Bison Chuck Pot Roast – Slow Cooker Recipe

I have made a lot of pot roasts over the years, but none like the one I made on Father’s Day. When I make pot roast I always buy a chuck roast (a 7 bone one if I can find one). And this time was no different, except the roast did not come from a cow, but from a bison. Bison cuts are pretty similar to beef. You have your ribeye, tenderloin, New York Strip, etc. Bison meat is leaner than beef. A chuck roast has a pretty decent amount of fat in it. This bison one didn’t have very many big pieces of fat in it and the roast was just as juicy, tender, and flavorful as any beef pot roast.

Ingredients
3-4 lb bison chuck roast
3 cups mushroom broth (3 teaspoons Better than Bouillon mushroom base dissolved in 3 cups of warm water) or 3 cups beef stock
2 stalks celery, cut into halves
1-2 carrots, peeled, cut into halves
1 medium onion (Vidalia if they are in season)
1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
canola oil

Notes on Veggies
When I make pot roast, I don’t like to include potatoes at the start. I feel they just become water logged. I served some boiled small potatoes with the meal. I only include a couple carrots to add flavor. The onion was meant to add flavor as well so I just quartered it, halved those quarters, and toss them in.

Instructions
1. To start, sprinkle the roast liberally with kosher salt on both sides. This will help bring moisture and protein to the surface to help brown the meat. Before you place your roast in your slow cooker, take out a large frying pan. I recommend you not use a non-stick pan (more on that in a second)

2. Pour a little bit of canola oil (or vegetable) into the bottom of your pan, enough to coat it. Heat your pan up over high heat. Then place the roast into the pan. Cook until the meat is nicely browned, flip to do the other side. Remove the roast from the pan and into your slow cooker.

3. Now the reason I wanted you to use a pan that wasn’t non-stick, is I want to have some brown stuff stuck to the pan. I then take my mushroom broth and de-glaze then pan, by pouring a little bit of the broth in and scrabbing all of the brown stuff off the bottom. The brown stuff will add great flavor to your roast. I then pour the liquid from the pan and the rest of my broth into my slow cooker.

4. Now I add my celery, onion, carrots, and black pepper. Slap the lid on and set to cook anywhere from 6-10 hours. I choose 10, since I was going to be at the zoo all day.

You know your roast is done when it’s fork tender. If you wish you can make a gravy with the leftover liquid or just spoon it over your meat and potatoes or place it into some small bowls to dip in.

Check out these other pot roast related posts
5 Days with My Slow Cooker: Pot Roast
How To Make a Flavorful Pot Roast
Mushroom Base Pot Roast