Pot Roast: Said the Pot to the kettle

My Hamilton Beach slow cooker has arrived!!!! It was a birthday gift from my cousin. Thank you Glynis! I was surrounded by pieces of torn box and packing peanuts and knew something delicious will come out of this new gadget!

I was on a television show recently called Come Dine With Me Canada and I made a ‘Carribbean Jerk Pot Roast’ – it’s really just a regular pot roast but I  ‘rasta’ fied it to suit my theme. The only negative and very true comment was that my pot roast was dry and I totally agree with my good friend Graham McWaters. I’ve tried a million ways to cook it but it’s never as tender as my aunt Celie’s roast, who in my opinion makes the best pot roast ever!

On my quest to find the perfect pot roast, I’ve experimented with ingredients like jerk paste like my dear friend Pam. I’m amending this recipe slightly for my spanking new slow cooker.

2 pounds beef pierced with cloves and lemon juice and marinate with marinade(below) overnight

Marinade
½ cup dark soya sauce
1 tsp jerk paste
1 tsp jerk sauce
salt to taste
pepper
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
Dry spices – 1 tsp ground cumin (jeera), 1 tsp Indian all spice (garam masala)

1 red onion cut sliced
3 dry red chillies
2 garlic pods sliced
Potatoes and other veggies – optional
Chopped tomatoes optional

Fry the onions , red chillies and garlic together till the onions are golden brown, remove and keep aside.

In the same oil, sear the beef on all sides. Reserve the marinade. Place the beef, onions, chillies, garlic and reserved marinade in the slow cooker with a cup of hot water. If you cannot eat spicy food, either omit the jerk paste or add one chopped tomato. Although the instructions were to leave the potatoes at the bottom, I would suggest adding them in the final hour of cooking time at the top since they tend to break. Instead, line the bottom with have the fried onions and place the other half over the meat. Cook on High for 5 hours or Low for 10 hours. The internal meat temperature should be at 160 degrees. Cooking on low will result in a more tender meat.

K-rating – Every member of the family loved this –the meat was soft like butter! Sorry Graham!