Yaya's Crock Pot Roast Beef

Aaron is always asking me to cook him meals that his mother cooked when he was little.  He wants these sour cream chicken enchiladas that she used to make (which I've tried to make twice with different recipes and he still says they're not right), her beef stew (which as it turns out is just like Mom's vegetable beef soup only a bit thicker), and his favorite food to ask for is roast beef.  Now, Mom always made roast beef in the crock pot.  She would put it in the night before and cook it really low overnight.  By morning the beef was cooked and we could have a roast beef sandwich for lunch!

Apparently Aaron's mom made roast beef either roasted in the oven or cooked slowly on the stove.  She never made it in the crock pot.  I asked her in February how to make the roast in the oven because I wanted to make it for Aaron for his birthday.  I did everything she said, but lost track of time and overcooked it slightly.  I just knew that if I tried it on the stove I would probably overcook it again.  So I decided to make this one the way my Mom makes hers.  I put it in the crock pot and cooked it all day.

Mine, of course, isn't nearly as good as Mom's, but it was pretty darn tasty.  The meat is tender and juicy and instead of slicing it you just kind of shred it.  It produces plenty of broth to turn into gravy for mashed potatoes, and because I started with a two pound roast we have plenty leftover to use for other meals this week.  (I'm planning on making a sort of pot roast stew and some shredded beef enchiladas as well as roast beef sandwiches for lunch this week.)

Next time you see a sirloin roast on sale you should definitely grab one and try this roast, because I guarantee you won't cook yours in the oven or on the stove again once you've tried this.

Yaya's Crock Pot Roast Beef

Source: Nana and Mom's family recipe

2 lb sirloin beef roast

garlic powder

onion powder

salt

pepper

water

Trim a bit of the fat off of the roast, but not all of it.  You want a little fat to keep it nice and juicy.  Place the roast in the crock pot.  Sprinkle generously with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.  Pour water over the roast until it is completely submerged with about half an inch of water over the top.

Turn the crock pot on low and cook for 6-8 hours.

Break chunks off or shred the meat to serve.

Serve with mashed potatoes and peas (the way Yaya has always served hers) and of course for Aaron some macaroni and cheese.