Best Beef Cuts for Crockpot?

I use brisket in my slow cooker. The cheaper cuts of meat become really tender.

brisket and chuck are my go to for slow cooker...they're the only ones I do in the slow cooker. A top round (London Broil) or tri-tip would just dry out I would think...plus, both of those are best served medium rare to medium IMHO.

You need something with a decent amount of fat for a slow cooker or you just get really dried out beef. Also, I personally prefer just grilling a nice steak...or broiling a well marinated top round to medium rare.

We had a blade roast a couple of weeks ago in the crockpot and it was delicious. I usually buy the roasts that are on sale at the time or the cheapest ones. No matter what type, they are so tender from the crockpot after slow cooking all day. My recipe is pretty basic:

Roast, potatoes and carrots. Sometimes I throw in a packet of Lipton Onion Soup mix. Be sure to use the crockpot bags, they make cleanup super easy!

Generally speaking, lean cuts and slow cooking do not play well together.

Short ribs and brisket do well and neither is particularly pricey.

Roasts are good. Brisket is good. I'd add ribs/tips to this list as well.

Not to get too scientific or gross, but cuts of meat (from any critter) that have a lot of connective tissue are great candidates for the Crockpot's low and slow methods of cooking (simmering, braising, etc.) Long exposure to low(er) heat helps breakdown connective tissue to make juicy, succulent meats. I always try to go with the lowest/longest setting when possible.

And to quote one of my heroes, "Your patience will be rewarded."

Beef Brisket... ^_^

And that Barbacoa Beef recipe you shared with us is fantastic. I love Chipotle.

I have two favorite beef cuts for the crock pot, chuck and brisket. I tried rump roast but I think that the only use for it is to be ground into lean hamburger. Top round and sirloin lend themselves to fast cooking methods so they don't get near my crock pot.

Here is my favorite, very easy, crock pot BBQ Beef recipe:

3 lb,+ Brisket
salt, pepper, garlic salt and/or seasoned salt
1 onion
1/2 bottle BBQ sauce
Liquid Smoke

Spray inside of crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.
Slice onion and put into the bottom of the crock pot.

Trim excess fat from the brisket, season roast, then brown it in a skillet or use your grill for extra flavor and minimal clean up. If you're grilling to brown it, you don't have to be as careful with the trim but, if you're using a skillet, trim off as much as you can.
Transfer the browned brisket to the crock post and pour on your favored sauce and a little (goes a long way) Liquid Smoke.

Set heat to high and come back in 6 hours.

Serve with crusty bread rolls and coleslaw made with Walden Farms coleslaw (excellent flavor and zero calories) Dressing.
If you need to cut the calories even more, use saltine crackers instead of crusty bread rolls.

I count this as 60 calories per oz of beef.

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My favorite chuck roast recipe:

Here is my favorite, very easy, Beef Pot Roast crock pot recipe:


3 lb,+ chuck roast
salt, pepper, garlic salt and/or seasoned salt
1 onion
2 stalks celery (optional)
4 medium potatoes
1 bag, 1lb, baby cut carrots
2 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 1 cup of water

Spray inside of crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.
Slice onion and celery then, put them into the bottom of the crock pot.

Trim off excess fat. (Chuck tends to have big chunks of fat outside the muscles and nice marbling inside the muscle. The marbling is your friend and will give a great flavor but, the outside fat is just fat, It doesn't look or taste good and this is the stuff you want to get rid of.

Season the trimmed roast, then brown it in a skillet or use your grill for extra flavor and minimal clean up.
Transfer the browned roast to the crock post and add the potatoes, carrots and enough liquid to almost cover the meat.

Set heat to high and come back in 6 hours.

I count this as 60 calories per oz of beef plus, the potatoes and carrots. One very nice thing is that you don't have to add any calories for the vegetables unless you add some butter when you eat them. This gives you a little flexibility so you don't go over your daily number.

Variations:

Use beer or cheap red wine instead of water. The cooking juices (we refer to this a pot liquor) is incredible!

Let me know how it turns out!

Bumping for ideas