Q&A for How to Brown a Roast for Cooking in a Crockpot

Most everything takes 6-8 hours to get good and tender. Most people will put the seared roast in before going to bed to wake up to a lovely hot roast. You can almost never cook a beef roast too long in a slow cooker.

No. The string will help keep the roast in a uniform shape which allows for more even cooking. If you really dislike the string, you could remove it, but expect the outer pieces to get a bit overcooked. You can also cut the roast into chunks to cook it which would reduce the cooking time as well.

Your end product will be much more attractive since you'll have good color on all sides. It will also deepen the flavor of your dish.

At the very end, turn the oven up to 500 degrees. You'll want to do this when the roast is about 10 degrees below the desired temperature. At that point, keep a close eye on it, but the hot oven will help brown the outside. Remove it when it reaches the desired internal temperature. This is not the ideal way to brown the meat since the juices were not sealed in from the beginning, but it will add flavor and make it much more attractive.

Cut it before you brown it. That way all sides will be browned and work to seal in juices.

Yes. Assuming your roast is thawed, just use paper towels to pat the roast dry before prepping.

Always sear the ends too. I hold two large forks to get the end seared well and hold the balance of meat up out of the way.

You can, but it's not a good idea. Frozen foods, especially thick foods like roasts, take a long time to defrost in a slow cooker. As the food needs to defrost all the way before cooking starts, it will take forever to cook your food. The length of time the food spends at warm temperatures also increases the risk of bacteria and spoilage.