There are few dishes as comforting as a slow-cooked pot roast. It’s one of those meals you start enjoying long before your first bite, as it fills the house with a delicious aroma while cooking. My mom roasted Coca-Cola for the holidays, and I remember the smell wafting around in my room. It was a sure sign that a special meal was coming.
For my mother, making pot roast was an all-day labor of love, reserved only for special occasions. But with this slow cooker recipe, you get the same meat and tender vegetables, without spending all day in the kitchen. A slow cooker is perfect for simmering and slow cooking as it keeps the temperature even. You don’t have to worry at all. Just a little work in the morning, and for dinner, you have a meal to remember!
These are the best slow cooker brands, according to our test kitchen.
Why cook with Coca-Cola?
For a large, hard cut of meat like chuck roast, your best bet is to stew the meat. In this recipe, Coca-Cola helps soften the meat and create that incredible crumbling texture. And while red wine (another favorite liquid for stewing meats) brings complexity with its tannins, Coca-Cola brings complexity with its sugars. As they cook and decompose, they create a caramelized flavor in the meat and jus, with a subtle sweetness.
If possible, use the glass bottle of Mexican Coca-Cola, which is made with real sugar.
How to make a
Coca-Cola roast
Jamie Thrower for home flavor
This pot roast recipe serves 6-8.
Ingredients
4 pounds
- chuck roast
- tablespoon vegetable oil
- medium onion
- carrots 4
- celery ribs 1 bulb
- garlic, cut in half transversely
- /2 pounds small potatoes
- packet Lipton onion
- can mushroom soup cream
- 2 cups beef broth
- 355ml bottle
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper Editor’s
1
1
4
of
1-1
1
soup mix 1
1
of Mexican Coca-Cola
Tip: Mexican Coca-Cola tastes different than American Coca-Cola because it’s made with cane sugar instead of high corn syrup fructose content. It is also packaged in a glass bottle instead of plastic or metal.
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the chuck roast and veggies
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Season your chuck roast at least 45 minutes (but up to 24 hours) before it is ready to cook. Sprinkle a heavy hand of salt all around, as well as some cracked pepper. Let it sit at room temperature for 1/2 hour before burning.
Meanwhile, cut all your vegetables. The onion is cut into slices lengthwise, and the carrots and celery are cut into long pieces. Potatoes can be cut into quarters and garlic into cross slices.
Mix the onion soup mixture, mushroom soup cream, beef broth and Coca-Cola, and set aside.
Take out your slow cooker and place it on your counter.
Step 2: Brown Chuck and Vegetables
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If your slow cooker has a scorching environment, then you can make it in the pot; otherwise, use a pan on the stove
.
When you are ready to seal the mandrel, bring the pan to heat and pour the oil. Seal the meat on all sides until dark brown. Don’t rush this step! This is where flavor is built.
When the baboon is completely browned, remove it from the pot and add the vegetables instead, along with a pinch of salt. Stir for a few minutes until the onions begin to look translucent. Pour a splash of the liquid mixture into the vegetables to deglaze the pan and mix well.
Step 3: Cook in
slow cooker
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Add the chuck roast, glazed vegetables, liquid mixture, bay leaf and a pinch of salt to the slow cooker. Put down, cover and cook for 6-8 hours.
Editor’s tip: You’ll want to avoid these common slow cooking mistakes.
Step 4: Separate the meat and vegetables
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When the
pot roast is ready, remove the roast from the slow cooker. Strain the sauce from the vegetables, reserving both separately.
The liquid, also known as jus, will have a layer of fat on top. If you are eating the roast immediately, remove the fat layer by skimming it with a spoon. If you are not going to eat until the next day, let the jus cool in the fridge overnight (with the meat). The fat will solidify, so you can easily separate it from the liquid.
You can reduce the liquid in a saucepan, or taste and season to serve as is.
Step 5:
Serve and enjoy
Serve the pot roast surrounded by vegetables, with jus poured over and a good pinch of salt in flakes.
Here’s what I thought
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The good thing is that this dish really is foolproof! The mixture of Coca-Cola and onion soup provides the flavor bomb, the mushroom soup provides thickener, the slow cooker will control the temperature, and the point is to make a meat that crumbles, so that it does not have to be too valuable on anything!
The things I found most important are:
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A good seal brings out a lot of flavor. You’ll never want to seal a piece of cold meat, so be sure to let the chuck reach the temperature.
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Do not skimp on liquids. You can even replace meat broth with water; It will still produce a tasty pot roast.
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Don’t rush! This kind of cooking doesn’t require much fuss, but it does require time and patience. Let the pot roast do its thing and it will be worth it!
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This dish is delicious served hot from the slow cooker, but it will be even better the next day. It also freezes beautifully.
Once you make this Coca-Cola pot roast, you’ll surely want more slow-cooked goodness in your life. Luckily, there’s a whole world of slow cooker recipes to dig up! Just add the ingredients and before you know it, dinner will be ready.
