When I go to a restaurant like Country Kitchen/Bob Evans/Cracker Barrel or the like, I love their pot roast.  I cannot make pot roast though.  I hated my mothers pot roast, but I like some peoples pot roast.  I have tried recipes in the crock pot with pepsi, coke, gravy, cream of mushroom soup....  I HATE EM.  Someone asked if I ever tried it in the oven... no...

I JUST want a recipe for basic pot roast.  Is there one?  I am so frustrated I am about ready to give up.

Mind you, I'm NOT a cook, so take what I say with a grain of salt (and maybe a little black pepper) but...

In the package spices aisle, with the taco mix and powder sloppy joe mixes, they have pot roast cook-in bags.  I used one a long time ago and it was pretty good.  Foolproof.  (It should be, because *I* made it).  You bake it in the oven and it tasted good to me.  You might consider it.

I brown mine on the stove first with a little oil, salt, pepper, and garlic salt.  It makes the final product taste about a million times better.

I then cook it in the crock pot all day long with an equal mix of beef broth or consomme (whichever I happen to have) and lipton onion soup.  I don't like to use too much of either and I find the mix to be perfect.  Sometimes I cook the potatoes, carrots, onion and celery in with it, but most of the time I let the roast cook alone and serve it with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and rolls.  When it's slow cooked, it just falls apart - you can cut it with a fork. 

HEAVEN.

I brown mine on the stove first with a little oil, salt, pepper, and garlic salt.  It makes the final product taste about a million times better.

I then cook it in the crock pot all day long with an equal mix of beef broth or consomme (whichever I happen to have) and lipton onion soup.  I don't like to use too much of either and I find the mix to be perfect.  Sometimes I cook the potatoes, carrots, onion and celery in with it, but most of the time I let the roast cook alone and serve it with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and rolls.  When it's slow cooked, it just falls apart - you can cut it with a fork.   

HEAVEN.
My crock pots all died (I had 4 and all of them in the past 6 months have died, 1 lid broke, 1 tried killing me - chord frayed, and when I plugged it in sparked and started a fire, 1 handle fell off, and 1 just didn't work anymore)  :P 

I just tried oven cooking it for 8 hours, and it is still tough, and bland (people told me season salt, and 1 cup of water)....  bout to give up :P

Mind you, I'm NOT a cook, so take what I say with a grain of salt (and maybe a little black pepper) but...

In the package spices aisle, with the taco mix and powder sloppy joe mixes, they have pot roast cook-in bags.  I used one a long time ago and it was pretty good.  Foolproof.  (It should be, because *I* made it).  You bake it in the oven and it tasted good to me.  You might consider it.
I tried it, and yes it was easy, but the spices in it where too much (I am not much of a savory flavor person) - if this makes sense...

So just eat pot roast when you eat out.  No biggie.  No need to worry your pretty little head about it.

So just eat pot roast when you eat out.  No biggie.  No need to worry your pretty little head about it.








LOL - But I want to be able to make it at home  :-\\

Hubby said he is going to give his hand a try at it  :o  WHICH is the first time ever for him volunteering to cook any food (other than frozen pizza)

I brown mine on the stove first with a little oil, salt, pepper, and garlic salt.  It makes the final product taste about a million times better.

I then cook it in the crock pot all day long with an equal mix of beef broth or consomme (whichever I happen to have) and lipton onion soup.  I don't like to use too much of either and I find the mix to be perfect.  Sometimes I cook the potatoes, carrots, onion and celery in with it, but most of the time I let the roast cook alone and serve it with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and rolls.  When it's slow cooked, it just falls apart - you can cut it with a fork.   

HEAVEN.


  I'm going to try this one.  I like it a little crispy (singed?) on the outside and so tender that a hard stare makes it falls apart...

Pot Roast is an old Yankee tradition from the days before proper refrigeration.  Curious the way people will still eat it when there are other options.
::)

Pot Roast is an old Yankee tradition from the days before proper refrigeration.  Curious the way people will still eat it when there are other options.
::)
What???? Not sure what you are talking about


All of my Food Science books, teach pot roast as an appetizing way to use "unfavorable" cuts and tough meat from work animals (rather than food animals)... It has nothing to do with refrigeration.  As nothing in pot roast will actually keep without refrigeration; there is too much moisture and not a high acid level to keep out bacteria...

Corned Beef on the other hand, the act of "corning" the beef was actually a preservative method, but not the cooking of it.  If they wanted to preserve meat by cooking, they either had to smoke it or can it or dry it. 

I love Pot Roast with tons of delicious gravy,YUM! :)

What???? Not sure what you are talking about


All of my Food Science books, teach pot roast as an appetizing way to use "unfavorable" cuts and tough meat from work animals (rather than food animals)... It has nothing to do with refrigeration.  As nothing in pot roast will actually keep without refrigeration; there is too much moisture and not a high acid level to keep out bacteria...

Corned Beef on the other hand, the act of "corning" the beef was actually a preservative method, but not the cooking of it.  If they wanted to preserve meat by cooking, they either had to smoke it or can it or dry it. 


Ah, yes, I stand correct about the refrigeration.

Corned beef is another Yankee tradition.  Some Irish families still do corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day dinner.
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/07/pfiade.gif

Well my pot roast sucked... still tough after 4 hours in the oven... we hardly ate it and refrigerated the rest... 

but - I am one hella a soup maker.

I took the left over pot roast and vegetables, removed all fat/grease, and cut up the beef, threw it in a pot with some more beef broth, a can of green beans, and made some vegetable beef soup.  Cooked it on top of the stove for 30 minutes.  My whole family loved it.  Hubby even raved how it was a real "hungry mans" meal. 

I don't get it. but a las - pot roast is not my thing. I will stick with all the other stuff I can make.

Well my pot roast sucked... still tough after 4 hours in the oven... we hardly ate it and refrigerated the rest... 

but - I am one hella a soup maker.

I took the left over pot roast and vegetables, removed all fat/grease, and cut up the beef, threw it in a pot with some more beef broth, a can of green beans, and made some vegetable beef soup.  Cooked it on top of the stove for 30 minutes.  My whole family loved it.  Hubby even raved how it was a real "hungry mans" meal. 

I don't get it. but a las - pot roast is not my thing. I will stick with all the other stuff I can make.


That's what I was trying to say.  It's hard to make good pot roast because pot roast isn't very good.  My brother makes good pot roast, but he's a chef with a culinary degree.
8)

I usually cook mine in the crock pot, I use beef broth, a couple of dashes of worchestershire sauce, a squeeze or two of mustard, a big onion cut up, salt/pepper/garlic.  Usually cook it for hours, till it falls apart.  Sometimes I cook it wth carrots and potatoes.  My family loves it, it's moist and flavorful. 

Well my pot roast sucked... still tough after 4 hours in the oven... we hardly ate it and refrigerated the rest...  


Weird.  I was about to tell Max that it's hard to not make a decent pot roast...  It's impossible for it not to get tender.  (If there's sufficient moisture, it's impossible to overcook it)  At what temperature were you cooking it, and was it tightly covered?

0.a) Sear the outside of the roast like Ash suggests.  Deglaze the pan by cooking down your onions and other root vegetables until they're translucent and have picked up any brown bits, and then deglaze the pan again by pouring in a bit of broth.  

0.b) Throw raw beef into pot, uncovered.  Crank broiler to 450F and sear top of roast for 10 minutes while chopping veggies.  Flip roast, sear other side for another 20 minutes while chopping veggies.  Boil broth on stovetop.

0.c) But even if you're feeling completely lazy and skip either of those options, it'll still get tender if you take the hunk of raw meat and go directly to step 1.  

1) Beef and veggies and broth (and optionally, a cup of red wine) goes into pot.  Liquid and veggies should cover at least half the meat.
2) Pot goes into oven.  Cover the pot.
3) The liquid should be barely at a simmer.  Use stovetop if necessary to bring to a simmer before stashing in oven.
4) In an oven, that's probably around 250F, maybe 275F, tops.  
5) If it's not falling apart, just leave it in for another hour or two.  It will get tender.

Bold parts are the only things I think you could possibly have done wrong (because you didn't mention these things, and everything else you did mention sounds right!)  Sounds like you made a great save by turning it into beef soup, but I'm still puzzled as to why it didn't get tender.  The whole point of low-and-slow cooking is to use the cheapest possible cut of meat from any given animal and still end up with something that's fork-tender.  Pulled pork, pot roast, beef burgundy, leg-o-mutton, you name it, cheap meat's all about the braising/fricasseing action.

What about pressure-cooked pot roast?
???

What about pressure-cooked pot roast? ???


I dunno.  2 hours instead of 4?  Why hurry?  The longer it takes to cook, the better your place smells tomorrow.

The piece of meat was a round roast - probably 5 pounds...  I was following a couple friends advice and they told me it could be frozen and won't over cook...  I seared it in olive oil with s generous helping of cookie's flavor enhancer (a local season salt)...  Put a layer of heavy duty alunimum foil in my pampered chef baker.  Put in the roast and some water with a couple bouillion... A cup and 1/2 put friend.. And wrapped and sealed the alunimum foil (to form a pouch) around it all.  I put it in a 250 degree oven (preheated) at 9:30 am...  Knew it was not going to be done for lunch!  Threw in vegetables and redeemed around noon...  4:30/5 took it outand tried it.  Meat was tough, cooked completely but tough. 

And I disagree if I put a roast into a crock pot at 7 am , when I leave for work and come back to it at 5pm... Even on low it is slightly burnt flavor and dry... Enven though there is plenty of moisture all around!  Horrible stuff there! 

Max, my mother always used crock pot, I mean pressure cooker, awful (but I think that has more to do with my mother never seasoned anything!)

Funnny thing !  I can make a rib roast or fillet of beef roast!  To die for!  Crusty on the outside rare in the center, more done too the ends!  All my chucks and rounds seem to goto soup, or beef and noodles!  Which is alright, we like them both!

I dunno.  2 hours instead of 4?  Why hurry?  The longer it takes to cook, the better your place smells tomorrow.


'cos the sooner I can get over eating the pot roast the better!

The piece of meat was a round roast - probably 5 pounds...  I was following a couple friends advice and they told me it could be frozen and won't over cook... 


Hmm, it was frozen (or only partially thawed) when it went into the pan for searing?  At 5lb, it would have taken a long time for the innards to thaw out.

Or was it was frozen, then fully-thawed, before searing?  I've never tried doing a braise with a previously-frozen roast, but siome time this winter I may just try it (two smallish roasts, one fresh, one frozen and thawed, in the same pan) as an experiment. 

Hmm, it was frozen (or only partially thawed) when it went into the pan for searing?  At 5lb, it would have taken a long time for the innards to thaw out.

Or was it was frozen, then fully-thawed, before searing?  I've never tried doing a braise with a previously-frozen roast, but siome time this winter I may just try it (two smallish roasts, one fresh, one frozen and thawed, in the same pan) as an experiment.  
Yes it was probably 5 lbs, but it was a thin roast with lots of surface area (probably 2 1/2" is all) - it was a round roast...  

I had 2 people tell me the same thing, so I tried it...  Oh well, scratch that off the list   8)

Most of our meat is frozen, as we have a whole beef butchered (as well as whole pork) at a time, and have 2 large deep freezes along with the fridge freezer. 

I love Pot Roast with tons of delicious gravy,YUM! :)


  Never forget the gravy...

  http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-6/1193336/Chow_Hound.jpg

 

Most of our meat is frozen, as we have a whole beef butchered (as well as whole pork) at a time, and have 2 large deep freezes along with the fridge freezer. 


*drools uncontrollably*.  Ah, to have that kind of freezer space.  I always wanted to get a whole carcass and work on it throught the course of a year.  It's funny, that's the sort of thing that would repulse a fundamentalist vegetarian, and yet it's precisely the sort of thing you'd think they'd appreciate: waste nothing, learn to get the most out of the whole animal, not just eating the tasty bits and leaving the rest for scrap.

   Never forget the gravy...

   http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-6/1193336/Chow_Hound.jpg

   


Who in the hell drinks gravy?

*drools uncontrollably*.  Ah, to have that kind of freezer space.  I always wanted to get a whole carcass and work on it throught the course of a year.  It's funny, that's the sort of thing that would repulse a fundamentalist vegetarian, and yet it's precisely the sort of thing you'd think they'd appreciate: waste nothing, learn to get the most out of the whole animal, not just eating the tasty bits and leaving the rest for scrap.
Well we have it butchered, at the locker.  So they send the skin to leather, and fat they keep for making deer sausage/burger later, lard and such.  I keep the tongue, and liver (to go to my mother), but the rest of the offal the locker does what it wants with it.  I know my mother would like to have the brains, but I am not soo into that, tried em and can't handle the texture

My mother also used to make our own head cheese when I was young, I do not keep the swine offal and head to aid in this...  With the cholestrol in that stuff, none of us need it

Well I am going for a beef brisket today...  not quite a pot roast, but another piece of meat that needs some long and slow cooking... AND is some awesome flavorfulness

The house is smelling absolutely delicious!  I seared the brisket on our searer burner on the grill.. NICE and crusty, with some cajun seasoning rubbed in.  It has been in the hour for 3 1/2 hours - 1/2 hour more and I am taking it out... Letting it sit for 1/2 hour  - and I am hoping it is delicousness

And it was!  Yummy can't wait for leftovers tomorrow!

And it was!   Yummy can't wait for leftovers tomorrow!


How do the leftovers taste the day after? Are they any good?  ???

How do the leftovers taste the day after? Are they any good?  ???
taken by the piece I had earlier - DEEEE lisH OUS  - YUMMO

I've tried the Pot Roast that's served at Claim Jumper restaurants; it's really good, but it's a very large meal. Each time I've ordered it, I've gotten full and had to take a good portion of it home.

Several years ago we went to visit my sister. She made pot roast which was WONDERFUL and I made several comments about how good it was. She was surprised that I didn't realize that it was our grandmother's recipe. She said, "Don't you remember Grandma making this all the time?" Nope. And I lived with Grandma for a short period of time and I didn't remember. We stayed with Sis for about 3 or 4 days. She didn't have too many other meals planned and said that there was the leftover pot roast. We were fine with that because it was so yummy.

After we got home, the "Chef" opened my grandmother's cookbook and made her pot roast-with his bit of a twist. Since that time, he has made it A LOT and lately, he will make it and just keep it in the fridge and just add to it as needed-in fact, it is sitting in the fridge as I am typing this. (I'm surprised that we aren't having it for dinner tonight but we are having the soup that is also in the fridge.)

Several times when I am talking to Sis and say that we are having pot roast for dinner, she will say, "You're welcome."


Cat