How to make a tastier slow-cooker pot roast

Beef brisket tastes best when cooked in moist heat. But what liquid to use? We cooked thin-cut boneless brisket in slow cookers for 7 hours with four products: two sauces and two dry mixes to which we added water.

Staffers blind-tasted the meat shortly after cooking; trained tasters tried it reheated a few days later. The winners are below. The others, Crockery Gourmet Seasoning Mix and Kraft Recipe Makers Sauce, didn't make the cut because they tasted too salty or had an off-flavor.

If you want to find the best way to cook your meat, see our meat map, below. And with grilling season underway, find out what you need to know about mechanically tenderized steak.

Campbell's Slow Cooker Sauces, Tavern Style Pot Roast

Cost: 33 cents per ¼ cup

Calories: 50

Fat: 2.5 grams

Sodium: 580 milligrams

A few mushroom pieces; mild, well-blended flavors with sweet-and-sour notes that complemented the meat.

McCormick Slow Cookers Savory Pot Roast Seasoning Mix

Cost: 29 cents per 2 teaspoons

Calories: 10

Fat: 0 grams

Sodium: 440 milligrams

Simple and mild, with the flavor of pot-roast drippings along with tangy, peppery, and sherry notes.