Upon closer review, a pot roast and a beef stew are pretty similar. Inspired, I headed to the store with the goal of finding a big, cheap roast and making an incredibly thick beef stew (or a fairly runny pot roast, depending on your point of view). It was time to put my crock pot through its paces.

I didn’t follow the grocery store recipe very closely (or at all, really), preferring to take one idea from them and then wing it. Their idea? To score the roast and insert little chunks of garlic before placing it in the slow-cooker. I had done this before when grilling London broil, but had never done it with a roast before. I don’t know if that’s what did it, but this was definitely the best beef stew I’ve ever made. The smell of the roasting beef, onions and potatoes first filled the kitchen and then spread to the entire house. And when I served up the stew, the beef was tender enough to cut with a spoon (which I did).

Slow cooking is ideal for making a stew on a Sunday afternoon. It keeps the meat and vegetables moist, and allows the flavors of the various ingredients to permeate throughout. Plus, it requires virtually zero oversight, leaving you free to putter around the house.

As for the cut of meat itself? I’m not overly prescriptive on that point. Here’s what I do when I’m ready to make beef stew: I look to see what’s on sale, or what is on “special” because they need to sell it quick. If they have a nice roast (be it chuck, bottom round, rib, etc.), with a decent amount of fat, I buy it. I don’t want a ton of fat, because then the stew can be too greasy, but I do want some nice marbling.