love people; cook them tasty old-fashioned pot roast

I hinted on The Lazy Daisy Kitchen Fan Page last night that there would be great recipes coming up over the next few days requiring little effort and heat.  Old-Fashioned Pot Roast is one of those no-fail, uber-flavorful dishes that is perfect for sharing with someone you'd like to bless.  It lasts for days and only requires a quick sear followed by a few hours spent with possibly my very best friend in cookware appliances...  The Crockpot (applause, applause)!  I just love this thing, and when used correctly, it can do circles around everything (and everyone) in the kitchen.  

I've tried all kinds of roast recipes, but this is my absolute favorite.  I usually prep it in 15 minutes around 8:00 in the evening, place the roast in the crockpot, set it to low, and have a roast just as good as  Grandma's (well, almost) by sunrise...  Can it get any better than that?!?

If you end up making this dish sometime soon, make sure to set some aside for the delicious sandwich I'll be featuring later this week.  And, speaking of that, check back often.  Our home congregation, Una Church of Christ, is having VBS every night through Friday.  Our family won't have much time to prepare big meals, so I'm looking forward to sharing with you a couple of new recipes, along with a couple of stand-by's, that will help get us through the week... just perfect for the busy - and hot - days of July.

Old-Fashioned Pot Roast 
makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• one Angus beef chuck roast, 4-5 lbs. (for the most tender and flavorful, look for some marbling)
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 cup beef broth or red cooking wine (or mixture of both)
• 3 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
• 1 medium onion, sliced thick

~  Rub roast with salt and pepper.  Put aside.

~  Heat olive oil in large pot to medium-high.

~  While oil is heating, mix together flour and garlic powder in large resealable bag.

~  Place roast in bag and shake until completed coated.

~  When oil is shimmering*, carefully place roast in pot.  You should hear a nice sizzle.  Let
     it sit until a golden crust forms, turning around to do the same to get all sides.  

~  While roast is browning, slice onion and separate rings, spreading them at the bottom of 
     the crockpot.  

~  When roast has browned, place on top of onions.  

~  Keep pot heated and add the worcestershire sauce and broth/wine to pot, scraping 
     browned bits from the pan with a wooden spoon.  Let cook about one minute.

~  Poor juice over roast, set crock pot to Low, and let cook 8-10 hours until meat is fork 
     tender.

* Olive oil has a lower heat tolerance than other oils.  If it is smoking, it is too hot and will 
    burn the flour coating.  Look for a shimmer in the oil, bump up the heat just a tad, and 
    the temp should be perfect.