Things You'll Need:
- Slow cooker Broth Onion and celery Oven Roasting pan with lid Tin foil Braising pan with lid Variety of optional seasonings: dried thyme dried oregano dried coriander kosher salt fresh ground pepper red wine
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Step 1
Select a piece of beef that you want to cook. It can be frozen or fresh; both will cook soft in a slow cooker. Some of the best meats to cook soft are the most inexpensive meats. Cuts like the chuck, sirloin roast, or top round are perfect. These economical cuts of beef can become very tough if cooked too quickly.
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Step 2
Use one 16-ounce can of broth for each pound of beef put into the slow cooker. Add 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped celery stalks, and 1 tsp. each of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. You may want to add some dried herbs to the broth mixture. Bay leaves or thyme would match perfectly with your beef. Add no more than 2 bay leaves or 1 tsp. dried thyme.
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Step 3
Turn the cooker on low for six hours and cook the beef soft. At this point, the beef will be fork tender and fall apart.
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Step 1
Select the piece of meat. A fresh piece of beef would be best. If you only have frozen, defrost it in the fridge overnight and then begin the roasting process. The best roasting cuts of beef would be a thick chuck roast, sirloin roast or top round. The slow cooking helps break down these infamously tough pieces of beef.
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Step 2
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Step 3
Season the beef with salt and pepper on each side. Salt and pepper will bring out the "beef" flavor of any cut of beef. You may rub a spice blend of your choice on your beef, such as a Cajun or Caribbean blend.
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Step 4
Place beef in roasting pan and cook for more than four hours. For each pound of beef, you will roast the beef for two hours for the first pound, and a half hour for each additional pound. You may cover the roasting pan with foil or a lid for the first half of the cooking and then remove the pan the second half so the beef browns and forms a crust.
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Step 5
Remove the beef from the oven and let it rest for five minutes before carving. There is no need to cover the beef while it rests but you may create a tin foil tent over the beef to retain the heat of the meat. The internal heat will continue to "cook" the meat while it sits.
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Step 1
Select a piece of beef that is suitable for braising like a chuck roast, sirloin roast, eye of round or top round. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.
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Step 2
Use fresh beef or beef that was frozen then defrosted.
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Step 3
Place the beef in the braising pan. Fill with water or broth to cover the piece of beef. You can even replace half the water or broth with red wine. Add some fresh ground pepper. You may add dried herbs like thyme, coriander or oregano to the broth. Do not use fresh herbs since they lose their flavor during long cooking periods.
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Step 4
Close the lid on the braising pan and cook the beef slowly in the oven for over four to six hours. To determine the exact cooking time, cook the first pound for three hours. Add an additional hour for each pound after the first.
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Step 5
Check the beef at four hours to see if the beef is fork tender. Remove from oven when soft. The beef will reach a temperature of 250 degrees after cooking.
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Step 6
Raise the temperature of the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit if the braised beef is not cooked to 250 degrees. Cook the beef for another 45 minutes to ensure the beef is thoroughly cooked.
