There is something especially comforting about a slow cooker roast that asks very little of the cook and still comes out tasting like Sunday dinner. This Amish-style coffee beef leans on a strong pot of black coffee to deepen the flavor of a humble bottom round roast, turning an economical cut into a tender, savory supper with the kind of rich gravy folks like to spoon over everything on the plate. It is the sort of practical, old-fashioned meal that fits right into a Midwestern kitchen, where stretching ingredients wisely and feeding people well has always mattered.
Serve this roast with mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or simple boiled potatoes to catch every bit of the dark, savory juices. A side of green beans, glazed carrots, or corn makes it feel like a full farmhouse meal, and a basket of warm dinner rolls is always welcome for mopping up the sauce.
Slow Cooker 6-Ingredient Amish Coffee Beef
Servings: 6 to 8
Ingredients
1 bottom round roast, about 3 to 4 pounds
1 cup brewed black coffee
1 packet onion soup mix, about 1 ounce
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, 10.5 ounces
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 large onion, sliced
Directions
1. Place the sliced onion in the bottom of the slow cooker, then set the bottom round roast on top.
2. In a bowl, stir together the brewed black coffee, onion soup mix, condensed cream of mushroom soup, and Worcestershire sauce until well combined.
3. Pour the coffee mixture evenly over the roast, covering the top and letting it run down around the sides.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours, until the beef is very tender and easy to pull apart with a fork.
5. Transfer the roast to a platter and slice or shred it. Spoon some of the onions and cooking juices over the top before serving.
Variations & Tips
Add mushrooms: If your family likes a little extra earthiness, tuck in 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms around the roast before cooking. They melt right into the juices and make the gravy taste even heartier.
Make a thicker gravy: For a more spoonable sauce, remove the cooked roast and whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water. Stir that slurry into the hot slow cooker juices, cover, and cook on high for 10 to 15 minutes until thickened.
Slice versus shred: Bottom round can be served either way depending on how long it cooks. If you want neat slices, check it a little earlier; if you want that falling-apart pot roast texture, let it go until a fork slides in with hardly any resistance.
Salt carefully: Onion soup mix and condensed soup both bring plenty of seasoning, so it is best to wait until the end before adding any extra salt. A good crack of black pepper at the table is often all it needs.
Leftover idea: Leftover coffee beef makes mighty fine hot sandwiches the next day. Pile it on toasted bread with a little warmed gravy, or serve it over noodles for another easy supper.