[ooheadsoo]

Interesting, I think you may be right about it and the chuck was pretty lean.  However the short ribs had PLENTY of fat in them.  Still no flavor.  I guess it'll be a mystery until next time.  I will lose liquid and up the salt and pepper nest time.

[ooheadsoo]

BTW, at 250 to 300 degrees, the liquid in the pot was at a full on hard boil, which is why I lowered the temp.

[jules]

The difficulty with this process is that it's pretty much the same technique you'd use for making a stock and the result is much the same. You extract the flavour from the meat and transfer it to the liquid surrounding it.

Chuck should be the best cut for slow cooking but the age of the meat is a big factor. Most meat these days is relatively young where in the past you might have been able to buy meat from older animals. Good quality, older beef has more flavour and is ideal for longer cooking. Conversely, younger meat tends to dry out easily and lose its flavour if it's cooked too long.

You could try an alternative technique ... Dice a couple of carrots, a large onion and a stick of celery. Crush a clove of garlic. Mix all of these with some fresh herbs [thyme, oregano for example] and a cup of olive oil. Spread this mixture on a large piece of aluminium foil, place the meat on top of it and wrap the whole thing up so the meat is covered with the veg/oil mixture and well sealed.

Cook in a tray in the oven at medium temperature for an hour then check your progress. It should take longer than this but it's hard to say how much longer and a check at 1 hour will give you a good idea how much more time it will take.

When it's cooked, you won't have much liquid released from the meat or lost from the veg but it should be trapped in the foil and will make a great base for any sauce.

If you don't like foil this can be done with a pastry mix and can produce great results.

jules

PS I'm not a fan of salt in cooking but add whatever you think it needs.

[Chromisdesigns]

Really, cooked too long?  ...

That would be my guess.  Cooking for that long renders out all the flavor into the stock -- in fact, it's a very good way to MAKE stock!  Cross-rib is fine for pot roast, it's the cut I usually use.  But it doesn't have to cook all day, the way you would cook pulled pork or a really marbled chuck blade or shoulder roast. Cross-rib just doesn't have that much internal collagen and fat.  Which is why the inside was not tender, but the short ribs came out fine, because they need that cooking.  You can even oven-roast cross-rib, it comes out pretty good that way, too.

[WGH]

Great answers guys, I always wondered about pot roast.

Just for fun I checked out America's Test Kitchen, they charge for much of their content but the pot roast video recipe is free.



Pot roast can be boring and bland full of dry, stringy meat, stubborn bits of fat, and wan gravy. We wanted a meltingly tender roast sauced in savory, full-bodied gravy. Watch the video and make the definitive Classic Pot Roast.
http://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/detail.php?docid=26252&extcode=M**ASCA00

[ooheadsoo]

<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_AQzOkZFt4yc/TaC5pVv4vQI/AAAAAAAAHEQ/o6__BiZyptM/s800/DSC_0961.jpg" height="426" width="640" />

<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_AQzOkZFt4yc/TaC5q5gFYFI/AAAAAAAAHEQ/UNYtx6FGFFk/s800/DSC_0976.jpg" height="426" width="640" />

<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_AQzOkZFt4yc/TaC5qLHOz-I/AAAAAAAAHEQ/3Rds3GhvIzk/s800/DSC_0965.jpg" height="426" width="640" />

<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_AQzOkZFt4yc/TaC5qRKo1-I/AAAAAAAAHEQ/IbW5A_dLzAM/s800/DSC_0969.jpg" height="426" width="640" />

<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_AQzOkZFt4yc/TaC5rB_5pPI/AAAAAAAAHEQ/fiWXMkhJE1k/s800/DSC_0980.jpg" height="426" width="640" />

<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_AQzOkZFt4yc/TaEGvJVFxwI/AAAAAAAAHEk/dk6cCdX9iHQ/s800/DSC_0979.jpg" height="426" width="640" />
Red wine reduction sauce with pineapple and rock sugar.

Sorry, no pics after it was done.

Thanks for the tips, guys.  I'll return to this one day.

[kimchee411]

Are those little chunks of meat the original pot roast?  6 hours is way too long for that.  3 hours at 275 for a 3 lb hunk is more than sufficient.  The meat you use makes a tremendous difference.  There are several different cuts of chuck.  I recommend chuck eye.  Fat content is key.  I've used the same method with the same cut from Costco and a more well-marbled angus roast from the super market and the difference was night and day.  I don't like to spend more money on things like organic, but $1 more per pound is a no-brainer for a superior pot roast.

Personally I would also fore go stuffing it with garlic cloves.  I love garlic, but when you do that the garlic is overwhelming and what you end up with is a sort of bitter off-putting flavor of RAW garlic, not roasted/caramelized.

You will never get the flavor of seasoning directly in the middle of the meat unless you brine, but IMO what you want from that part of the meat is the true rich flavor of the meat itself with the sauce and outer portions bringing the salt and supporting flavors to the table, so to speak.

[milford3]

What a great thread.  After I sear the roast (rump is the best) I pour two cups of strong black coffee over the roast and cook on stovetop.  The coffee adds a great flavor.

[mark funk]

Sweet, POT Roast.  One big thing about Pot Roast is you can't use a good cut of beef! Also it should be at least 4lbs. and the bone in and above all cook low and slow! My wife can't take it, five or six hours. I am going to have to make one this week end now.


                                                                               

[Lyndon]

This has got me hungry as well!
kimchee411,
You said:

There are several different cuts of chuck.  I recommend chuck eye.  Fat content is key.  I've used the same method with the same cut from Costco and a more well-marbled angus roast from the super market and the difference was night and day

Are you saying the Costco cut was too lean?
I thought Costco got high reviews for the cut of their meat.
?
Lyndon

[djbnh]

Do mine in a large covered enameled cast iron pot on stove top, chuck eye, flat cut about 4lbs (round cut roasts will need longer to cook but will do fine). Season liberally w/Salt & Pepper all over, brown in 2 TBSP oil (olive, canola, whatever) over medium heat for about 20 minutes or so total, remove roast. Add 1 cup finely chopped onion, 1/2 c finely chopped celery, 1/2 finely chopped carrot (add a bit more oil if needed; can also include minced fresh garlic, etc.), S&P again; stir for about 7 minutes or until onions are soft. Season veggies as desired - marjoram, basil, thyme, etc. Return roast and any juices, add stock / wine / water until 1/2 way up meat. Bring to simmer and cover, turn down heat to low.

A flat chuck roast will need about 3-3.5 hrs to cook low and slow; add at least one half hour for round or much larger roasts. Turn roast every 30 minutes, top off with more liquid if needed, layer in more herb seasoning (but not salt now) as desired. When done, remove roast and cover with foil. Turn up heat on pot to medium, use immersion blender to liquify veggies. Thicken slightly with cornstarch slurry if desired. Check and adjust seasoning. Slice meat (if you've had the heat nice and low, the inside with have a slight pink blush), pour over thickened pot liquid.

Making one this AM, yum!