this pot roast may be a "put-off" to you but seriously, this is the name that kept showing up in blog after cooking blog and forum after slow cooker forum. After awhile, you just have to go with it, you know?!

Curious about this crockpot recipe? Here's the basics.

1 3-lb. chuck roast
1 packet brown gravy mix
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (Buttermilk or Milk is okay)
1 packet Italian Dressing Mix (I like Good Seasons)
1/2 to 1 cup of water

Pierce the chuck roast a few times with fork and place chuck roast into bottom of crockpot. Combine the 3 mix packets and pour over roast. Add a 1/2 cup of water around the chuck roast.

Set on low and cook until roast is tender, approximately 8 hours.

Note: Some of the mix will still be on the roast after several hours if the water doesn't cover your roast (and it probably won't). I turn my roast after several hours so the powder mix isn't left on top.

If you are watching your salt intake or have cut back on salt so much that you can taste salt in most pre-packaged foods, then you might want to adjust the amount of seasoning packets that you use in making "To Die For" Pot Roast.

We've seriously cut back on salt in our family. I can taste salt in almost all prepared foods from the frozen food section of the grocery so I notice if my crockpot pot roast is too salty.

Here's what I do to remedy the problem!

Try using all of the brown gravy packet and just half of each of the Italian and Ranch packets, for example.

Or, add more water. A cup instead of a half a cup.

Or, add vegetables. (More on that in a moment.)

Photo courtesy of uploader at wikimedia commons

What else can you add to "To Die For" Pot Roast? Well, for starters, carrots. Ummmm, good.

Then there's potatoes. Yummmm, even better.

Some cut-up white onions or pearl onions are great.

And don't forget the fresh mushrooms.

Tip: If you are cutting your vegetables into smaller pieces - such as baby carrot and small "new" potato size - add them later, about halfway through the cooking process. Otherwise, they'll turn to mush.

Now, don't get me wrong, mush can be good. As the vegetables break down, they make a very nice "gravy" in the crockpot. But "mystery" vegetables may not look that appetizing - particularly for guests. So, add your vegetables about halfway through the cooking process and they'll look just right when the roast is tender and done.

And last but not least, the best thing about vegetables in this crockpot pot roast is...they absorb the salt of the flavoring packets so that your pot roast turns out...just right!

photo courtesy of Creative Commons and Laura Brunow Miner

Waiting for this crockpot pot roast to get done is torture to the taste buds.

But your kitchen will smell sooooooo good while you are waiting.

In the meantime why not prepare a nice fresh salad and some warm yeast rolls to go along with your crock pot roast.

And some ice tea. Here in the South, we like ours sweet, but you fix yours any way you want. It's all good.

A nice red wine is also another option.