For Effortlessly Flavorful Pot Roast, Grab This Savory Cocktail Mix

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There are plenty of hacks and ingredient additions for pot roast to try. Some are intricate, some are time consuming (including Alton Brown's overnight pot roast method), and some are really very simple. We have quite the simple mix-in that might change the way you make pot roast forever: flavorful, spicy, tomato-based bloody mary mix, such as Mr & Mrs T Original Bloody Mary Mix.

Though bloody mary mixes vary in ingredients, most consist of a tomato juice base and ingredients such as lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, Tabasco, and horseradish. All these ingredients work well with the beefy base of pot roast. The tomato juice brings brightness, the Worcestershire sauce brings a dose of umami, and the Tabasco brings a slight spice, all of which work to round out the flavors of meaty roast beef. You can add 1 or 2 cups in lieu of (or in addition to) crushed tomatoes or red wine.

Adding bloody mary mix to pot roast is more than just a great way to infuse flavor into the hearty comfort food. It can also help tenderize beef. Since the tomato juice in bloody mary mix is acidic, it can help breakdown the proteins in your beef, making it ever so tender and perfect for ladling over a creamy bowl of mayo-infused mashed potatoes. If you don't have any bloody mary mix on hand, and if you don't want to shell out the cash for a bottle, you can use regular tomato juice. If you want the flavor complexity that the mix provides, add Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, and lime juice.

You can use bloody mary mix as the main base for your pot roast or as a supplement for other additions, such as beef broth, which gives pot roast a super-savory base, or red wine, which can help add depth and further tenderize beef. You can also add a bit of red wine vinegar to help deglaze and perk up the flavor.

Bloody mary mix is a great short cut to making a pot roast, but why not make it the thesis of said roast? You can do so by adding more ingredients that further embellish the savory, briny cocktail flavor. A small amount of vodka instead of wine, for example, can add a bit of flare and help tenderize your beef. Use a few tablespoons for oomph, or about 1 cup if you want added emphasis. Just make sure to cook your vodka-infused roast for a long period to cook down the alcohol (even then, some alcohol remains).

Alternatively, you could up the brine factor by mixing in some olive or pickle brine to give it a bit of kick. You can also add in whole or chopped olives (one of Alton Brown's more infamous pot roast recipes includes olives), or pepperoncini peppers (with or without brine) a la Mississippi pot roast. Additionally, if you want to play up the tomato aspect, you can use tomato paste to help emphasize the base flavor of the roast. All of these additions combined, or individually, can really help switch up a familiar dinnertime mainstay.