Pot roast like Mom used to make??

[SplshMtn99]

I remember my Mom's pot roast, but mine never comes out like that. DH is also always disappointed with it too. I want it to be slightly browned on the outside, but shred into stringy pieces (ya know what I mean?) when you cut it. Also tender & not dry.

I seem to think she may have cooked it in a pressure cooker (the old kind). I could be wrong. I was young. I also know that you have to cut it the correct way to make it "stringy".

Here's my questions:

1. How do YOU cook it to get the above results? Temp & time?(pressure cooker, crockpot, stove top????)
2. What cut of roast do YOU buy?

I'm not so worried about ingredients here, but more about "technique".

Please help! I want to give DH & myself the pot roast from our childhoods. LOL

 

[Kermit]

1. I cook mine in the crock pot. If I'm putting a lot of effort into it, I brown it first. It does turn out better, but sometimes I'd rather have one less pot to wash than have a perfect roast.

2. I honestly buy whatever boneless roast is on sale. The ones that are normally cheap are the best. Every once in a while a roast that is normally really high is on sale for a good price, but the cheap cuts of meat really hold up to long cooking the best. That's why when you go to a gourmet restaurant, almost all of the food is cooked after you order it. There are only a few expensive foods (like prime rib) that cook all day.

 

[ILUVDXL]

This was my Mother's reciepe

1. I always use bottom of the round. Less shrinkage and better flavor IMHO

2. I flour the meat with seasoned flour, then sear it on all sides in hot oil. Discard excess oil.

3. Fill the pot with water til almost covered. add bay leaves, a couple of cloves of garlic, 2 beef bulilion cubes and about a tablespoon of cider vinegar. Simmer till tender (about a half hour to 45 minutes per pound)

 

[KaterBell]

Mmmm...Pot roast. I use my crock pot, which I think is the best invention since Tampax, personally. I buy whatever Roast is on sale, and into the crockpot goes : THe roast, 3-4 potatoes, peeled and cut up into chunks... Carrots, and a mixture of 8oz. of Tomato juice, Italian Dressing mix (good seasons works good!), and a pkg of Au Jus gravy mix. 8hrs on Low, and DINNER IS SERVED. The roast comes out tender and stringy and i usually make gravy out of whatever liquid is left in the pot after I take out the roast and veggies. Next time I make it I may add some parsnips or turnips, just to get some veggie variety.

 

[bethie]

I use the crockpot too. I use whatever is on sale.

Throw in the roast, a pack of Lipton dry onion soup, can of beefy mushroom soup condensed, say about a cup of water. Set her on low and let her go! The beef comes out perfect everytime. I usually fish out some of the good stuff(mushroom, onions, beefy bits) and put in a frying pan. I heat it till bubbly and mix in flour/water to make a killer gravy.

I tell you the roast just falls about. It is moist and tender. I have done the oven thing and it tastes and looks like an old shoe. LOL

Beth

PS-I usually start it around 10 am for a 6pm dinner-on low.

 

[aprincessmom]

Another crockpot user for pot roast.

I flour the meat with seasoned flour (I mix flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder or ground mustard) and use beef broth or boullion for the liquid. I use either bottom round or lean stew beef. Cut all the veggies into bite sized chunks prior to cooking (potatoes, carrots, onion, mushrooms...and if I'm feeling wild, turnips). Start it on low at 7 a.m. when I leave the house and turn it off at 5:30 when I get home.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Thanks everyone! When we are done eating this yucky one I made we'll have to try it again. LOL

Apparently the crock pot is the key "ingredient" here that I was missing. I was making it in a Nesco roaster (225 degrees for 7 hrs like their recipe says), but it isn't "melt in your mouth" tender & it's a bit dry even with liquid.

I do know Mom did NOT use a crock pot. We didn't have one. So, I'm still guessing she used a pressure cooker. I remember watching that little thing jiggle around on top & her warning me to get away from it. But I never remember what she was cooking in it.

 

[mhopset]

crock pot here too! By the way is Tampax a new type of casserole?

 

[fkj2]

I do roasts in the oven but I would imagine a crockpot would work just fine. We had a discussion about this some time ago about the roast from 50s Prime Time Cafe.

I marinate my roast of whatever variety in about one half cup of red wine, 24 hours and turning it once. I add whatever water to make gravy and also use the starch water off of boiled potatoes. I don't add veggies but see no reason you couldn't.

So, after marinating in the red wine, I cook it for about four hours, slow and low, on about 250 degrees and I turn it halfway through also, so that the upper portion cooks slowly in the juice. Should come out and melt in your mouth. Good luck.

 

[bunnymkc]

My friend at work just gave me a new way to make pot roast and I thought I would share..line your roasting pan with foil,double thickness to wrap up the roast, put your roast in the center (I always use bottom round) mix together Lipton dry onion soup and a can of mushroom soup, pour over the meat,cover with the foil and bake for 3 or more hours till tender..I add some gravy master to make the gravy darker and if you want a litle water..the longer it cooks the better it is..bake at 350..it is so tender and moist and just out of this world and best of all no cleanup...try it you will really like it..Marianne

 

[Connie of Trenton]

This roast will either work in a 225 degree oven or a crock pot-either way cook all day. I buy a beef roast and sometimes also a pork roast and cover with 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and an envelope of dry onion soup mix. Place both on top of meat(s). If you cook in the oven cover tightly with foil. It makes a wonderful gravy to serve with mashed potatoes or rice. (note: some meat departments make beef and pork combo roast that are placed together with string) Hope you enjoy-very tender and a good flavor.

 

[LKS]

I actually cook my pot roast in a - pot ! Well, it's a le creuset dutch oven, but on the stove. I prefer chuck roast. Salt and pepper and brown it in a little butter and oil. Then I add cut up onion, a little crushed garlic if I have it. There's usually enough moisture from the roast and onions that I don't need to add water at all. About 2 hours later I add carrots and potatoes and cook until everything is tender. I then mix milk and flour and pour into all those juices to make a thick gravy - salt and pepper to taste. My mother still cooks hers in the pressure cooker and the result is identical - it just doesn't take her as long. I like beef stew and porcupine meatballs in my pressure cooker, but that pot roast just sits there unattended while I work, so the pot is fine for me. I actually feel like I have to watch it longer in the pressure cooker.

 

[BonnieP]

I love pot roast! The following recipe is now our favorite. It reminds me of my Grandmother's (1960's), but I was too young to ever ask her how she made it. I have used only chuck roasts. This is how the recipe reads:

"The Very Best Beef Pot Roast"
This pot roast qualifies as the best, not only because of the intense beef flavor but because it's so simple to prepare-no browning! Just place the meat in the oven at a very low temperature and forget it for six hours. Though the recipe calls for no liquid, the roast produces quite a bit of meat juice, which is very nice ladled over mashed potatoes or plain buttered noodles seasoned with a bit of onion.

1 3-pound beef chuck roast, all fat removed
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme, or rounded 1/2 teaspoon dried (optional)
2 bay leaves
1 large onion, sliced

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Grease a shallow 9X13-inch pan and place the roast in it. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper to taste, the thyme, bay leaves, and onion. Cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty foil and bake the roast, without lifting the foil, for 6 hours. Let the roast stand for 10 minutes before slicing into serving portions or shredding for sandwiches. Serve hot, though this reheats very well. Serves 6. Enjoy...

Bonnie

I do make a gravy from the pan drippings. I have made this many times and the cooking time may vary depending on the size of the roast, usually 5 hours would do it. I would take a peek under the foil to test it...