Growing up, my mom’s pot roast was one of my favorite dishes. You see, although dad is an award-winning chef (he did invent the Red Lobster biscuits, after all . . . *cough* #notAIP), nothing beat my mom’s home cooking. She made the most flavorful and fun dishes that we totally loved to eat during the week, and then my dad would do the cooking on weekends when he had more time. 
She had several dishes that were pretty kick-a$$, but I would always specifically request her pot roast, because it was the best, in my opinion. I remember coming home after school and the crockpot would be going, filling the house with the best aroma ever – it was all I could do to “rabbit hunt” and sneak a taste before dinnertime!
That said, I can assure you that my mom’s pot roast – as delicious as it was – was not paleo or AIP-friendly (hint: it may have involved cream of mushroom soup). So, when I switched gears a few years ago, I had to start thinking of a way to create a pot roast that was 1) as delicious as my mother’s and 2) safe for me to eat while following the autoimmune protocol diet. Oh and bonus points for the fact that I have strange intolerances to celery and mushrooms, so I also had to work around that.
Luckily, I think I have hit the nail on the head. What I love most about this recipe (besides how stinkin’ easy it is) is how tender and flavorful the meat comes out once it’s done cooking – and the veggies are to die for! My girlfriend recently said that this pot roast was her “new favorite food group . . . even more so than bacon” so, I’d say it’s a winner.
And so with that, I present you with my totally easy, allergen-free, “Mama H”-approved, delicious paleo/AIP slow cooker pot roast.
- 2-3 lbs chuck roast
- 1.5-2 lbs sweet potatoes (about 2 large sweet potatoes, cubed)
- 1 lb carrots, sliced into 1/2” rounds
- 1 large yellow onion, cubed
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup organic beef broth or bone broth
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, divided into 2
- 1/2 tbsp sea salt*
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder*
- 1.5 tsp onion powder*
- 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning*
-
Cut up all veggies and place half of the veggies in the crockpot
-
Pat meat dry with paper towel
-
Rub down meat with apple cider vinegar
-
Rub meat down with seasoning in the order they are listed - work seasoning in with hands until entire piece of meat (all six sides) are well-seasoned
-
Set meat on top of veggies in crockpot
-
Add remaining half of veggies to crockpot, piling them up around the piece of meat so meat is still sitting on top of veggies
-
Pour balsamic vinegar and beef broth into crock pot in a circle, around the piece of meat (try not to pour the liquid on top of the meat because you’ll wash away your seasoning!)
-
Finally, top the veggies with two dollops of coconut oil - one on each side of the pot
-
Cover and cook on “low” for 8-10 hours, or “high” for 6-8 hours
*Approximate measurements - adjust as needed to completely cover your piece of meat with seasoning!
For serving, you can either shred the meat a bit, which I actually really enjoy doing, or you can just cut it up to make for a more traditional pot-roast style dish. Enjoy!
Yum! I’m going to try this! Did yo grow up with the almighty cream of mushroom soup and packet of dry french onion soup mix pot roast? That’s how my grandma made it and how my kids love it. How did you find out you were sensitive to celery and mushrooms? I’m just on day 4 of the AIP and I’m worried about being sensitive to something allowed on it and not seeing a change.
Oh yes, that’s exactly the type of pot roast I grew up on! Delicious, but definitely #notpaleo. 🙂 I found out about my celery and mushroom sensitivities through an IgG food sensitivity test that my functional MD had me take. If you haven’t had this done, I think it’s a great (and simple) test you can do to help you eliminate any other foods that might be irritants but that are still technically allowed on AIP. Keep up the great work!
Hi,
I was eye balling your cooking pots and pans in the following post http://autoimmunewellness.com/aip-kitchen-tour-february-2017/. I’m trying to find the best pots and pans that are non-toxic to cook in. We currently use the teflon calphalon set. The pots you have are black on the outside and white on the inside. Do you mind sharing with me what pots you use and why you choose them?
Thanks!
Lynn
Hi Lynn – thanks for reaching out and sorry for the slow response. The pots / pans you see are actually Calphalon but they are non-stick, so I wouldn’t recommend them as a non-toxic alternative (we received as a gift and try not to use them very often). I would recommend stainless steel pots and pans, as that will likely be the safest (and of course, using as much cast iron as you can). 🙂