What are the pros and cons of cooking a frozen holiday roast?

Can you thaw it in the microwave? I usually brown the roast before I put it int he crock pot after I thaw it in the microwave, and it turns out fine. The trick is to use the defrost setting, and resist the temptation to speed things up by doing it on high. Mine asks to have the weight of the item entered, and the type of food. Sometimes it takes an hour to thaw.

I don’t think I’d try to cook it from a completely frozen state. Another safe way to quickly (-ish) thaw your roast is to fill the sink with cold water and throw in your (still wrapped) roast. Completely empty the water every 30 minutes, and refill with cold water again. Turn the roast over and around in the water occasionally. Like Alfreda’s method, don’t try to rush it by using warm water…that creates a breeding ground for bacteria.

Cons: burns on the outside and stays raw on the inside.

Pros: none.

Alternative: go buy a non-frozen one and save the frozen roast for another meal.

If you are talking about a 2–3” thick chuck roast rather than a “rolled” roast, overnight in the refridgerator then an hour in the cold water bath should do it. I’ve done it that way before. Instead of the slowcooker you can do it in a deep covered skillet in 2 1/2 hours on the stove top. Dredge in spiced flour, brown and simmer in an inch of liquid. Don’t let liquid evaporate or come to a serious boil, just simmer. Turn every 20 min.

Thank you all for your answers. I ended up just letting the roast thaw from the time I got home, which was about 6pm CST until about 3am, then slow cooked it in the crock pot. It was a pretty thick chuck roast (about 3 1/2”) and it came out very tender and flavorful. I was really concerned because I’ve heard horror stories about slow cooking a frozen roast.

Honestly, the pros are that it won’t hurt anyone to eat it, but the con, is that there is a great chance that it will be dry. Slow cooking is the best way to do it if it comes out of the freezer into the pot, but for the best chances of it being moist, is to have it thawed out. Hope this helps.