Balsamic Beef Roast For Slow Cooking

Total Time: 5 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 5 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 cup beef stock
• 3 onions, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 1/2 lbs beef eye round (roast)
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup water, for deglazing
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1/16 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 2 tablespoons flour, slurry
• 1/4 cup water, cold slurry
• 1/2 ounce dried shiitake mushroom (optional)
• 3/4 cup boiling water, for soaking

Recipe

• 1 in medium saucepan pour beef stock, bring to boil, keep boiling until reduced to about 1/2 cup guessing at 3 minutes as it really depends upon pan size and burner temperature.  add onion and garlic.
• 2 meanwhile, mix together black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder; rub onto roast.
• 3 sprinkle flour onto both sides of meat and pat into meat--recently saw that technique is called spanking the meat--lol!
• 4 heat olive oil in high sided pan at moderate temperature, sear meat all over for about 8 minutes-take your time as this is when you get luscious drippings.
• 5 while meat is browning, line crockpot.
• 6 put meat into crockpot, deglaze pan (about 1 minute) that meat was in with 1/4 cup water, scrape up those yummy drippings, reserve in pan for next step.
• 7 pour reduced beef stock with onion and garlic, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary into deglazed liquid; pour over meat.
• 8 cover crockpot, cook on low. for 3.5 pound roast, it will be done in about 5 hours, and for 3.25 pound roast it will take about 4 hours and 50 minutes. after removing meat, cover with foil and let rest while making gravy.
• 9 if using shitake--about 15 minutes before removing roast, soak mushrooms in boiling water for 30 minutes, drain and discard liquid.
• 10 take liquid with onion from crockpot, and pour into large skillet, add the other cup beef stock, bring to boil, boil about 5 minutes, make slurry of flour and cold water, reduce burner to moderate temperature, stir slurry into hot liquid,  and stir until lumps are out, strain if needed. taste for salt.
• 11 put reserved mushrooms into gravy.
• 12 slice meat thin and add to gravy.
• 13 if you are like me and make this ahead, i take it out of fridge about an hour beforehand, let it set at least 30 minutes to get to room temperature, then i add more beef stock to it as reheat it and am guessing at amount as i have not measured it.