Pot Roast Help

[labdogs42]

The cut of meat DOES matter. You need a TOUGH, fatty piece of meat like a chuck roast. Tough meat falls apart with long, slow, moist cooking methods. The low, slow heat dissolves the connective tissue and that's what makes the meat "fall apart". Other cuts don't have that connective tissue and long, slow cooking just makes them dry out. E.g. eye roast should be roasted dry and yields a more traditional "roast beef" that is sliced.

I brown my chuck roast in a little oil before throwing it in the crock pot (this step is probably unnecessary). I put the roast in the crock pot with a can of beef broth (or equivalent amount of water if I dont have a can of broth) and a packet of Lipton onion soup. Turn the crock pot on low all day (8 hours at least) and fest on dee-licious pot roast after work!

(BTW, I actually have my degree in Food Science. I took a whole semester long class on meat!)

Here's a website with a whole list of the cuts that are suitable for pot roast:
http://busycooks.about.com/od/howtocook/a/potroast101.htm

 

[TifffanyD]

I take a chuck roast 3-4 lbs and thaw it in fridge. Then I rub with a package of hidden valley ranch seasoning (the packet you use to make dressing or dips) and put in crockpot. I put a cut up onion on top and then potatoes. Then cook on low for like 6ish hours. I don't eat it but DH thinks it's good.

 

[mdrob214]

Once you make this one, you will never make another! You can use a cheaper cut of meat and get an incredible roast beef.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/High-Temperature-Eye-of-Round-Roast/Detail.aspx
High Temperature Eye-of-Round Roast

Rated:

Submitted By: Lyn B
Photo By: Trisha

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 3 Hours
Ready In: 3 Hours 5 Minutes
Servings: 6

"Eye of round roast is roasted at 500 degrees F. This recipe takes a very tough piece of meat and makes it so tender and delicious. The easiest roast you'll ever cook!"
Ingredients:
1 (3 pound) beef eye of round roast
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Season the roast with salt and pepper and place in a roasting pan or baking dish. Do not cover or add water.2.Place the roast in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Roast for 21 minutes (seven minutes per pound) then turn off the oven and let the roast sit in the hot oven for 2 1/2 hours. Do not open the door at all during this time!3.Remove the roast from the oven, the internal temperature should have reached at least 145 degrees F (65 degrees C). Carve into thin slices to serve.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.comPrinted from Allrecipes.com 12/16/2009

 

[MickQuinn]

I always have good luck with this method.

Definitely go with the chuck roast... not as lean as others, but the fat keeps it moist.

Put chunked potatoes, onions and mushrooms into bottom of crockpot.
Put roast on top of veggies, that way you are roasting it, not boiling it in liquid.
Sprinkle with a tablespoon of cornstarch.
Add lipton beefy onion soup mix packet.
Pour on 1and 1/2 cups of dry red wine.

Cook on low 7-8 hours.
This is yummy and the cornstarch thickens the juices into a super gravy.

 

[disneydreamersx4]

another vote for crockpot, never fail tender yum-o

 

[Maddie2]

This is a great thread! Thanks OP!

I always buy a 3-4 lb. chuck roast, but it has been very educational to read what others use. What is EYE ROAST??? Is there another name for it? I'm pretty sure we don't have that at our grocery store/butcher.

I've always browned the thawed roast and then tossed it in the crockpot with salt, pepper, and minced onions for 6-8 hours. With 3-4 hours remaining, I put in the raw baby carrots and peeled & quartered potatoes, with pepper. We are not gravy-eaters, so no need to make that. We usually just use a little margarine or butter on the potatoes - and sometimes parmesan cheese sprinkled on top - yum!

I think next time I'll try putting the roast in frozen. Sure beats remembering to pull it out of the freezer 2 days before wanting to cook it!

Thank you!

 

[dreamin_disney]

Great thread. At what point does one add the veggiesotatos and carrots? I dont want mushy veggies

 

[eyor44]

Juicy moist pot roast!!!

Put pot roast in slow cooker
pour Lipton onion soup mix over it
pour a can of coke on top
Cook for 6 hours and it literally breaks apart when you take it out.

This is the only way I ever make it. Very yummy!!

COKE!?!?!
You got my attention with this one. I am definitely going to try this. Thanks

 

[disneymarie]

I am embarrassed to admit this but every pot roast I have ever made turns out just awful, no matter what I do. I really am a pretty good cook otherwise . Anyway my DH would love a good pot roast once in a while. And now my DB who comes home for Christmas tells me how much he misses Mom's pot roast (he is single) and I really want to fulfill that wish. I am thinking that perhaps I should try a slow cooker?
TIA!

Slow cooker is nice, but I also like the McCormick brown n bags with seasoning for Pot Roast for beginning cooks. Also. we may buy the Oven bags. It is really fool proof. Take the bag, fluff flour, put in either a Chuck roast, I cut up onion, through in carrots, or the mini carrots, sliced ones and celery. Season, There are lots of Roast season Shaker bottles.

Easiest way, take a stew pot, put in a can pack of onion soup mix and water, put the lid on, let it simmer a few hours....Roast for Dummies that one is.

THe oven is a drying way to make it unless low heat and cover with foil......

Another way is a stew pot on lowest heat on the stove. I put butter in bottom to melt, flour, and 2C of water....lid, melt the butter 1/2 stick, brown meat in the butter....add 2/3 c of flour, stir. flip. salt pepper and flavor.

Add the veggies. put on lid, on slow cook, for hours, SOoooo tender. Gravy is a man meal maker,
I make dumplings too, flour milk , egg and pinch salt thick enough to drop into the broth......So YUMMY

 

[disneymarie]

Hey, New Years is coming how does everyone do there Pork Roast.

I slow cook a boneless roast, I put in a few smoke chops, some Bratwurst, cut pieces of smoked kielbasi in, bag of sauerkraut, and a BOTTLE OF BEER!

 

[CowboyCO]

Chuck roast, press kosher salt and pepper into beef, sear beef on both sides in HOT skillet with a little oil until brown on both sides.

DING! DING! DING!

This is the secret to a juicy, tender roast. Sear in the seasonings. And don't use a meat fork on the roast. Take it out with tongs and let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting. That will allow the roast to re-absorb the juices back into the meat. If you cut it right away, you will see the juice run out, leaving a drier roast.

 

[Praying Colonel]

I also make mine in the crock-pot with Lipton onion soup. They are always very tender!

I use onion soup mix, too. First I spread a small container of fresh sliced mushrooms on the bottom of the crock pot, then lay the chuck roast on top. Next mix together 3/4 cup of red wine with 1 packet of onion soup mix and pour over the roast. Cook on low for 8 hours. Guaranteed juicy & flavorful.

 

[JennSaint]

This is EXACTLY how I make my roast - frozen, onion soup mix and beef broth. It's the best roast you'll ever have, and it's never dry.

Good luck.

Me too !! Comes out very yummy! I don't add potatoes to mine just carrots since we like to make mashed potatoes to go with it.

 

[NYCDiane]

The easiest way for me is those McCormick cook-in bags. Have made plenty of pot roasts in them and they always come out perfect!

 

[My2Pixies]

I agree with the majority-the crock pot is the way to go for a tender pot roast. I use an envelope of lipton onion soup and just enough water to cover the bottom of the pot then cook on low until dinner time. No veggies-we prefer mashed potatoes.

 

[tinytink]

I always get tender juicy pot roast and the best gravy by using the oven.

meat: chuck roast
Campbell's Can soups: Golden french onion, cream of mushroom, and beef connisomme (one can each)
1pk mushrooms quartered
10-15 new potatoes halved

I put everything into a roasting pan, cover with foil and bake at 350 for 3 hours and when it's done all you do is serve with No Yolk noodles and the gravy this makes is so thick you need to do nothing else to it.

 

[MEM]

Have to agree with one of the above posters. This is the easiest and quickest for me to throw together in the morning before work -
1 beef roast - place in crockpot
Top roast with contents of 1 envelope of onion soup mix
Slather on the contents of 1 can of cream of mushroom soup (do not dilute)
No added water is necessary. Cook all day. Your house will smell wonderful when you get home from work and it will even make its own delicious gravy.

You can also add vegetables to the crock if you want.
Enjoy!

This is how I do mine - I think its important to press the dry onion soup mix into the meat and then, as you said, slather on the cream of mushroom soup. I sometimes line the bottom of the crockpot with baby carrots first.

 

[Newfie2000]

Thank you so much everyone! I can't wait to try these methods out! DH will be eating lots of pot roasts between now and New Years, I have so many new methods to try. I have tried the bags, to no avail - they always come out flavorful but extremely tough for me. Does it matter what size slow cooker you use? I have a fairly large one that I never really used. Guess now is the time to break it in. The coke sounds very interesting, but so many sound yummy that we will be trying several of them. Keep the thoughts coming - sounds like I am not thw only one finding your help useful. Thank you so much and I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

Oh and to the person who asked about pork roasts. I make them in a basket in the rotisserie on a gas barbecue. I put two in the basket and cook for about 40 minutes. They come out wonderful every time! Our family loves the Hormel flavor marinated ones and I make them about 2 times a month, and have never had a bad one. In fact several people who have eaten them at our house actually went and bought a rotisserrie kit for their grill, they liked it so much.

 

[labdogs42]

Once you make this one, you will never make another! You can use a cheaper cut of meat and get an incredible roast beef.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/High-Temperature-Eye-of-Round-Roast/Detail.aspx
High Temperature Eye-of-Round Roast

Rated:

Submitted By: Lyn B
Photo By: Trisha

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 3 Hours
Ready In: 3 Hours 5 Minutes
Servings: 6

"Eye of round roast is roasted at 500 degrees F. This recipe takes a very tough piece of meat and makes it so tender and delicious. The easiest roast you'll ever cook!"
Ingredients:
1 (3 pound) beef eye of round roast
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Season the roast with salt and pepper and place in a roasting pan or baking dish. Do not cover or add water.2.Place the roast in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Roast for 21 minutes (seven minutes per pound) then turn off the oven and let the roast sit in the hot oven for 2 1/2 hours. Do not open the door at all during this time!3.Remove the roast from the oven, the internal temperature should have reached at least 145 degrees F (65 degrees C). Carve into thin slices to serve.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.comPrinted from Allrecipes.com 12/16/2009

See, that's ROAST BEEF, totally different from pot roast. I think that's what gets so confusing. If you cook the meat for roast beef like pot roast, you'll have a disaster. Same goes if you cook a chuck roast high and dry like roast beef -- disaster.

That roast beef recipe sounds good, too. I'll have to try that sometime!

 

[aladams2]

When you add the coke the acidity breaks it down and it is not tough at all. Let me know what you think if you try this. My family loves it and now I'm thinking of running to the store and making one for supper!!!