Chocolate Roast Beef

Did I say chocolate and beef together? Why yes I did! This recipe came about as I was trying to find a new crock pot recipe for roast beef besides my standard onion soup mix and condensed mushroom soup recipe. I found an interesting enough recipe in my Southern Living Slow-Cooker book. One of the main ingredients was coffee, and I don't do coffee. So I decided that unsweetened cocoa powder would probably be a good substitute. And wouldn't you know it, it was delicious! The sauce is very rich and dark. You can't taste the chocolate though, but it adds depth to the flavor that is just delicious. Please please try this. You will amaze and impress your family, just like I did mine! Be careful with the salt in this recipe, it can get pretty salty. I use Nature's seasons for my season-all for meats and my cottage cheese sprinkle.

Chocolate Roast Beef

3 lb sirloin tip roast cut in half
Morton's Nature's Seasons (or your favorite season salt)
olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 cube beef bouillon
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried basil
all purpose flour

Sprinkle the roast pieces with Nature's Seasons. Brown in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Remove roast and place in slow cooker. Saute onion and garlic in skillet until soft. Stir cocoa powder into water and stir into onion mixture in skillet. Add bouillon, salt, and basil. When bouillon is dissolved, pour mixture into slow cooker, over the roast. Cook on high for 6 hours. Remember, don't lift the lid, or your slow-cooker will have to reheat, and your cooking time will be extended. When roast is done remove to a platter. To make gravy measure drippings. For each cup of drippings add 1 tablespoon of flour to 1/4 cup of water. (You only need 1/4 cup of water total.) Strain drippings into a sauce pan, stir in flour-water mixture and heat to boiling. When gravy is thickened, serve with the roast.