We eat zero processed foods in this house and sometimes dinner can be a challenge on busy days or days that I just really do not feel like cooking. That's where this recipe comes in. I can throw everything together fairly quickly and let it cook in the crock pot while accomplishing other tasks that need to be done.
Normally this would be made with a grass fed/finished beef shoulder roast but this time around it was made with a conventionally raised piece of beef that was grain finished. That is why there is so much marbling in this particular shoulder roast. In my opinion, the meat on grain finished cattle is bland with no real flavor unless it is seared before cooking. Color is flavor so it is a good idea, although not completely necessary, to sear grain fed roasts before putting them into the crock pot.
There's a lot of talk in the food world about which type of beef is better for you, grass fed or grain fed. I personally find the grass fed/finished to have a better flavor and texture. There is less visible fat in the meat when you are looking at grass finished and it isn't bland, but that's just my opinion. I have heard that grass fed/finished is better for you but haven't done the research on it yet to comment on that part. Who knows for sure? I don't but I do know that grass fed/finished just simply tastes better to me so I'll go with it.
If you have never tried grass fed/finished beef, I highly recommend that you do try it at some point that way you can form your own opinion of the difference between the two types of beef. You never know unless you try it. :)
Ingredients to Make a Tender Beef Shoulder Roast and Vegetables
- 1 fresh 2-pound beef shoulder roast
- 4 carrots
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1 small or medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic, whole but peeled
- salt and pepper to your taste
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
How Long Does it Take?
Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 4 hours Yields: 4 servings
How to Make It
The first thing you will want to do is season your roast on both sides with salt and pepper. Don't skip this step because it is really important for the flavor of the meat.
Then get out the old trusty iron skillet and brown the roast on ALL sides.
Almost completely browned.
Yes, even tip it up on the sides like this to get that beautiful and flavorful browing on the whole thing. Browning the roast before cooking will greatly improve the flavor.
Next you'll want to address your potatoes and carrots. Now this is more personal preference than anything else. I sometimes leave the potatoes and carrots whole and sometimes I cut them. You don't need to do any peeling with them, leave the skin on because if you don't, the carrots and potatoes will fall apart inside the crock pot. You'll end up with mush if you are even able to find them in there.
Since this recipe makes 4 servings and is only using 2 potatoes, I suggest either cutting them in half or adding 2 more potatoes if you want to present them whole.
Make sure your onion is chopped, your garlic is peeled and your crock pot is empty and ready to go.
Put the roast in the bottom of your crock pot and dump the carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic cloves and thyme on top.
Fill the crock pot up to the top with water.
Set it on high and let it be for the next 4 hours. If you are wanting to put this together in the morning and let it cook all day, go ahead and set it on low and it will be ready when you get home that evening.
After the time is up, you will have the tenderest beef shoulder roast ever.
The addition of the thyme compliments the beef flavor and as you can see, the onions have almost melted into the mix.
The combination of using a crock pot and not having to keep coming back to check on this is absolutely fantastic. Then... wait until you taste it. The tenderness of the meat will definitely make you want to throw this one together it again.
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