Sweet and Tangy Braised Chuck Roast

Kelly's first rule of living in your own place: buy a Crock Pot!! I did not understand the wonders of the Crock Pot until Mom bought us one not long after we moved in together. At first, my reaction was, What is this newfangled contraption? But now, it is my best friend. There is nothing better than throwing a bunch of crap in a Crock Pot, letting it cook all day, and having dinner ready when you get home. Now that's what I call service!

I found this recipe while flipping through a Good Housekeeping magazine at Craig's grandparent's house. I've made it before (pre-blogging days) so this is a repeat offender!

INGREDIENTS:

-6 2-inch gingersnaps (crumbled)

-2 cups baby carrots

-2 stalks celery, chopped

-1 cup dry red wine

-2 tbsp red wine vinegar

-1/4 cup raisins

-Salt and pepper

-1 boneless beef chuck roas (2 lbs)

DIRECTIONS:

-Combine gingersnaps, carrots, celery, wine, vinegar, raisins, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in the slow cooker.

-Put roast on top of this veggie layer.

-Cook on low 8-10 hours, or high 6-6.5 hours.

COMMENTS:

-By the time you eat it, the liquid in this one is soooo good. It basically ends up like a stew, because the meat cooks so good that it falls apart. (I know it looks whole in the photo above, but as soon as we stuck a fork in it, it was in pieces.) We used a zinfandel wine that Craig made (yes, he has upgraded to wine making!), and you could taste the flavor in the liquid. Yummyyyy.

-I suggest cutting the fat off the roast before cooking. I forgot to do this and we ended up having to pick it out of the food as we ate. No big deal, just a convenience thing.

-I didn't add the raisins. Not a big raisin fan. But feel free to add them if you dare. :)