Pot Roast for Mark

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

What's wrong with it?

Everything!

It's dry, tasteless, greasy, horrible veg, awful gravy …

If I see Pot Roast Beef or Pork on a menu,
I order it!
In Hawaii Roast Pork Plate Lunch is HUGE!!!


[photo courtesy of Rainbow Drive In on Kapahulu Ave in Honolulu]

I order mine with 'gravy all over please' when we're back home
Two scoop Rice & One scoop Mac Salad
ONO!!

 

[GotGarlic]

Everything! [emoji38]

It's dry, tasteless, greasy, horrible veg, awful gravy …

If I see Pot Roast Beef or Pork on a menu,
I order it!
In Hawaii Roast Pork Plate Lunch is HUGE!!!

View attachment 34264
[photo courtesy of Rainbow Drive In on Kapahulu Ave in Honolulu]

I order mine with 'gravy all over please' when we're back home
Two scoop Rice & One scoop Mac Salad
ONO!!

I've had pork roast but I've never heard braised pork called pot roast. I don't know why, it makes sense [emoji2]

This is my favorite pot roast recipe, with a few changes: I add bay leaves, the herbs in the recipe, a can of diced tomatoes and a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese rind to the braise. I also rehydrate the mushrooms in a half cup of hot water and chop them finely. I also cut the roast into a few large pieces and trim excess fat before searing. We like it served over egg noodles or polenta.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes...t-roast-with-porcini-mushrooms-recipe-1922380

 

[Andy M.]

Definitely sear the meat first.

For herbs try bay and herbes de Provence. Some dry porcini also adds a nice flavor.

 

[CraigC]

We often have Cuban style pork pot roast. It gets browned and removed. I use carrots, garlic and onions on the bottom of the DO for the meat to sit on. I use Kirby mojo and chicken stock for braising liquid. Bay leaf and cumin for flavoring. The carrots are served along with black beans and rice. The onion and garlic are whizzed with the immersion blender for sauce, adjusting with chicken stock if needed. Pan Cubano of course.

 

[tenspeed]

If you want to keep the meat above the fat you should consider these silicone roasting racks. Oxo also makes a rack to fit an Instant Pot.


https://www.oxo.com/silicone-roasting-rack-2-pack.html

 

[CraigC]

I'd rather have the flavor in the meat and skim the fat during the cooking process.

 

[Andy M.]

If you want to keep the meat above the fat you should consider these silicone roasting racks. Oxo also makes a rack to fit an Instant Pot.


https://www.oxo.com/silicone-roasting-rack-2-pack.html

Braising technique (pot roast) calls for the meat to be half submerged in liquid.

 

[jennyema]

Chuck roast. Pinot Noir. Liquid (wine and beef stock) coming halfway up the meat.

Slowly braised at 275-300 degrees. You don't want to boil the meat using a high temp.

Bay leaf, garlic clove, mirepoix

Add potatoes halfway through cooking. Carrots can hold up if you put them in at the beginning.

Use a gravy separator to degrease the cooking liquid at the end.

 

[Kayelle]

If you want to keep the meat above the fat you should consider these silicone roasting racks. Oxo also makes a rack to fit an Instant Pot.


https://www.oxo.com/silicone-roasting-rack-2-pack.html

I have two sets of those TS. Four of them fit in my giant roasting pan. They are so useful and I wouldn't want to be without them. The design is perfect and a dream to clean. Great for roasting chicken or turkey parts and so much more.

 

[GotGarlic]

If you want to keep the meat above the fat you should consider these silicone roasting racks. Oxo also makes a rack to fit an Instant Pot.

https://www.oxo.com/silicone-roasting-rack-2-pack.html

There isn't all that much fat and keeping the meat above it means keeping it above the braising liquid as well. I don't understand why you would want to do that.

 

[tenspeed]

There isn't all that much fat and keeping the meat above it means keeping it above the braising liquid as well. I don't understand why you would want to do that.

Roch posted that he uses mirepoix to keep the meat above the liquid. This is an alternative.

 

[Andy M.]

Here's a good explanation of braising (pot roast) that addresses the liquid level.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braising

 

[jennyema]

There isn't all that much fat and keeping the meat above it means keeping it above the braising liquid as well. I don't understand why you would want to do that.

You definitely don’t want to raise the meat above the liquid when making pot roast. There’s no point in that.

And ALWAYS brown your meat first. That’s where the meaty flavor comes from.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I don't add any liquid the meat and vegetables actually pot roast in the oven.

 

[tenspeed]

When I make stew, I like to use chuck roast, as it's well marbled, and works well in the pressure cooker. I trim off the big chunks of fat, as I don't want greasy stew. The big chunks of fat are typically 20 - 25% of the weight of the roast (I've weighed the trimmings). If you use this in a pot roast you will get a lot of fat rendered.

Everybody has a different perspective on fat and salt. We have a fairly low fat and low salt diet, so a relatively small amount of fat and salt is adequate for us.

 

[Rocklobster]

I like to have my meat about an inch in the liquid..I should clarify that..the layer of miripoix helps raise the beef so you can add more liquid..Braising is a moist heat..so you also don't want too much of it submerged as you will get stewing..the finished result should be well browned..anything under the liquid will not get that nice brown crust on it..so, you be the deciding factor as to how you like it..

 

[caseydog]

If you use a cast iron dutch oven, the ridges on the underside of the lid create kind of a self-basting effect. I don't know about other pots/pans. When I braise, I tend to have the meat about two thirds, under liquid, and have coarsely chopped onions under the meat to alow liquid to circulate.

The one constant, whether I braise or smoke a chuck roast is that it needs to cook for a long time at a low temperature, or it is dry and tough. I've done it sous vide, and it was good (for what it is), but took 24-hours. I smoked it for an hour first, and then sealed it up and cooked it sous vide. A lot of work for a chuck roast.

Again, IMO, you can't rely on a set time or internal temperature to know when a cut of meat like that is "done." You have to cook it until a fork slides into it pretty easily. For me, the hardest part of cooking a chuck roast is knowing when it will be ready to eat.

CD

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

If you use a cast iron dutch oven, the ridges on the underside of the lid create kind of a self-basting effect. I don't know about other pots/pans. When I braise, I tend to have the meat about two thirds, under liquid, and have coarsely chopped onions under the meat to alow liquid to circulate.

The one constant, whether I braise or smoke a chuck roast is that it needs to cook for a long time at a low temperature, or it is dry and tough. I've done it sous vide, and it was good (for what it is), but took 24-hours. I smoked it for an hour first, and then sealed it up and cooked it sous vide. A lot of work for a chuck roast.

Again, IMO, you can't rely on a set time or internal temperature to know when a cut of meat like that is "done." You have to cook it until a fork slides into it pretty easily. For me, the hardest part of cooking a chuck roast is knowing when it will be ready to eat.

CD

C-Dog, this has been my problem, dry and tough!
I think I've had my oven too high, 350°, maybe I need to
try again at say, what, 275-300°, like jenny suggested?
And I want to cover the pot, right guys? That's not going to
"sog out" that beautiful brown crust that I created
by searing the meat first?

 

[caseydog]

C-Dog, this has been my problem, dry and tough!
I think I've had my oven too high, 350°, maybe I need to
try again at say, what, 250°?
And I want to cover the pot, right guys? That's not going to
"sog out" that beautiful brown crust that I created
by searing the meat first?

Well, you are not going to get a "crust" on braised beef, but you will get the flavor from the browning. It will effect the meat and the braising liquid.

I brown my meat first in a really hot DO. Then I remove it and sweat my onions and garlic. Then, I deglaze the DO with whatever my braising liquid is. All that brown fond on the pan makes a good, meaty tasting liquid.

I put the meat back in the DO, on top of my sweated veggies, and pour in enough broth, or cider... or whatever, to almost cover the meat. Not quite all the way. I put the lid on, and tuck it into the oven at 250, and wait till it is fork tender -- usually two to three hours. I aim for a very gentle simmer over a long period of time.

So, that "crust" becomes part of the flavor profile of the whole dish. You won't see it or feel it, but you will taste it.

Chuck roast is never going to be like a rib roast or tenderloin roast. But, it has good beef flavor, and you can get it reasonably moist and tender with patience.

CD

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Am I the only one here who's always made their chuck pot roast on top of the stove? It must turn out OK - my Mom always said that my pot roast tasted so much better than hers. FWIW, I couldn't hold a candle to her stew...

If you use a cast iron dutch oven, the ridges on the underside of the lid create kind of a self-basting effect. I don't know about other pots/pans...

It depends on the manufacturer, even for a dutch oven. Neither my (cheap) Lodge or my (not so cheap) Le Creuset have those ridges, or dimples. However, my (almost as expensive) Staub does have dimples, both in my 4-quart DO and my braiser.