Mom's Pot Roast

I wish I could properly type out a cry of victory.

Maybe like this?: "EEEEEEEEEEE AHAHAHAHAAAAA YAYYYY YES YES!!"

Meh. It'll do. The important fact to take away is this: I love my mom's pot roast. And I have been unable to replicate it myself. UNTIL NOW! YIPPEE!

This pot roast recipe has been my white whale for YEARS now, and what's funny is....IT'S NOT EVEN HARD TO MAKE. Like....it's kind of insanely easy (you don't even need to sear the meat--the only dish you're gonna dirty is the crockpot! And cutting board...but still.) So why did I have problems? I didn't have the correct kind of slow cooker--I had a super old one that didn't have low and high settings-it had temperatures. And it seems like it couldn't cook it slow enough. I don't know, but what I do know is that I now have a real, beautiful, crock-pot and I took my mom's roast and made it my own. 

This was the recipe that my mom would always make for my birthday, or when I came to visit. And apparently the fact that I love roast caught on because then my mothers in law also started to make me their recipes. And they're ALL good. But...you know. There's something about the recipe that you grew up with...it's special. So I'm a bit partial. But...you know...I also am pretty into this whole cooking/baking thing. So I very slightly improved upon the recipe. But in minuscule ways (namely I added onions and I cut the potatoes smaller so they would cook all the way through, as my mom's tend to be hard and uncooked in the middle sometimes because they're too big of chunks).

Anyway. Let me tell you about this roast--it falls apart. Like...insanely tender. SO flavorful. And you can really add any veggies you want (like carrots, for example) but I'm a big fan of potatoes and onions (yes...those orange veggies are potatoes--cooking in the juices turns them that color. And makes them melt in your mouth delicious). This is gonna be your new fave. I'm so excited. It was so good.

Mom's Pot Roast

Author: Kayle, "The Cooking Actress" (and my mom)

Ingredients:

• Approx. 2.5 lb. boneless roast (I used a chuck shoulder round roast)
• seasoned salt
• approx. 6 oz. teriyaki sauce
• 1 cup water
• approx. 6 medium sized russett potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
• approx. 1/4-1/2 of a sweet yellow onion, peeled and chopped into chunks
• Optional-other vegetables (carrots, peppers, etc.)

Preparation:

• Place roast in a (approx.) 6 and 1/2 qt. slow cooker. Generously season the meat with seasoned salt. 
• Add in enough teriyaki sauce so that the roast is approx. halfway-three fourths of the way submerged. Add water.
• Cook on low for 4 hours.
• Cut potatoes, onions, and/or any other vegetables into chunks (small enough that they'll cook through, but big enough so that they won't cook too fast--I found approx. 2 inch chunks to be about right). Add to the slow cooker, trying to fit around the edges (so that they're submerged in the liquid) whenever possible, or on top of the roast if necessary.
• Cook on high heat for 2-4 more hours, until the meat is extremely tender and falls apart when you prod it with a fork (the vegetables should be very tender as well).
• Serve!
• Store leftovers (including the liquid--this will help keep it moist) in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.