Tomato Dill Pot Roast

Slow cooked pot roast is a common meal in our house. The main reason is because of how easy it is. You buy a rump roast or two, throw them in the crockpot with a few other ingredients and let it cook... all day!

I usually make a traditional roast with carrots and onions, but I wanted to use up some left over dill. I made this pot roast with carrots, onions, stewed tomatoes and fresh dill. The finished product was juicy, tender and tasty. Next time I will add more dill. The flavor didn't come through as much as I hoped it would.

Tomato Dill Pot Roast

1 -2 Rump roast (or whatever cut you like best)
3 cups water or low sodium beef broth
Worcestershire sauce
1 cup baby carrots, uncut
1 large onion, sliced
1 15 oz stewed tomato
5 strands of fresh dill

Add all of the ingredients together in a crockpot (for the Worcestershire sauce, I sprinkle it over the meat, I use approximately 3-4 tbsp). Turn crockpot to low and cook for 6-8 hours.

I served mine with rice pilaf. It's super easy!

Rice Pilaf (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375.

In the skillet, begin melting the butter. Add onions and cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir in rice, cook for 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle in salt and simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer rice mixture to a baking dish. Bake in oven for 40-45 minutes or until the broth is mostly absorbed. Fluff with fork.

Have leftovers? Try these ideas:

Pulled Beef BBQ Sandwiches
Hot Beef Sandwiches with gravy and mashed potatoes
Pulled Beef Nachos
Pulled Beef Quesadillas or Enchiladas

Slow-cooked Pulled Pork

Today’s “Friday Quickie” is pulled pork (beef, chicken). Pulled meat… fast you ask? Yes, it’s true, kind of. There's a minor catch. The meat must be slow-cooked. While it does take all day to cook, it's fast and easy to prepare once it's done.

Here we go!

Prepare 3 lbs of boneless country style pork or beef ribs or chicken breast (pork is cheapest) in a crockpot. You can use a rub on the meat if you prefer, I choose not to. Add water to the crockpot, enough to almost or completely cover the meat, turn to low heat. We eat dinner between 6:00pm and 7:00pm. I start cooking the meat by 10:00am at the latest. 

Cook……cook……cook….cook…..cook…..cook…………………………………………………

Fast forward to 6:00pm(ish). Remove meat from crockpot. Don’t pour the water/juices from the crockpot quite yet. The meat is so awesomely tender it basically falls apart. I use 2 forks, 1 to hold the meat and the other to shred the meat. It pretty much shreds effortlessly. If your side dishes have not been prepared yet, put the meat back into the crockpot. Let it soak up more yummy moistness. Strain the meat a bit before putting it on the plate.

When we have this meal, my husband usually makes jo-jo potatoes. Those are timely, but oh so good with pulled pork. You could also have a bean salad, coleslaw or french fries/tator tots. 

Our area has an amazing mom and pop style bar-b-q restaurant. Lucky for us, they sell their signature sauce in takeout jars. KC Masterpiece or Jack Daniels sauce does not compare... not even close. My suggestion is to find a local bar-b-q diner with an amazing sauce and purchase a jar of it. It really does make a difference. 

Although this meal takes all day to cook, the serving part is actually fast and easy. This meal feeds our family of six (p.s. it's a total winner with the kids!) and we generally have leftovers. It’s delish reheated too!

Add this to your meal plan today!

Other options for the pulled meat:

Nachos with all the fixings
Soft shell tacos with all the fixings
Pulled meat sandwich
Spinach salad with veggies and meat (use bar-b-q sauce)