Can I cook a roast in this pot?

18 years ago

Everyone here is so helpful and nice to clueless chefs. So here's another one for you!

The usual setup: I'm having people over for a few days and want to prep many things ahead of time. This leaves me with a shortage of cookware.

I plan to cook a boneless leg of lamb--it's easy and reliable and the pan I usually use (which isn't a proper pan for that anyway) won't be available.

So, can I use a big cast iron pot or will I end up with stew? The pot has a trivet for the bottom with holes in it and ridges on the inside of the lid to self-baste (I guess). The thing IS called a "Drip Drop Roaster" so I imagine it was intended for roasting meat.

Should I not use the lid? Use the trivet? Buy a disposable roasting pan and skip the pot altogether? I'm attaching a link to a picture of another pot of the same model (for reference only--I don't know anything about this potseller except that they have a picture of a pot like mine). Mine is of course seasoned...

Thanks for any advice. I haven't used this pot for anything besides candy and it seems so sensible to use it when I'm running out of pans, but I do need to make other people eat this!

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Comments (8)

arley_gw
18 years ago
That would do fine. I cook lamb all the time in a deep cast iron 'chicken fryer' and it works great. The trivet is not necessary, and I don't bother with one.

Check out this thread; I just posted my favorite slow-cooked lamb recipe on it. The lamb comes out meltingly tender, but it doesn't disintegrate into mush.

Here is a link that might be useful: slow cooking thread
Fori
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks. I'll look at that. And where's my picture? oops...if I'm gonna link to someone's picture without permission I oughta do it right!

Here is a link that might be useful: pot pic.
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lindac
18 years ago
I don't like my boneless leg of lamb cooked to "stew"...I want it a bit pink on the inside like a rolled beef roast.
I would just roast the lamb ON ( not in) any pan...a jelly roll pan...a 9 by 11 cake pan....or put it on the grill.
If you roast it in that drip drop pan it will end up either tough or like a well done potroast.
Try butterflying it....just cut it so it lays flat...sprinkling the cut side with garlic, a little olive oil, about 1 teaspoon of oregano and zqueeze over it 1/2 a lemon. Grill it as you would a steak...and its' wonderful sliced cold!
Linda C
Fori
Original Author
18 years ago
That's pretty much what I normally do, Linda. But I think my 9x11s will be occupied.

The grill, though. I can do that. That's what it's there for!
lindac
18 years ago
That's a fabulous pot....makes a great potroast and a chicken to die for!
Linda C
Fori
Original Author
18 years ago
It IS a great pot--it was hanging on a crane in the fireplace when I moved into this house. Fifties cowboy decor I think. I admit I never tried cooking in the fireplace, but it's one of the few large pots I have that works well on the induction cooktop.

I just need to figure out how to use it for something besides sugar syrup! Iron-fortified candy is nice, but it's fattening.
jcrowley99
18 years ago
Arley, A question about your lamb recipe (which I just printed out for my recipe binder!). Can you tell that wine is used in the recipe? My son loves lamb but he hates the flavor of wine in food. Have you ever used something in place of the wine?
arley_gw
18 years ago
I've never really noticed much wine taste when I use a cheapo chablis to cook with. If it's a white wine with a really strong flavor like Gewurtztraminer perhaps you could taste it. but I bet if you used unsalted chicken broth it would still taste great. (Indeed, some of the variations of this dish I've run across on the 'net use broth for a portion of the liquid.)

My guess is that the acidity of the wine cuts some of the slight gaminess that lamb sometimes has. If you want to play it safe, maybe halve the wine portion and substitute water or chicken broth instead.

Can I cook a roast in this pot?

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Can I cook a roast in this pot?

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