Maureen..I envy you being able to serve it..I'm the only one in my house that could suck down a roast cooked in a "pot"..LOL

San had posted this one a while back, and it's very good, we loved it!

The FrugÂs Pot Roast
Sear a 3-4 pound chuck roast

Pour a 14 oz can of beef stock into a baking dish
Place 6 to 12 peppercorns into the dish
Cut a medium to large onion into chunks
Pour a small can of chopped mushrooms into the dish or 5-6 fresh ones, chopped
Place the beef on top of all and add a bay leaf or two

Cover and cook in the oven at 350 for about 2 or 2 1/2 hours, or until the beef is very tender. (can also be cooked on the stove topÂnot a problem) Remove the beef and keep warm. Add about 1/2 cup of sour cream to the sauce and stir. Heat on low for 15 to 30 minutes more. Slice the beef and serve with the sauce.

If cooking in the crock pot (I have one of the older ones that doesn't get really hot) try for 3 or 4 hours on high or 6 to 7 hours on low.

Terri, I wouldn't touch potroast till about 50. And yeah, I still have good teeth!! Who know about our tastes.

That Frug one sounds ez. I wonder who The Frug was...The Frugal Gourmet?!?!? Maureen

Maureen the sauce I poofed for our Ox Tails was absolutely delicious and of couse the veggies were cooked with the Tails and Sauce just like for pot roast. I put a small amount of veggies on my plate but after one taste, I loaded up my plate with them. I strained and thickened the sauce to make gravy for the mashed potatoes. It was an absolutely delicious dinner. Our next pot roast I am making the same sauce!!

Sauce I made was with red wine (I used Merlot abt 2 c.), garlic, marjoram, rosemary, a bit of tarragon, chicken stock and balsamic vinegar. Poured this over the ox tails and veggies and let cook long and low in a non covered baking dish for several hours. Then removed the meat and veggies, strained the sauce and thickened with corn starch/flour.

Michelle

Maureen, The Frug is indeed, the Frugal Gourmet. I like his pot roast.

I use this recipe too. It's meant for a crockpot, so I left those directions in, but I have one of those newer, hotter than they need to be crockpots so I do mine in my dutch oven at 325 for a couple of hours, add the baby vegetables and cook another hour or until the veggies are tender.

Pot Roast with Baby Vegetables

3 to 5 pound top beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
Seasoned salt and lemon pepper
1 onion, peeled and halved
1 carrot, whole
1 cup beef broth, low sodium
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves, whole
1 rosemary sprig
2 thyme sprigs
1 pound new red potatoes
1 cup baby carrots
1 cup boiling or pearl onions
1 cup baby squash, such as pattypan and zucchini
1 cup button mushrooms, stems removed
Kosher salt

Sprinkle roast with seasoned salt and lemon pepper to taste. Place onion and carrot in the bottom of a 5 or 6 quart crockery cooker. Lay the meat on top of the vegetables. Pour in the broth and Worcestershire sauce. Season with garlic, rosemary and thyme.
Cover and set dial to low-heat. Allow to gently simmer for 5 to 6 hours. Remove the cover and add the baby vegetables around the roast. Sprinkle with seasoned salt and continue to cook covered on low-heat for an additional 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Annie

Bring on the cold! Actually, as our Peace Conference people were meeting the temps in Annapolis started to drop. I take that as a good sign of tempers setting. Godwilling!

How true Annie about the old vs new pots. If those old ones were easy to clean I'd get another one at Goodwill etc but lord...what a major pita to clean.

Michelle, your 'recipe' sounds like a rich French reduction. yummy.

Maureen, I'm sending some really cold weather your way. It's 23 out right now and the wind has been gusting to 50 mph. The roads were carp today.

Pot roast sounds good tonight, we're having meatloaf though.....

Nancy

What kind of meat? Chuck? Round? Sirloin tip?
For a chuck ro sirloin tip, I pop it into a Le Cruset Dutch oven....and slowly brown it in all sides in a very little bit of olive oil...turn it about every 5 minutes and keep the filre at a low medium...
When the meat is almost browned enough,( it should be vry brown...that's where you get your flavor) add a mdeium onion chopped ( I am talking about a 3 to 3 1/2 pound roast)...put the onion on the pan bottom not on top of the roast.
And add 2 good sized cloved of garlic, crushed and cool slowly until the onions are lightly browned.
When all is browned, add 2 cups of a good dry red wine....shiraz, merlot, cabernet.... and turn the fire down and, toss in 8 oz sliced mushrooms, 2 bay leaves, a pinch of cinnamon, a teaspoon of brown sugar and 2 tsps of a good balsamic vinegar, and a couple of good grinds of your pepper grinder, and 1 teaspoon of Lea and Perrins Worchestershire.
Scrape up any browned bits, turn the meat over, turn the fire to the barest simmer cover the pot ( or put it into your oven at about 212 degrees) and cook for about 2 hours until the fork pierces the meat easily....turn the meat every 30 to 40 minutes.
When the meat is tender, remove to a platter and mix 1/4 cup flour with 1/2 cup beef broth ( or a fake broth made from beef stock base...don't use boullion cubes)...and slowly pour the slurry into the simmering liquid and cook for 3 to 5 minutes...check for seasonings and serve with the sliced meat.
Linda C

I forgot to mention that for the vegetables I used whole baby carrots, celery cut into 3-4" pieces and onions chucky style. And cooked them along with the meat and sauce. Honestly we were fighting over the veggies....YUM!!

I was planning on mashed potatoes but if not, I would have added quartered potatoes to the vegetable mix.

Michelle

Terri I want to see a picture of you sucking down a roast. Really. Your hubby must be one happy guy.

Maureen, all I've been thinking about lately is you getting out of town while the getting is good, with all that middle eastern hot blood out there right now (grin). I'd be slinging my bad Arabic right about now....

Well I BOUGHT a pot roast....intended to cook it in my dutch oven today....time got away from me....ooops, time to pull out the trusty pressure cooker!

- 4 lb Beef chuck cross rib roast on top of
- 1 large cut up onion
- handful of cut carrots
- couple bay leaves
- 1 bottle beer
- 1 beer bottle of water
- heaping tablespoon of prepared horseradish
- some seasoning from Penzyes, its green, who cares

It just came up to pressure, I'll let you know in an hour how it tastes!

Dang forgot the garlic.

Jessy, I have to say I thought something about Terri's remark also, but just chuckled away at the visual. Sounds like one of our members could go ...uh...professional. I'll have to think of your 'movie' title Terri. ;-)

And the helicopters have departed along with our high-level visitors. I never left the house so no problem for me. We had a lot of aerial sweeps over the weekend so I'm sure I'm on record since I was out sweeping leaves. Smile..you're on H*meL*nd security.

Nancy, we had meatloaf tonight also. ;-)

I guess from all your recipes, I am getting the basic technique down pat. Thanks for all the good suggestions. I'd also like a favorite goulash and/or saurerbraten.

Anyhow...bring on the recipes. We have all winter ahead. M

My favourite was the way gramm used to make it, on the stove top. she'd use boneless chuck and sear it on super high heat, both sides. Then she'd set it on low heat and add some water, s&p and chopped onion. After about four hours she'd add carrots, a quartered onion and set it go for about another hour. Oh, it was soooo good!

Please don't mention "meat loaf!"...I just spent most of the day making "ham loaf" for 150....and as we know ham loaf is just a form of meatloaf...
I'm kind of sick of mucking raw meat and eggs and catsup and mustard rounnd in a bowl...
Now if we could talk chicken and dumplins....that might be different!
Ms Az? What's going on? Did I miss a national "event?"
Linda C....who lives in Iowa where every coffee shop has a meeting with "the next president of the United States!"....and Oprah to boot!...

I like Jeff Smith's recipe for Port Chuck Roast from his "Frugal Gourmet Cooks With Wine" book. Outstanding!

My favorite pot roast recipe goes in a crock-pot, and can take most types of roasts: rump, sirloin, chuck, or even a good piece of London Broil.

1 roast
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup water
garlic and onion powder
2 cans of canned potatoes, whole

Put the roast in the crockpot. Drain the liquid from the cans of potatoes and put the potatoes in the crockpot too. Sprinkle the roast with the garlic and onion powder. Mix the 3 liquids in a measuring cup, then pour over the roast and potatoes.

Rival Crock-pot: 4-6 hours on High, or 8-12 hours on Low.
Other slow cookers: check your manual for recommended times.

Everyone I've ever served this to, has raved over it.

DonnaR/CA

Msazadi, Ohhh, you are lucky enough to live in historic Annapolis, love it. I am also in MD,and my association has an office on Main St. So I know the old part fairly well.
Good post- I will buy a nice roast this weekend and try one of the recipes here, with mashed potatoes. I would like to hear how your ad hoc roast made with the rotel tomatoes turns out. They are a staple at my house. Sue

This is an "unconventional" pot roast recipe - but please don't pooh-pooh it until you've tried it....o.k.?

You can make this in a crock pot, pressure cooker, or in a slow (325) oven.

Three Envelope Pot Roast

1 envelope dry Ranch dressing mix
1 envelope dry Italian dressing mix
1 envelope dry brown gravy mix
1 cup water or more depending on cooking method
1 3-4 lb. beef pot roast - I like a chuck roast

Crock Pot:
Place roast in crock pot, sprinkle dry mixes on top of roast, pour 1 cup water into bottom of pot. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until roast is very tender. Remove roast and thicken gravy if desired.

Pressure Cooker
Brown roast in a little hot oil in cooker. Remove from pan and put in rack, place roast on rack. Sprinkle mixes on top of roast. Put in 1-2 cups water according to the amount of liquid needed for your size cooker in your manual. Put lid on pot, bring up to high pressure, lower heat, and cook 15 minutes per pound. Let pressure decrease naturally.

Oven Roasting
Brown pot roast in a little hot oil in a heavy cast iron skillet or dutch oven-type pot. Sprinkle dry mixes over top of roast. Pour 1 cup liquid into bottom of pot. Place lid on pot or cover with heavy-duty foil to seal pot well. Cook at 325 for 2-3 hours, checking water level to be sure all the liquid does not cook away.

I made this in my pressure cooker for family and it was a hit - delicious! I thickened the gravy with a slurry of cornstarch and water and served the pot roast with cooked carrots and potatoes.

Your recipes are sounding very good, DH loves braised meats-- I'd probably go for the veggies. I've made plenty of briskets which is a variation on pot roast, but what cut do I buy for a good pot roast, or should I buy a brisket instead?
DH would LOVE goulash or sauerbraten- however the weather isn't very cold for such heavy meals!

My mother made the best pot roast. I wish I could duplicate it. I think the pan had a lot to do with the end product. Anyway I have adapted and hereÂs what I serve my family. My college age kids love it. Even my finicky "I donÂt like red meat" daughter will partake of my pot roast.

3-4 pot roast (I use boneless chuck or round or whatever is on sale. Just make sure it is tied in a roast shape.)
2 garlic cloves, minced fine
1 cup red wine
2 tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 sweet onion, peeled cored and cut into 6 wedges
6 medium potatoes
6 carrots, peeled
3 - 3/4" slices of rutabaga, peeled
¼ cup of V-8
1-2 tbs. vegetable oil
10-16 oz. of fresh or frozen whole green beans
Cast Iron Dutch Oven with cover

Heat the pot over medium heat until hot. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Add meat. Brown meat on all sides until golden brown. Turn meat so it is fat side up. Add wine and vinegar to pot. Sprinkle garlic over meat and arrange onion around meat. Cover pot and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low so roast is just barely simmering. Cook for 1 hour. Add rutabaga and carrots to pot. Continue cooking another hour. Add whole potatoes (peeled or unpeeled) and green beans. Cook another hour. Check vegetables and meat for doneness. Remove meat and vegetables from pot. Place meat on a cutting board and vegetables on a platter, cover both with foil. Strain juice remaining in pot through a strainer to remove large bits. Return juice to pot, add V-8 and heat until hot. At this point you can either serve the juice as is or thicken with a roux. Slice meat desired thickness. Serve meat with vegetables and sauce/gravy. (Makes 6 servings with leftovers)

Once I brown the meat, I put the cast iron dutch oven on a rack on my woodstove. ItÂs not an exact science so I just fly by the seat of my pants.

How about something Portuguese?
This is written more as a stew than a roast, but I've cooked it as a roast before and it came out fine.

Caçoila
by Ana Taveira
4 1/2 pound rump roast, cut into 2- to 3-inch chunks
1/2 cup crushed red peppers (mild or hot) *See note 1
1 large onion, cut into large chunks
1 parsley sprig
3 garlic cloves *see note 2
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons butter or lard
2 cups red Portuguese table wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste

1. The day before cooking, sprinkle the meat pieces with the salt and crushed red pepper, place in a covered bowl in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Scatter the onion pieces, parsley, garlic and bay leaf in the bottom large Dutch oven. Place the meat on top and dot with the butter and lard. Mix the tomato paste and wine together and pour over the meat. Cover and roast until the meat is very tender, about 3 to 3 1/2 hours, basting the pieces occasionally to keep moist.

3. Serve with boiled potatoes and roasted red peppers.

*Note 1 -- Crushed red peppers are exactly that: red peppers that have been ground. Once processed, some Portuguese families, like mine, brine them, others prefer to add olive oil and salt to preserve them. If you can't find bottled crushed red peppers, you can make your own: Remove the stems, but not the seeds, from 2 or 3 large medium-hot red peppers. Place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of salt. Whir until blended.

Note 2 Â In our house? Three cloves would get you a disdainful look. We toss in a whole headÂs worth.

This is getting to be a good selection. I had never much cared for potroast as a child, tho Nana's was the basic meat, carrots etc but hers did have good brown thick gravy. I dated a man who made one that was basically boiled meat with veggies and a thin stock like gravy. Not for me...but he draqgged it out for a couple of days every time.

btdt, that is one tht sounds right up our alley. I think a head of garlic at a time is about right too.

The ad hoc one was pretty good; I ended up shredding it like a Ropa Vieja, and we just had it with noodles. I froze most of the roast and have decided that I am more likely to make a flour roux to thicken it when it's thawed.

Had I to do it over again, I would use a lot of the fat I had skimmed to make a good roux for any pot roast rather than pitch most of it. I am finding I like a cornstarch base only for Chinese type thickening and with the hard fat, the subsequent gravy could be a base for other meals.

Am I correct that arrowroot gives the same texture as cornstarch?

Arrowroot will get ropey if you over cook it....and that's easy to do...gets sort of like mucous...uggabugga!!
I don't want carrots nor celery nor potatoes cooked in with my pot roast...then it becomes just a chunky stew.
Pot roasting is a way of cooking meat with liquid...I like to do it on top of the stove and Iw ant mashed potatoes for all that lovely gravy and the veggies on the side.
When you cook carrots in the pot with the meat it gives av ery different taste to the meat...not bad...just different.
I guess what I make might be called good old Yankee Potroast...I learned it from the New England side of the family.

I saw a recipe for a crockpot potroast on a TV show and we love it. Its so simple and yummy. It only fit in my 5 quart crockpot though.
3# chuck roast
Make several slits in the meat and put garlic halves inside
Brown meat in olive oil. Salt and Pepper
Put in crockpot
Add: 28 oz canned whole tomatoes with juice
1-2 large onions cut in wedges
1 and 1/4# small red potatoes (about 9)
few sprigs of Rosemary.

Cook on high for 6 hours.

The liquid left over (fat skimmed) is also great in pasta later. I just add sauteed onions and mushrooms to it and its very yummy.

P.S. Sorry I forgot.......I also add diced tomatoes to the pasta.

A friend of mine gave me this recipe, and it made the best pot roast we've ever had. I just did a search and found it on-line, so I didn't even have to type it out!

Lisa's Lazy Pot Roast
from The Complete Meat Cookbook
Ingredients:

1 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 Tbs. paprika
1 Tbs. Kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
One 4 lb. boneless beef chuck roast or a beef brisket, trimmed of most fat
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 cup water or beef or chicken stock, or more if needed
5 cups thinly sliced onions (about 3 large)
6 chopped garlic cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

For the flavor step, combine 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl. Rub the meat thoroughly with the mixture. You can cook the roast immediately, but it will taste better if it sits for an hour or two at room temperature or overnight in a zipper-lock bag, or well wrapped, in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large, heavy casserole or Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Brown roast on all sides, about 7 minutes. Remove and set aside. Pour off any fat from the pan and deglaze the pan in water or stock, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon or spatula. Put the roast back in the pan, cover it with 5 cups thinly sliced onions and 6 chopped garlic cloves, cover and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the cover, turn the roast over so that it is on top of the onions, and continue to cook, uncovered, for another hour, adding more liquid if needed. Stir the onions around after about 30 minutes so they can brown more evenly.

Replace the cover and continue to cook for 1 hour more, or until the meat is fork tender; brisket will take a little longer than chuck. Remove the meat from the pot and let it rest, covered loosely with foil, while you prepare the sauce. (At this point, you may refrigerate the pot roast for later reheating. Refrigerate the cooking liquid separately. To serve later, remove any congealed fat from the cooking liquid and strain it before using it to reheat the meat gently.)

To serve, strain and defat the sauce. Taste for salt and pepper. Cut the meat into thick slices or separate it into chunks. Spoon some sauce and onions over for serving.

Serves: 6

Chef's Note: If you are in a hurry, you can eliminate the herb rub. In fact, if you are really in a hurry, do not bother with the browning. Just put the roast in a heavy casserole, smother it with the onions, and cook it as described above. You will be amazed at how good it is, and you family will think you have been slaving away at the stove all day.

I do something similar to this....

Here is a link that might be useful: roast beef po-boy