Slow cooker roast - brine and fast or no brine and slow?

So I want to make a chuck roast for dinner but I can't actually get any supplies until noon.

Most recipes I know of call for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high - I'm just wondering if it'd be a better idea to let the chuck sit covered in salt in the fridge for a few hours then cook it for 4 on high or to forget brining and just sear it and throw it in for 8 on low.

Any opinions?

btw the recipe is your basic bitch slow cooker roast, a bed of carrots celery and onion with the seared beef on top covered with beef stock

Low and slow every time

Think it's worth maybe a dry salt brine for 30 minutes or so before searing or would I just be wasting my time?

>just sear it and throw it in for 8 on low
Yes, do that. What's the point of making a shitty roast? Do it right or just wait until the next day.

Don't bother with the brine

I guess I'm just not familiar enough with slow cooking to realize the difference in quality between 4 on high and 8 on low.

Guess I'll just season it, sear it, and start it.

The only hard part is not fucking up the roux for the gravy because I always fuck it up somehow

I agree. Why would you brine a roast? This won't make the fat and connective tissue of the beef gently render as it would in a low, slow pot.

>fuck up the roux
Do you get lumps or are you not getting the right consistency?

>I agree. Why would you brine a roast?
I know it's nowhere near as effective/important as brining poultry or pork but a good brine or marinade on a steak for 24 hours beforehand can do great things

First time I tried I got lumps but I think I've got the right timing/whisking to avoid that now

I think my real problem is I'm never sure when the roux is finished and it's time to add stock or drippings, I go for blonde and end up with something that tastes burned

At a higher heat, all the fat is going to melt out too quickly. The braising liquid may get too hot and make the protein strands tough and stringy. You can't really cheat on pot roast beef cuts. Slow and good or faster and less good. Most people don't salt until the very end after the cooking liquid has finished evaporating or they chose to reduce it further at the very end because it can become too salty. The slow cookers aren't magical. You still have to use them to emulate the traditional techniques if you want a good tasting meal.

>Most people don't salt until the very end after the cooking liquid has finished evaporating or they chose to reduce it further at the very end because it can become too salty
Interesting - I was planning on rubbing the roast with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder before searing, should I forego all that until I'm making the gravy at the end?

It ain't a steak. You're braising a pot roast.

You can add salt at the beginning. A lot of people dump an envelope of powdered soup mix or something on the top of it so the msg and spices slowly move downwards through it. They incidentally contain salts, which pull moisture out of meat before drawing moisture back in as the concentrations equalize over time. However, it's not in a bag in the fridge. You've got gravity and heat going on. The low heat you're using to gelatinize the connective tissue to self-baste the roast over a longer period of time is in opposition to salting at the beginning, making the roast's top half dump all its juices down into the bottom of the pot. Salting early on can be done, but because it's unnecessary due to the science, and can lead to an over-salted liquid at the end for your gravy it's not a great idea.

You just need more experience, don't worry about it and take any excuse you can to make a roux.

Wow this is really interesting, thanks user
Do you salt while the meat is resting or after its on the plate? Or not at all and keep the seasoning for the gravy?

Depends. I salt to taste in small increments (because you can't go back) after the main cooking is done. If I like the consistency of the liquid and just want to use it straight up, I salt it then, baste, taste, add more, etc. If I want to reduce it or make a gravy, I do that first before salting. The point is that you can't go back and un-salt it. I think a nice way to do it is to slice the roast, then reserve and season a little liquid in the pot in the residual heat and put the meat back in there for a few minutes before serving. Gravy is a separate entity. They come together at the end on the plate, but both taste perfectly seasoned on their own.

Like a good marriage. Two people are perfectly fine on their own, yet when they come together are complimentary to each other.

Alright, I'm gonna sear it without seasoning, cook low for 8 hours, make my roux, use most of the drippings to make the gravy, and leave some in the pot to salt and sit with the roast. Thanks for the advice!

Sounds good. Oh you can and should season it during cooking, with the exception of the salt. I definitely throw my spices, herbs and aromatics in the pot when I begin the braise. The whole thing about the salt is the danger of it either drying out the top half of the meat above the liquid line and having it too salty overall when the liquid or gravy is reduced at the end. Hope your roast turns out good!

w8!
skip the 8hours and get yourself one of these bad boys and be done in under 2h
ive made a few mods on mine and get it to 165deg C
makes the best pulled pork

Wouldn't that result in really tough beef?

>dry salt brine
reeeeeeeeeee