I often go ahead and season....whatever tickles me at the time...poke some slits with a knife and push in some fresh garlic slivers, rub in some rosemary, etc. And often add another rub just before cooking, but not always.

One word....CROCKPOT! You could use it in any of the following recipes. The French Dip and the Shredded Beef freeze well, too so you could have some tonight and there'll be a future meal or two in the freezer! CROCKPOT FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES 2 cups water 1/2 cup soy sauce 4 whole peppercorns 1 tsp dried rosemary 1 tsp dried thyme 1 bay leaf 1 tsp garlic powder (had none so used 1 minced garlic clove) 3 lb boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed 8 French or sourdough rolls, split Combine water, soy sauce, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme & garlic in a slow cooker, stirring until well blended. Place roast in cooker & cover. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or until beef is tender. Remove meat from broth & shred with a fork. Serve beef on rolls. Pour broth in small bowls for dipping.~~ Good topped with Swiss cheese or sauteed onions, peppers or both. I like mustard on the rolls, too.~~ Posted by Ginger St. Thomas Crockpot Beef Stroganoff 1\-1/2 lb stew meat cut into cubes 1T cooking oil 1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced 1/4c minced onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/8 tsp dried thyme, crushed 1 bay leaf 1\-1/2c beef broth 1/3c dry red wine 1 c sour cream 1/2c flour 1/4c water 4c hot cooked noodles or rice In large skillet brown the beef in hot oil, drain. In crockpot combine beef, mushrooms, onions, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper thyme and bay leaf. Pour in broth and wine. Cover and cook on low 8\-10 hours or on high 4\-5 hours. Discard bay leaf, and turn crockpot to high heat. Mix together sour cream, flour and water. Stir about 1 cup of the hot liquid into the sour cream mixture, return all to crockpot and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Serve over noodles or rice. Serves 6 Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos Serve this delicious taco meat with soft tortillas or hard taco shells and pass all the fixings. 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 3/4-inch cubes 3/4 cup bottled chunky medium-hot salsa 2 tablespoons chopped garlic 1 tablespoon (packed) dark brown sugar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional) 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (optional) Combine the salsa, brown sugar and soy sauce and pour over the meat in the slow cooker insert. Cover and cook for 8 hours on LOW or 5 to 6 hours on HIGH, or until the meat is fork-tender. I usually pour off some of the liquid. Shred the meat with two forks and stir in cilantro and lime juice if using. Posted by Opkikid 2/10 Linda

When Round roasts are on sale for a good price I buy lots. Some I cut up for stews and Hungarian goulash. Some I slice thinly for mock sukiaki and stir fries. Some I make into 1/2 inch slices for Swiss steak or beef rollups, and some I use for roasts. When I cook a roast I cook it frozen. I put it in a hot oven for 1/2 hour. The outside gets cooked and the inside is still frozen. Then I reduce the heat to 325 and cook it until it's well done. For a 3 pound roast it takes 2 hours and 15 minutes or 45 minutes per pound. This method makes a nice juicy tender roast. As for anything else you do with it besides hamburger. Cook it with Tomato or soy sauce or marinate it, or cook it on low for a long time. Presidents choice has some good marinades. In addition when I'm cutting up the roasts I cut out any gristle. This is easy to do if you remove the string and separate it along the natural divisions of the meat.

I do like round roasts, like top round or eye of round and I roast them. They are the source for "lunch meat" or "deli meat" here, as I try to avoid the overly processed and salted items available commercially. Let the roast sit until it comes to room temperature. Rub it with olive oil and add salt and pepper or a seasoned rub if you like. I then roast it using the instructions from Barbara Kafka that AnnT was kind enough to make available on her blog: http://www.thibeaultstable.com/2009/12/high-heat-roasting.html I slice it very thinly, we do have a slicer and so I can make those nearly-paper-thin slices. Slice thinly against the grain and it'll be nice, juicy and although not "melt in your mouth" tender, it's tender enough. Annie