Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli Recipe | Slow Cooker Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What vegetables should not be added to a slow cooker? ›

Tender vegetables

Vegetables such as peas, asparagus and peppers can become a flavorless, mushy mess in a slow cooker.

Because your slow cooker will have a tightly sealed lid, the liquid won't evaporate so if you're adapting a standard recipe, it's best to reduce the liquid by roughly a third. It should just cover the meat and vegetables.

In a large bowl, combine broccoli, soup, 1 cup cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Pour into a greased slow cooker. Sprinkle crackers on top; dot with butter. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Yes, you most certainly can cook raw meat in the slow cooker! You put it in “cold”, with whatever liquid your recipe calls for, turn it on either “low” or “high” depending on your recipe (I usually start it on “high” for a couple hours, then turn it to “low”), and in 6–7–8 hours, it's now COOKED meat!

Slow cooker recipes have (obviously) long cook times, and it's the meat—not the carrots—that benefit from it. By placing the protein at the bottom (closest to the heating element), and vegetables at the top, you can keep your plant parts a little more toothsome, while ensuring your meat is fall-apart tender.

Place firm, slow-cooking root vegetables like potatoes and carrots at the bottom of the crock and pile the meat on top. Set the heat level: A general rule of thumb is that cooking on the low setting (170 degrees F for most models) takes about twice as long as cooking on high (280 degrees F on most models).

"Raw meat is a slow-cooker staple, but you may need to add it to the pot before adding other ingredients like green vegetables," she shared. "Browning meat in a skillet before adding it to the slow cooker has been a game-changer for my slow-cooker meals.

Insufficient Liquid: If there wasn't enough liquid in the crockpot, it could have caused uneven cooking. Potatoes need to be fully submerged in liquid to cook evenly. Old Potatoes: Very old or stored potatoes can become starchy and may not soften as well during cooking. It's best to use fresh, firm potatoes.

Flank steak is the classic choice for beef and broccoli. It's marbled with fat, full of beefy flavor, and easy to cut into super-thin, tender slices. But flank isn't the only option. Skirt steak will give you a very similar result, and if you're watching your wallet, sirloin is another great choice.

What is the best steak to use for beef and broccoli? ›

Beef flank steak is the best cut for quick stir fry dishes like beef and broccoli. It's cheap but still flavorful, and you can easily tenderize it with a little bit of baking soda.

Tender vegetables such as zucchini and beans can be added to your dish in last ¾ - 1 hour of cooking when cooking on High, or 2 hours if cooking on Low. Hard, starchy vegetables like potato and carrots are best added around 3 hours before the meal is done if cooking on High, and 4 hours on Low.

Your meat will be juicier and more tender

It also makes the meat far more flavorful. Moreover, the slow-and-low method ensures you get that fall-off-the-bone tender meat. The same results just aren't achieved when cooking meat on high heat for a shorter period of time.

Because pressure cookers utilise steam to cook food very quickly, they are the perfect choice for cooking meals such as beef brisket that can take a much longer time than slow cookers, yet provide almost identical results.

The best vegetables for a slow cooker are sturdier veggies like celery, carrots, tomatoes, onions, peppers and green beans, like we used in this recipe.

Lean, tender (and usually more expensive cuts) will actually become dry and tough if you cook them in a slow cooker! Choose cuts of meat that are considered “tough” cuts. These include shoulders, shanks, chuck and cheeks. The tough connective tissue and fat actually becomes tender and tasty when it's slow cooked.

Tender vegetables such as zucchini and beans can be added to your dish in last ¾ - 1 hour of cooking when cooking on High, or 2 hours if cooking on Low. Hard, starchy vegetables like potato and carrots are best added around 3 hours before the meal is done if cooking on High, and 4 hours on Low.