Beef crock pot is coarse and dry

[salmon]

my beef crock pot is always dry and coarse
but I can still cut it with a fork, so I think it's tender already but very dry....
how can I make it juicy?


am I cooking it too long? does the water level matter?
in the end the water always cover the whole beef cut and
I already set the temperature very low..

is cooking the beef for a longer time makes the meat more tender but dry?

is it possible to make the beef tender and juicy...?


thank you for the advice

 

[bevkile]

Try searing the piece of meat first. See how that works.

 

[babyhuggies]

might be that it is the cut of meat...sounds like liquid levels aren't low.
or maybe it is a smaller size cut of meat than asked for in the recipe and is cooking for to long.
These are just some of my thoughts/ideas.

 

[salmon]

the cut of the meat is chuck roast, it's what the grocery's butcher recommend

what is the correct initial liquid level? covering quarter of the beef's tall?
and what should be the correct liquid level when it's done? covering the whole beef?


what is the effect of searing the meat first?

 

[Yakuta]

I just made some beef in the potroast this weekend and it came out moist and delicious. It actually was almost soft like butter. It did a better job than even my pressure cooker.

If you are making a pot roast you may want to try to do the following. You may want to use the right cut of beef. I like to use prime round that I get from my butcher. They trim off all the fat and it's lean and tender.

I added the beef, along with a small can of tomato sauce, ground spices (whatever you like), freshly minced garlic, chicken or beef stock about 2 cups (the meat will release more liquid as it cooks), tiny bit of sugar, splash of vinegar and some whole spices in a cheese cloth (I like to tie a cinnamon stick, bay leaves, black peppers) and throw that in there.

I cooked mine overnight on the High setting (I started the crockpot around 11:30 PM and stopped the crock pot at 8 AM). The beef was perfectly cooked and almost fell apart. There was plenty of liquid and I poured it in a pan to reduce it further and add some frozen pearl onions and chopped potatoes and carrots to the stock as it was reducing. Poured it all back over the beef after the veggies were tender. Garnished it with parsley and all set. It turned out very good.

 

[salmon]

Yakuta, how high is your water level initially?
did you sear the beef first?

 

[salmon]

this is my crock pot by the way
Amazon.com: Proctor Silex 33040 4-Quart Round Slow Cooker: Kitchen & Housewares

 

[Yakuta]

Hi Salmon, no I did not sear the meat and the water level (actually stock level) was barely covering the meat (about 3 - 3.5 cups) and it was a 6-7 pound chunk of prime beef (round).

As it cooked it released a lot of liquid so you just need enough to get the steaming process started. Once the meat starts to cook, it releases it's own to sustain the cooking process.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Ya know, I've never seen a crock pot made of beef before, and I certainly have never tried to eat a cooking vessel.

Sorry. i couldn't resist.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[BigDog]

The recipe I use for a beef roast in a crock pot calls for very little liquid cooked over a very long time. Total liquid just over three quarters of a cup.

 

[jennyema]

If the meat is tender but dry then you cooked it too long.

Even meat braised in liquid weill dry out if it's overcooked -- it's just science. The water in the meat's cells will eventually be forced out.

 

[Barb L.]

I use nothing but chuck roast w/good marbling running thru. You may have just bought a bad one (too lean) -dunno, hope the next one is fine. I sear w/seasonings, then add very little water.

 

[moonglowlady]

Waterless Corned Beef in the Crock Pot!
Yep! A friend told me about this and it is quite good. No added seasonings or anything, but be sure to rinse the beef. Because it is cooking solely in it's own juice, it can be very salty if you don't rinse it first.
It is totally cheating to do Corned Beef and Cabbage this way, but you actually have more control over the juices this way. After the corned beef has cooked, low and slow, (overnight?) the liquor in the crock pot is quite oily and strong. Use some of this liquor to saute some of that pre-packaged cole slaw mixture, (grated cabbage and carrots) then add some water till it's tender. Totally cheating, but it's a great cheat.