Slow Cooker - My Beef is Dry, Dry, Dry

[Treadmillmom]

I have a 6.5 litre slow cooker and I just don't know where I'm going wrong. Everyone tells me how amazingly tender beef is cooked in a slow cooker. I cooked a beef brisket 12 hours and the meat fell apart, looked gorgeaus however dry and chewy. Beef 'n ale, 10 hours, looked and smelt devine however like a flavourless chunk of dried out overchewed gum. Slow cooked whole chicken, damn good. Diced chicken, only good for the bin.
HELP. My DH is threatening to smash it up!

[Scootergrrrl]

What setting are you using? I'd always use the low one for casseroles, particularly if you're cooking them for so long.

[Treadmillmom]

Always on low.

[wildfig]

10 and 12 hours seems quite a long time to be cooking, even on low. What does your recipe book for the slow cooker say? I cooked some beef in red wine yesterday on low for about 7 hours and it was tender and still quite juicy; I sealed it first, put half a bottle of red wine, some water, and carrots/shallots in there was well, which added to the moisture content. A whole chicken took 5 hours on high.

[Smellslikecatpee]

Are you sure you're adding enough liquid? [be it water wine whatever]

[berri]

Do you ever take the lid off to have a look in/stir it? Maybe liquid is escaping that way?

Otherwise I'd agree that 10/12hrs is possibly too long - I do most of my meat on low for about 6hrs.

[MayDayChild]

Make sure all meat is covered which means more liquid in a big one!
I only cook in water & flavours then add cornflour once done, not at the start.