How Long Does A Roast Actually Need To Be In The Crock Pot?

When the cold rolls in during the winter months, we often want to reach for food that's hearty, comforting, and, above all, easy. And let's be real — while there are plenty of recipes to warm up your slow cooker, nothing exemplifies that more than a good old-fashioned crock pot roast. The crock pot is a brilliant kitchen tool: From making the perfect pulled pork to serving up the easiest taco Tuesday meal you'll ever have, it's a versatile and simple appliance. Plus, with the advent of the vintage cookware craze, slow cookers are downright cool!

Though slow-cooker recipes are nice and simple, a pot roast still requires a little care to avoid over- or under-cooking your meat. So how long should you really be slow cooking your meat? We asked chef John Politte, an expert cook and food entrepreneur. "Ideally, you should set aside about 6-8 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high for a pot roast in a slow cooker," he says. That seems like an awfully long time, but it's for good reason. "The longer cooking time allows the meat to become tender and flavorful," Politte tells Food Republic. To ensure a perfect cook on your pot roast, you're going to want to make sure the internal temperature of your meat is just right — for ultimate accuracy, Politte recommends a probe thermometer that you can constantly monitor. "Using a wireless, Bluetooth meat thermometer is a great tool to achieve the perfect temperature without overcooking," he says.

Sometimes you might be craving a pot roast but lack the time (or the patience) to wait eight hours for it to cook. So is there a way to make things a little less slow? "To quicken the process, cut the meat into smaller chunks, which will cook faster," chef John Politte tells us. "Pre-heating the slow cooker is another great way to save a bit of time." If you are pre-heating your slow cooker, why not use that time to brown your meat before getting it in the crock pot. "Searing the meat before placing it in the slow cooker can help enhance flavor," Politte says. Not only will it help seal all that flavor in your meat, but it also will boost those savory, umami notes.

Sometimes, you might be faced with situations where you might have to leave a little more time to finish off your pot roast. "Some factors that may lengthen the cooking time include using larger cuts of meat, cooking at high altitudes, or overcrowding the slow cooker with additional ingredients," Politte says. In cases such as this, rely on temperature to tell you when to pull your meat! It's the most accurate indicator of whether or not it is done, so using a temperature probe, per Politte's advice, is the best way to avoid messing up your pot roast, and to ensure your meat is perfectly cooked through every single time.