Do you pre-brown meat before the slow cooker?

Unless your recipe specifies that you need to brown your meat before placing it in the slow cooker, you do not need to brown it first.

The one exception – which affects looks only, but not taste – is ground beef. Ground beef that is cooked in the slow cooker will appear gray in color rather than the nice brown you are used to. But this is strictly a step for appearances only.

Some recipes do call for pre-browning, particularly chicken. But this step is not required unless your slow cooker recipe calls for you to do it prior to placing in your slow cooker.