Best Slow Cooker Cuban Pot Roast Recipes

CUBAN SHREDDED BEEF (SLOW COOKER)

Steps:

• SEARING THE MEAT: Take the beef chuck roast and using a small paring knife, make 3 small 'x' marks into the meat. Take 3 cloves of garlic and insert them into the 3 'x' marks so that the clove is completely inserted into the thickness of roast. Season both sides of the meat with a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the beef in one piece and fry on each side for 5 minutes, turning only when the exterior is browned. This will splatter a bit but don't cover the pan as the meat will end up steaming rather than searing.
• FOR THE ROPA VIEJA: Chop the remaining 3 cloves of garlic into thin slices and add to the slow cooker along with all the remaining ropa vieja ingredients. I used a 6-quart slow cooker but a 3-quart slow cooker will work too. Cover and let cook on the low setting for 7-8 hours. When the beef falls apart easily when pulled with two forks, it's done. Shred the beef with the forks and give it a stir. Taste for seasonings, season with additional salt and pepper as desired.
• TO SERVE: Serve over a bed of rice with cuban-style black beans on the side topped with additional cilantro and a few lime wedges. You can also use the shredded beef for burritos, breakfast quesadillas, or tacos! The possibilities are endless!

CUBAN MOJO POT ROAST

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
• Whisk together orange juice, lime juice, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, and garlic until combined. Set aside.
• Season the chuck roast with the Kosher salt, and pepper.
• Add the canola oil to a pan and heat. When it ripples and is hot add in the roast and brown, deeply, for 4-5 minutes on each side.
• Add carrots, potatoes, orange juice mixture, bay leaves, and beef broth and cook for 3 - 3 1/2 hours.
• If you want a thicker sauce, 30 minutes before it is done skim the fat off the top, add a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water) to the pot and cook for remaining 30 minutes.

CUBAN-STYLE POT ROAST

Steps:

• Combine the flour, 1 teaspoon cumin, salt and pepper in a shallow container or on wax paper. Roll beef in seasoned flour. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium; brown meat on all sides. Transfer meat to slow cooker, cover.
• Meanwhile, in the same skillet, add onions and garlic and cook 4 minutes or until onion is softened. Stir in remaining cumin to coat onions and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and crush larger pieces. Bring to boil; stir in tomato paste, red wine and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and stir. Pour mixture over beef. Cover and cook on low 8 hours; turn after 4 hours if possible.
• Remove beef from sauce to platter and tent with foil. Turn cooker heat to high and cook 10 to 15 minutes to reduce sauce. Remove bay leaf. Slice meat and spoon some sauce over meat before serving.

BOLICHE (CUBAN POT ROAST)

Steps:

• Lay the eye of round roast on your work surface. Use the tip of a sharp boning or paring knife to cut a pocket by inserting the knife all the way through the center of the roast, beginning on the flat side. Rotate the blade 90 degrees and insert the knife in the same spot, creating an cross shape that extends through the roast. Stuff the chorizo pieces into the pocket. Using the same knife, pierce the roast all over. Set aside.
• Mash garlic and oregano with a mortar and pestle to create a paste. Rub paste all over the roast, then season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Pour the orange juice, lime juice, and lemon juice over the roast. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Remove the roast from the marinade, and shake off excess. Reserve marinade.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Place the roast in the Dutch oven and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove roast to a platter, and set aside. Stir in the onions; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Return the roast to the pot. Add the bay leaves, sherry, beef broth, and reserved marinade. Increase heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low; simmer 2 hours.
• Drop potatoes into the pot, cover, and continue to simmer until potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes more, adding additional beef broth as needed.
• Remove the roast and place on a platter. Cover the meat with two layers of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes. Slice roast into 1/2-inch thick slices, and arrange potatoes on the platter. Spoon the remaining sauce over, and serve.

SLOW COOKER POT ROAST

Steps:

• Sprinkle the roast all over with 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Coat in flour and shake off any excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the roast to the skillet and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes, turning as needed. Transfer the roast to the insert of a 6-quart slow cooker, along with the carrots, celery, onions and garlic.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet over medium heat. Add the tomato paste and stir until the oil begins to turn brick-red, about 1 minute. Add the flour and wine and whisk until thick (it's OK if there are some lumps). Add the beef broth, bay leaves, thyme, allspice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and bring to a simmer, whisking, until the gravy is smooth and thickens slightly, about 4 minutes.
• Pour the gravy into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. The roast and vegetables should be tender.
• Remove the roast and let rest for a few minutes. Discard the thyme stems and strain the vegetables, reserving the gravy. Toss the vegetables with half the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Stir the remaining parsley into the gravy and season with salt and pepper. Slice the roast against the grain. Serve the meat and vegetables on a platter, moistening them with some of the gravy; serve the remaining gravy on the side.