Eye of Round Pot Roast - Testing

I've lifted parts of this recipe from Dorothy Hartley's instructions for Neck of Beef in her excellent History of Food in England. The rest are generic instructions for using a slow cooker. As I indicate in my notes for Ms Hartley's recipe, hers is much better suited for a winter heated wood oven, in terms of energy output given how long is would take to bake in a gas or electric oven. I'd be curious to try it in a solar oven, though. I've also adapted the recipe to suit an Eye of Round roast, given how specifically dry and tough it is.

3-4 lbs Eye of Round Roast
2 Tbsps of bacon fat (or beef drippings if you're so lucky)
Cut in matchsticks all of the following or whatever you have on hand, enough for a 2" layer on the bottom and to fill the empty spaces around the roast, sides and top :
- Carrots
- Turnips
- Parsnips
- Onions
- Rutabaga
- Fresh beans
- Peas
Salt and pepper
2-3 sprigs thyme
1 Tbsp brandy
Scant 1/4 cup water

1. With about a Tbsp fat, sear all the sides of the beef until brown.
2. Liberally coat the inside of crockpot with more bacon fat.
3. Layer the 2" of veg at the bottom.
4. Set the seared beef in the middle of the pot, seasoning liberally with salt and pepper.
5. Tuck in the vegetables around the side, along with the thyme sprigs, and cover the beef with the remainder of the veg, until the pot is nicely filled but the lid still fits.
6. Pour in the 1/4 cup of water.
7. Add 1 Tbsp brandy over all.
8. Do not open the pot while it's cooking.
9. Cook on HIGH for 6 hours.
10. NOTE: the veg will come out as mush, so best to plan on a different side and reserve these veg to make Leftover Roast Vegetable Soup.