The general principle behind cooking a roast in a Crock-Pot is that you start the roast in the morning and it's ready to eat by dinnertime. However, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) department of the USDA does not recommend cooking a roast in a slow cooker, because the thickest portions of the roast might not reach the recommended minimum of 140 degrees, so cut large roasts into chunks to be sure they are fully cooked.
Beef and Lamb Roasts
Beef and lamb roasts need to reach an internal temperature or 140 degrees for rare, 160 degrees for medium and 170 degrees for well-done. Cook a beef roast in a Crock-Pot or a slow cooker for six hours on low for rare, seven to eight hours for medium and nine to 10 hours for well-done. Briskets may need to cook on low for 10 to 12 hours to become fork tender.
The FSIS recommends starting the cooking process on high for one hour before turning the Crock-Pot to low for the remaining cooking time.
Pork Roasts
Pork requires an internal temperature of 160 degrees to be considered fully cooked. A typical pork roast will take approximately eight hours on low heat in a Crock-Pot to reach this temperature. A bone-in roast will cook faster than a boneless roast, so be sure to allow an additional half hour or more for a boneless pork roast. Use a meat thermometer in the thickest portion of the roast to make sure it's done.
Tips
Put any vegetables you're cooking with your roast in the Crock-Pot first. Put the meat on top of the vegetables, add broth or water to cover and cook for the recommended amount of time.
If a meat thermometer isn't available, most roasts can be considered well-done when the meat is fork-tender and can be pulled apart easily. If the meat is frozen, allow an extra three to four hours for the roast to be fully cooked.
Tags: fully cooked, roast Crock-Pot, cooking roast, eight hours, internal temperature, internal temperature degrees