So, you know how certain scents can take you back to a specific time and place in your life?  Well, this week’s recipe does exactly that for me.  My grandpa was a beef farmer so there was never a shortage of beef to be served at Pop and Gran’s house.  On any given day, upon walking into the house, we were greeted by the rich, savory smell of roasting beef.  One of my favorite uses for that succulent roast was beef & noodles.  It’s a humble and simple meal that is at the top of my comfort-food list.  Gran likely used just salt and pepper to season, and I don’t remember her ever searing the meat before slow-cooking in the oven, so to update the recipe a little, I’ve added a few common, but flavor-packed, ingredients, and seared the roast for an extra layer of richness.  I’ve also used a crockpot, which is more energy-efficient and doesn’t heat up the house on a hot, summer day.  I think Gran and Pop would approve of my Slow-cooker Beef Noodles.  I’ll bet you will, too.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1 (2 lb.) chuck roast
  • 3-4 T. vegetable oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 8 c. water, divided
  • 1 heaping T. beef flavor Better than Bouillon concentrated beef stock
  • 2 t. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 t. minced garlic
  • 1 (12 oz.) bag frozen egg noodles (or make your own like Gran did)
  • 1-2 T. fresh parsley, minced (optional)

First, prepare the roast by patting it dry and generously seasoning with salt and pepper.  Pat the seasoning into the meat.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet (cast iron, if you have one) over medium-high heat.  Cook the roast on each side until you see a nice, dark-brown color, 3-5 minutes per side.  Be sure to sear the sides of the roast as well.

Transfer the roast to the crockpot, and throw the onion into the pan to deglaze all that yumminess the roast left behind.  Give them a few swirls around the pan for a couple of minutes, just to collect some of the flavor left in the pan, and then add them to the crockpot with the roast.  Place the onion around the sides of the roast, not on top of it. Add 4 cups of water.

Put the lid on and cook on low for 8 hours.

After 8 hours, shred the roast with a pair of forks.  Pull out any fatty pieces now, if you choose.  Mix the remaining water, bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic together and pour into the crockpot.  Add the noodles, stir everything around to combine, cover the pot, and cook another hour or until the noodles are tender.

Sprinkle with a little parsley and enjoy your slow-cooker beef noodles piping hot.

Comments

  1. Hello
    I notice in your recipe for Slow-Cooker- Beef Noodles 4 cups of water is listed twice but only mentioned once to add at the end of the first 8 hour cooking… I’m assuming the first 4 cups should be added in with the roast in the beginning while cooking the roast but I usually get in trouble when I assume so I thought I would request a confirmation or not on my assumptions???
    By the way Thank you so much for your website and lovely recipes… quite Awesome!!! Thank You!

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