I think it has to do with the cooking time. If you leave something in the crock pot for eight hours, I think it will start to get dry even if it stated out with sufficient liquid.

All Electric Devices must follow Electric "Rules". Here they are: E=Electromotive Force(Volts) I=Amperage(Current Flow) R=Resistance (to Current Flow) P=Power(in Watts). Now here is what this will tell U about U Kitchen "Appliances". #1 The Voltage (EMF) in Ur House Wall Plug will be (across the country) between 100-130 Volts A.C. (Alternating Current). So lets just say 100 V. The Current Available is determined by the "Fuse/Circuit Breaker" Usually 15-20 Amps. So lets see Exactly how much power in "Watts" any Kitchen Appliance can get out of the "Wall Plug" At 100V. x 15A. = 1500 Watts!!! The Formula says that P=IxE where Multiplying I(Amps) x E (Volts) = P (Power in Watts) Sound Rough??? It's Not! Every Appliance Must Be Marked by Law!!! Ever run the Vac on the same outlet as something else & had it "Blow the Breaker"??? the combined "Power" was Too Much for it! My Crock Pot says in it's bottom, 110V.-225 Watts. So the only thing missing is the "Amps"right? Just round the Volt to 100 & Divide the Watts (225) by the Volts (100) & U get 2.25 Amps! In terms of "Heating Power", just imagine the "Heat" from 2 100 Watt Light Bulbs put together is just how Hot it will get. Now lets look at my Coffee Pot which works on 110 Volts at 7.5 Amps. How hot will that get??? Easy, Volts x Amps. 110V. x 7.5A.= 825 Watts!!! That gets with the HOT COFFEE!!! The Heat is Equal to Over 8, 100 Watt Light Bulbs!!! So, now a "General Rule of Thumb". The Higher the Amps or Watts marked on the Appliance, the more "Powerful" the Device!!! Notice how "Vacuum Cleaners" use "Amps" or "Watts" to Advertise how Powerful they are??? Now don't say it's too "Technical" for U to Understand. Women are As or More Intelligent than most Guys!!! I'll bet that 9 of 10 Guys don't know what U KNOW NOW!!! OBTW this also goes for Ur Hair Dryers, Mixers, Irons, just about everything!!! John

It must be bad.

I have found that size matters as far as crock pots go. I was happy with the large model I had but for some things it just wasn't big enough so I went another size bigger. BIG mistake. I've tried two different ones and the food all comes out to dry and overcooked even at a low temperature unless I fill the whole thing up with food :-( The big round one was better than the oval one. I've now gone back to my older one where low is low and High is really high and no Keep Warm setting.

How long are you cooking your meat? It may be for too long. You can overcook, even burn, meat in a crock pot - even if there is still cooking liquid remaining. Chilli, soups, stews - anything that can comfortably simmer for hours - are best for crock pots. Meats (depending upon the cut) cannot endlessly simmer; after time they can become dry, tough, stringy, or taste burned.