The first step in making a pot roast, browning the seasoned meat in a little olive oil, is absolutely crucial, because this is how you seal in your flavor and enhance the color of the meat. You can season the roast with lots of different things: I just shake over a little season salt and garlic powder, but you can go as basic as salt and pepper, or get crazy with fresh minced garlic and chopped fresh herbs. Experiment!  

After your meat is nice and browned, you’re going to braise it (cook it for a long time over low heat in a few inches of liquid). For the braising liquid, you can also get pretty experimental. I use beef broth, but you can use anything from tomato juice to Coca-Cola.