Onion Pot Roast in the Crockpot

3-4 pound boneless chuck roast
1-2 Tlb steak rub
black pepper to taste
1-2 Tlb olive oil
1/4 cup water to deglaze pan
2-3 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced
1 cup beef stock, reduced to 1/2 cup
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Trim as much fat as you can from roast and cut if necessary to fit into crockpot. Rub meat well with steak seasoning and black pepper. Heat heavy pan with small amount of olive oil and brown roast well on both sides. This will take a few minutes; don’t rush the browning step.

While the roast browns put 1 cup beef stock in saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, then let cool slightly and mix in balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce. Peel onions and cut into thick slices. Deglaze pan with 1/4 cup water and add to sauce mixture.

(You can stop at this point and refrigerate browned roast, cut onions and mixed sauce ingredients and then put them in the crockpot when you go to work in the morning. Don’t refrigerate them in the crockery liner. Having the meat start out cold will add several hours to the cooking time, which will be good if you’re cooking it all day while you’re away.)
 
Place onions in bottom of crockpot. Put meat on top of onions and pour beef stock mixture over. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until beef is tender. The meat might be partly submerged in liquid after this much time. (If I am home, I might turn the meat once or twice.) Remove meat from crockpot and cover with foil to keep warm. Drain liquid from crockpot and remove as much of the fat as you can with fat separator or skimmer. Cook down liquid by about 1/3, and serve sauce with meat and onions.

Chuck Roast in a Crockpot

1 chuck roast
potatoes, peeled and cut up
carrots, peeled and sliced
onions, peeled and chopped
cream of mushroom soup
sharp cheddar cheese

Place the potatoes on the bottom of the crockpot, then the onions and carrots.  I put salt and pepper here.  Put the roast on top and cover with cream of mushroom soup.  Cook about 8 hours on low (longer depending on the size of roast) and when finished, remove roast, add at least 2 cups cheese (more if you like lots of cheese)  and mix it all up and serve it altogether. 
Slow-Cooked Chili

2 pounds ground beef
2 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
2 medium onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt, optional
1 teaspoon pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese, optional

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the next nine ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4 hours. Garnish individual servings with cheese if desired. 

Slow-Cooked Chili II

2 pounds ground beef
4 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (28 ounces) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 ounces) pizza sauce
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 to 5 teaspoons chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.