Well, I did it again. I found a cheap slab of beef, normally $6.99 a lb for $3.99 a lb at Kroger on sale. I cut off a chunk, and then split it thin-wise to make two steaks. Cooked it to about medium rare, and it was still almost as tough as shoe leather. The rest of it is now slow cooking, and will not escape the pot until tender! I put it on a bed of cabbage (one whole small one), with two jars of tomato-garlic-onion pasta sauce, small can of beef broth, small can of chicken broth, salt, pepper, garlic powder. Most of the sauce will be reserved for spaghetti to be prepared at a later date. Warning: this is my own recipe in its entirety. I did not look up anything on the Internet, just completely winged it.
Had that happen once, did a pot roast that came out tough as shoe leather. I was advised to put it back in the crock pot on low for a couple more hours and it did indeed come out 'fall off the bone' tender. I might have overdone the chicken from last night though, it practically melted in the pot.
I cook Chuck roast by searing both sides then braising in a heavy covered pot for usually around three hrs on a lower simmer. Cover most, but not all of roast with beef stock. Add onions, garlic, herbs then carrots a little later and finally potatoes the final hour or so. You want everything to get done about the same time, except onions that pretty much cook away into the broth. Get a roast with some good fat on it too. Flavor.
After six hours in the pot, the beef was all tender and all good and tasty. The cabbage was too, at the least the portion I could find. Yum and !.
If you want a cheap steak, try a London broil. Leave it thick and cook it medium rare and it will do the job. I like to get them and cut them into several 6-8 oz portions abd freeze them individually. Cheap and easy steak dinner.
I like to throw veggies in the slow cooker (carrots taters onions) then set a salted and peppered chuck roast on top, put a pack each of onion soup mix and ranch seasoning, a jar of tomato paste, a couple shots of Worcestershire, and a splash of red wine and let the whole thing go about 8 hours.
Except for the ranch dressing, that's how I do mine. I turn it on when I leave for work and have a good dinner waiting when I get home.