Pot Roast Question

I have put frozen roasts in the crock pot before and had them cook all day and be done at dinner time – the problem is that you can’t really brown the outside very well if it is frozen solid LOL.  But I have done it.

Full disclosure:  I am not the crock pot queen, not even close.  So putting the frozen roast in the crock pot might be a terrible idea – hopefully others will straighted us out.  I am just saying, it has been done at my house

I will say that I cook frozen stuff all the time in the crock pot. HOWEVER, here is the caveat: I am a very weird cook – I just throw things in willy nilly, never measure anything and can’t follow a recipe to save my life. Please take this how you will with that warning. Also, you might want to heat it on high over night and see where you stand in the morning when you can adjust your cooking temp accordingly. Bon appetit!

My only concern would be that it might take the inside of the meat longer than normal to reach a safe temperature.  This is why cookbooks recommend against putting large pieces of frozen meat in the crock pot–the chance that part of the meat will be at an unsafe temp for longer than recommended.  Smaller pieces of meat, like boneless chicken breasts or cut-up meat, are less of a problem.  I’d check the inner temp before serving.  It’s best to put larger pieces of meat, like roasts and whole chickens, in the refrigerator to thaw for a couple of days before cooking. 

I do know that many cookbooks tell you to put frozen chicken in the slow cooker from the start, but the thickness is not so great because of the bones throughout. (Not much of a chance it won’t cook through thoroughly, I suppose.) With thicker, less-boned pieces of meats like a roast, I’d err on the side of caution and cook it from at least a partial thaw.

Just FYI, when you are talking about a solid piece of meat, the inside cannot grow/harbor bacteria. Bacteria get on the meat during the harvesting/packing process. They rest on whatever part of the meat is exposed to the air, packing equipment, workers’ hands, etc. When you are considering ground meat, quick and proper internal heating is very important, because the “inside” of your burger patty or whatever is made up of a jumble of ground meat, all of which has been exposed to contaminants and all of which could harbor microorganisms. When you are talking about a solid piece of meat – a roast or a steak – you need to be concerned with the outside, or exposed, part of the meat being fully cooked. That is why you can safely consume a rare steak or slice of roast, while it is not recommended to ever eat a hamburger with pink in the middle.

FWIW, I cook meat pretty regularly when it is frozen solid. It may add an hour to the final cook time, but have never had any problems. I also start on high for the first hour or two, then turn it down to finish cooking. Remember that one hour on high is equal to two hours on low, and adjust your cooking time accordingly.