Sally, I would think if a vegetarian is unfamiliar with cooking meat that a pot roast would be the way to go.

I never check the internal temperature of pot roasts. Just put the browned roast in a dutch oven with whatever seasoning, add beef broth or a combination of broth and wine, cover and cook in a low oven (between 300ðF to 350ðF) until fall apart tender. An almost 4 pound roast at 300ðF will take longer than 2 to 3 hours.

Ann

At least you tried. :) I feel ya - I have to try to make a turkey next month and I haven't touched meat in 13 years. Should be...interesting!

I'm sorry the birthday dinner was a flop. 160 degree meat is not red. You may have placed it wrong, but to me it's more likely that your thermometer is off. My remote thermometer (a Maverick) is bad as well. It's off at least 12 degrees, though in the opposite direction. I, too, learned that the hard way when I killed a roast.

You know what they say about hind-site. Today I was thinking that I should have grabbed my Thermapen to double check the thermometer, but I had no idea it was undercooked until we cut into it, and it was too late. I will do a test against the thermapen soon to see if they read the same temp.

Ann, as always, good advice. Thanks. I'm sure DH will want pot roast again some time.

Chi, good luck with your turkey!

Sally

I suggest give this a try (next time).

After you think the pot roast is done, cut a small piece out to taste. If the meat is too chewy, cut the meat into two smaller thinner pieces, put them in a pressure cooker with all the liquid, but not the vegetables.

In about half and hour to 45 minutes, the meat will be very tender.

dcarch

Vegetarian me has made pot roast once or twice for my dad because it's one of his favorites too. I make my pot roast in a pot, a crockpot. Brown first. Turns out good. Kinda soupy but that's how dad likes it.

According to my Cook's Illustrated "Cover and Bake" cookbook, "a good pot roast by definition entails the transformation of a tough (read cheap) nearly unpalatable cut of meat into a tender, rich flavorful main course by means of a slow, moist cooking process, called braising. It should not have to be sliced; rather, the tension of a stern gaze should be enough to break it apart. Nor should it be pink in the middle--save that for prime rib or steak."

I guess the cut does matter some. They recommend "the chuck cuts" whatever that means, as opposed to the "round cuts" whatever that means. (So glad BF and I don't do beef!).

More
"With pot roast, . . . the introduction of moisture by means of a braising liquid is thought to be integral to the breakdown of the tough muscle fibers."

Their recommendations:
Brown on high heat with a little oil to caramelize the exterior and improve the appearance of the finished product.
Use liquid in the pan/pot halfway up the sides of the roast, however much that takes will depend on the size of the roast. They suggest a mix of beef and chicken broth, with some wine thrown in to the broth after cooking to flavor the gravy. Bring the mixture to a simmer on the stovetop, scrape off any browned bit from the caramelizing, then put it in the oven. They recommend turning the roast every 30 min.
They also suggest sauteeing the veggies beforehand to caramelize them instead of adding them raw. No tomato paste. A little bit of sugar.
They also don't thicken the sauce with flour and butter, but instead reduce it. I am a huge fan of reduced sauces as compared to flour thickened ones. I can't abide by a flour thickened gravy for some reason. Not that I am much of a gravy fan anyway.
The temp. they recommend for maxium speed but not too much speed was 300 degrees in the oven. Now here's the interesting part, they recommend cooking to an internal temperature of 210 degrees, bringin the cooking time to 31/2-4 hours. They say keep it at the higher temp. for an hour.
The crockpot version was similar except in that case they added wine and a can of crushed tomatoes to the pot as the meat was cooking. The crockpot times were 9-10 hours on low, 6-7 hours on high. That's the version I have made, but I go easy on the wine and tomatoes, my dad doesn't like either in his potroast, so just a splash of each.

This will seem far too simple to be any good, but give it a try some time:

Before leaving for work in the morning, place a chuck roast in your crock pot. No other ingredients. No liquid. No vegetables. No seasonings. Nothing.

Set the crock pot to low and go to work.

At dinner time, season the roast with salt and pepper and serve. You may be surprised at the result.

Jim

You will laugh about it someday, I bet. We had a couple such mishaps before my cousin got married, and it kind of made us all closer. Although I am still glad that I only ALMOST cut into the challah before my first ever Shabbat.

Jessica, you have to elaborate on that one! Inquiring minds want to know more. ;-)

Sally

Well, it turns out that BF LOVES potroast. He rarely eats beef but apparently pot roast is his favorite way to eat it if he does. He was asking me what I was doing last night typing away on the computer and I said I was posting about pot roast on the Cooking Forum and he then went on to wax poetic about his love of pot roast. What is it about men and pot roast??! :) This is something I do NOT have in common with the love of my life. But it looks like I will be making it soon for a family gathering!

Well, it was on a little stand and it looked like an appetizer!!

Mmm. Pot roast. SWMBO makes it here, it is her dish. She uses sour cream, that's all I know. I don't make it myself - why tinker with long established family roles?

It does seem like a dish that could be pressure cooked, in under an hour. But I'm not trying.

I think I'm going to ask her to make us a pot roast soon.

Pot roast is done when it starts to fall apart. You can safely toss the meat thermometer when you prepare this meal!

I've made pot roast in the oven in a clay cooker, in a crockpot, in my 6 qt. Nesco and in a Dutch oven on top of the stove. Oh, & the pressure cooker but that complicates cooking the veggies. The only things consistent are that I always make slits in the raw meat & stuff w/ slices of garlic cloves and sear the roast on all sides in a skillet before braising it, adding only a small am't of liquid, usually broth to get the braising going. Toss in the veggies (onion, celery, parsley, carrots, potatoes...), use low heat and forget it for a couple of hours. The aroma will let you know when it's getting done.

Yeah, I knew all that way back when, decades ago, when I made it fairly regularly. I just should have started it before my appointment rather than afterwards. Oh, well, live and learn.

LPink, I was never as much of a fan of pot roast, either. Maybe it is a guy thing. That and apple pie.

Sally

Jimsters' method is the easiest way I know to make pot roast and it turns out well that way.

I don't really like pot roast because I don't care for well done beef, so yours would have been probably just right for me, LOL. I love the vegetables, though, and some of the "gravy" on my mashed potatoes. Pot roast as I know it is cooked until it falls apart, it's not rare or medium rare.

No matter whether you use the crockpot, a braising pan on top of the stove or put it in the oven, it gets cooked low and slow for a long time and that's what I know as pot roast.

Lpink, can you give chi some tips on the turkey? I remember you doing the turkey several years ago and posting here, LOL.

As for the chuck and the round, chuck roast comes from the front shoulder and is a relatively fatty cut. Cook it low and slow and that fat melts and makes fall part tender roast. The round is from the back leg, and it's very lean. Round steak is good, although not fall apart tender, if cooked rare to medium rare and sliced thinly across the grain, otherwise cook the stuff for a long time to make it edible and use it for chop suey or swiss steak.

If you make potroast for BF, go for the chuck!

Annie

LOL Annie, I first joined CF back in 2004 when I was in a panic because I was having my whole family over to my newly purchased first (and only) home for Christmas dinner. Mom said she wanted an organic free range bird and I was paranoid it would be dry. I had virtually no experience cooking meat. Still have relatively little. Well the bird was nice and small and not weirdly proportioned so it cooked up just fine, but I was sure baffled at first by all the advice and methods I was getting here. A lot of methods work though, as long as you ply them properly, so it comes down to personal style and taste. Most of the time since we are a small group I've been serving Muscovy duck for holiday dinners. I actually eat turkey at lot at other times now since BF mostly eats poultry or fish when we do splurge on meat, so duck is the better treat. When the folks are here I'm going to do potroast too. Thankfully I have another meat eater in the house to help eat it up. I refuse to eat it anymore, it just clogs me up in so many ways!
On the plus side, mom is bringing me her cast iron dutch oven so I can use that for some yummy new meals.

Not to get sidetracked, but I am totally sold on the instructions that came with a turkey from the Amish. High heat for 30-90 minutes or until the internal temp is around 100, and then turn the oven way down to 250. It gets brown in the hot oven, and you get out of the danger zone quicker. The slower oven keeps the bird moist, whereas in a hot oven, when the temperature of the bird gets close to done, you get hot spots and lose moisture as steam. The turkey has a range of a good couple of hours where it's perfect (connective tissue is half melted, but the bird is still holding together for nice presentation) which helps with the whole THE TURKEY IS READY RIGHT NOW IT NEEDS TO REST FOR 20 MINUTES AND AFTER THAT IT'S GOING TO BE COLD WHERE THE HELL ARE THE POTATOES WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SERVING SPOONS type of thing that can otherwise happen on Thanksgiving.

A couple of points about the simple crock pot method I described above.

Don't worry -- there is no need for preliminary searing. The roast will brown.

Surprisingly, plenty of au jus is produced without addition of liquid and the meat is moist and tender. Prior to discovering this method I experimented with adding liquid and the meat was dry tasting.

I like root vegetables with pot roast but they will be cooked to death if cooked all day with the meat. I cook them with the au jus in a separate pot.

Although ultra simple, I consider this a superior method for pot roast.

Jim

I would still recommend browning first. It doesn't take long to brown and it does make for a richer sauce/gravy.

Ann

Jessicavanderhoff, it sounds just like a lot of my family Thanksgiving/holiday dinners, LOL. Oh, BTW, the sweet potatoes are in the microwave. They're always in the microwave, we forget them every year. (grin)

Annie

Jim's method makes a lot of sense.

When you first turn on a crock pot, the temperature actually can go up much higher than the temperature set by the thermostat. It takes a while for the pot to heat up and in general, the thermostat's response time is very slow.

During that time, the meat will be roasted and browned by the high heat. Then as the temperature of the pot gets to the set temperature, the overall temperature will be lowered by the thermostat and slow cook the meat.

dcarch

"I would still recommend browning first."

There's nothing wrong with doing that, but I suggest trying it without once. You may find it completely satisfactory and you will have one less greasy skillet to clean and no splatters on the stove.

Jim

Jim, my advice was based on experience.

Ann

Oh.

Do you like the method I described for pot roast? With searing, of course.

BTW, I do brown meat, and brown it well, when cooking it in most other ways, for the reason you gave.

Jim

I'm not a fan of braised meats so rarely do something like pot roast. I have a small "outside round" roast in the freezer that needs to be dealt with. I'm actually not even sure how it got there as it is not a cut I would cook.

Can I use it for pot roast or is it too lean? If not pot roast, what could I do with it?

Sharon, I often use outside/top/bottom rounds for pot roasts. You might actually enjoy that more than one of the more fatty cuts.

I also like Pot Roast with lots of caramelized onions.

Ann

Here is a link that might be useful: Pot Roast with Rosemary and Garlic

That's my favorite use for my Le Cruset Dutch ovens....pot roast!
A Chuck roast has a tendency to go to pieces when long braised and turn to something that looks a bit like BBQ.....taste is wonderful though.
For a "company pot roast"...you know the kind where the vegetables are whole mushrooms and the braising liquid is morsly Cabernet Sauvignon....I like a sirloin roast or a rump roast. Both will still be able to be sliced when don to "fork tender".
I brown the roast in a bit of tried out suet if I have it, if not butter. I take a long looooong time to brown it ....easily 45 minutes....and about half way through the process, I add some chopped onions and some garlic. I add about an inch of liquid to the bottom of the pot.....broth or wine or beer or a combination.....cover tightly and cook very slowly, turning about every 30 to 40 minutes until it's fork tender. If I put it into the oven, I set the thermometer at just a hair below 250.
I don't like to add any vegetables but mushrooms because I don't like carrot or turnip or celery flavored gravy.
I also do a pot roast with red wine and dried sour cherries, the unsweetened kind. Almost impossible to find!
My college kid grand children do the pop it into the crock pot all day thing.....it's good for them, gives then a decent meal with a minimum of work.
Linda C

Thanks ladies!

That's what I'll do. I recalled seeing pictures of yours before Ann and the meat slices looked whole which appeals to me.

Linda, agree about the veggies, I don't care from the flavour imparted to the gravy either but I will add mushrooms and of course garlic. The idea of caramelized onions appeals to me too.

I'll give it a go tomorrow and post results.

I agree with Linda too. So many recipes call for carrots. I dislike immensely (read that as hate) the sweet carrot flavour they add to sauces and gravies. I don't like them in stews either for the same reason.

Ann

Another one who never put carrot in soup, stew, sauces, etc.

As a matter of fact, not onions, nor celery.

I like carrots, onions, celery. I cook them separate, then add to soup, stew, etc.

dcarch

I'm learning a lot from this thread. I have never had pot roast cooked any other way than with the whole shebang, carrots, celery, onions and potatoes. Ann, your version sounds wonderful, as I love love love caramelized onions. And I love rosemary.

Jim, I thought about doing it in the crock pot, but I wouldn't have thought of not adding liquid. I wish I had done it in the crock pot. Oh, well.

Thanks for all the input.

Sally

Reporting back on the pot roast. It was delicious and coming from someone who does not care for beef much, less braised beef , that says a lot. It was tender and flavourful with none of the "mouth feel" that turns me off braised meats.

I browned it well on all sides, added beef broth and red wine up about half way plus thyme, garlic and sauteed onions. The gravy was wonderful ! Served with mashed potatoes, squash and beets. Apple pie for dessert.

Now what to do with the leftovers! I'm thinking I'll mince it up and do a take on Shepherds pie or I may shred it, saute some mushrooms, add some gravy and peas and use it over puff pastry shells.

Thanks again!

PS: Clive was happy, happy!

I knew that Clive would love your Pot Roast. Nice that you enjoyed it too. Using the leaner cut does make the difference.

When pot roast is made from top/bottom round/or sirloin roasts, I like the leftovers in sandwiches topped with a little gravy. And horseradish.

Ann

Ann beat me to it....for leftover potroast and gravy.....think diner food!!

Sharon, I'm glad your pot roast turned out so well. I agree, leftovers are perfect "hot beef sandwiches", with some mashed potatoes and gravy over everything.

As I've mentioned before, I'm also one of those poeple who doesn't put the carrots and clery in the pot roast because the vegetables flavor the gravy. I like potatoes in pot roast, but I'd prefer them mashed and so they get cooked separately too, usually.

The only difference of opinion we have is on the use of sirloin. Sirloin is one of my favorite pieces of beef, not fork tender but juicy and flavorful, so I like it rare and sliced very thinly, I'd never "waste" good sirloin on pot roast, LOL. round? Now round is imminently suited to braising.

Annie

Hot beef sandwiches don't do it for me. Too close to what we had for last nights dinner and I'm not putting it in the freezer...the whole point was to get it OUT of the freezer! LOL

I did shred it and smothered with the leftover gravy and I'll add peas, maybe some carrots and serve over puff pastry shells tomorrow night...beef two nights in a row is pushing it for me!

Sharon, I also don't like to eat the same meal two nights in a row. And you know that I don't freeze very many cooked dishes. I'm just not a fan of prepared a head and frozen meals. They taste like leftovers. But one of the exceptions is Pot Roast.

I do the same thing with the Pot Roast as I do with brisket. (Learned from a Jewish Grandmother in Toronto).

I layer slices of the brisket/pot roast in a shallow baking dish, top with gravy, cover with foil and freeze.

Reheat in a 350ðF oven.

An easy meal to pull out of the freeze that doesn't taste like "leftovers".

Ann

Sharon, maybe Clive put that hunk of meat in the freezer when you weren't looking, so he'd get to have pot roast some day. lol

I'll save left over food in the freezer occasionally, and then, months later, I'll come across a container of something and wonder, what on earth is this?

Sally

I've been known to make a potroast just because I look forward to the hot beef sandwich the next day.....and sometimes the day after that too!
I'm that way with turkey too...it's all about the turkey sandwich on white bread with lettuce and mayo....and the hot turkey sandwich.....and the turkey hash.

My grandmother never cooked vegetables with meat for things like pot roast and beef stew. She wanted them to have distinct flavors. She would cook them separately and combine the results to serve. I'm far more lazy.

Sharon, for something different you can shred it and add some bbq sauce and make sandwiches or shred it and add some mayo, garlic powder, etc. Again, for a sandwich.

It's also good in vegetable or beef barley soup...

Annie