Basic crock-pot roasts

In response to a couple requests for favorite crock-pot recipes, here goes. First, though, a couple tips to make your crock-pot recipes a little more succesful:

• onions always taste better if they've had a few minutes in the frying pan on the stove before getting put into the crock.
• veggies take longer to cook than meat so put them into the bottom of the pot.
• fresh herbs break down so this is one area where dried is better.
• If you want cooked but not stewed, don't add a lot/any liquid. You will get sufficient liquid from the stuff you're cooking.
• don't think of it as easier or faster, it's just prepared earlier in the day.
• add no or minimal salt. Salt intensifies as it cooks so it's best added at the very end.
  

A basic crock-pot roast:

1 roast of your preferred meat (I like chuck or rump or sometimes pork).
some root vegetables (favorites: turnips, potatoes, carrots)
herbs to suit (bay leaf, thyme, oregano, pepper, but not all at once!)
1 onion
2-3 garlic cloves (or more, if you love it)
1/2 c. (or so) beer/ red wine

1. chop onions and toss with a bit of oil into a frying pan (try to find a pan you can fit your roast into as well). After they've started to turn clear (sweat) put them in the bottom of your warmed crock.
2. chop all of your root veggies and garlic. Place on top of onions in the crock pot. Add whatever herbs you're using.
   
3. turn the heat all the way up on your roast and sear all sides of the roast. When meat is browned on all sides, place in crock pot.
   
4. Keeping heat on high in pan, add the beer. Allow this to cook down getting all of the tasty bits left in the pan from the meat & the onions. Once this has been reduced to a thick syrup-like stuff, pour/scrape it on top of the roast in the crock-pot. Put on the lid and cook on HIGH for 3 1/2-4 hours or LOW for 7-8 hours.