Newlywed potroast tragedy!!!

[ISAIAH30_18]

Before I got married I made a beautiful potroast and never needed more than a receipe...but I've made 2 since we've been married that have been horrible. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong.
It's not "falling apart" when it's done, it's more like a steak burger. Could this be the cut of meat I'm choosing? Too much liquid? Too little? (The last time I half covered the meat, this time completely) Or am I cooking it too long? Not long enough?
I want to believe it's the new crock pot and not me!!!!
help!!!!

[Jewel]

What cut of beef are you using? For truly 'fall apart' Pot Roast you need a more marbled cut. I haven't made a pot roast with anything but boneless Chuck Roast in a few years. Rump roast is also good, but make sure that iparticular cow didn't do butt exercises! :eek: Make sure it was a lazy cow... ;) You need marbling to make it tender. If it's too lean a cut, you can cook it forever and it'll still never fall apart, it'll just get drier!

I find the leanest cut of Chuck Roast I can. Some are just way too marbled, and that isn't what I'm after. A good lean cut of Chuck Roast, a wedged onion, carrots and potatoes, beef broth or onion soup mix and water in my crockpot or simmered in my Dutch Oven on the stove, and my husband is sniffing the house like a puppy! ;)

[sushibones]

Misery loves company, and today I'll be company. I can't help with advice, but I can certainly commiserate. It's so frustrating when you think you've got the knack for making something, and the next time you make it, it's just WRONG.

I've made delicious fall apart pot roasts before, but the last one I made was chewy and tough. I usually use bone-in or boneless chuck roast so it didn't appear to be the cut of meat. I finally just took the meat, wiped off the gravy, and made hash with it. The hash was pretty good.

[ISAIAH30_18]

maybe it is my cut of meat.....i was trying to get a very lean piece of meat and I guess I went over-board. So marble, but not too much marble? K...I can handle that.
What about amount of liquid? what effect does that have on the process??
I just don't know what I would do without this board!!!

[MKSquared]

Oooh, ooh! Get a hold of the issue of Cook's Illustrated that's on newsstands now. They talk all about potroasts!

Here's my digest of what they had to say:

Meat Choice
Use one of the following: Seven-Bone Pot Roast; Top-Blade Pot Roast; Chuck Eye Roast. All of these cuts are well-marbled.

How much liquid? What kind?
Add liquid halfway up the sides of the roast. Additionally, place a piece of foil on top of your Dutch oven before you put the lid on; this cuts back on steam escaping. Try using equal amounts of chicken stock and beef stock as your liquid.

How hot? How long?
300 degrees was the best time; the meat stays at a slow simmer, but it doesn't keep you in the kitchen all day. The end of the article reads as follows: "Not only do you have to cook pot roast until it reaches 210 degrees internally, but the meat has to remain at that temperature for a full hour. In other words, cook the pot roast until it's done -- and then keep on cooking!"

What else?
Brown the roast before you stick it in the oven. Adding red wine to the sauce after it's done makes the sauce even better. Caramelize vegetables before you add them to the pot; otherwise, it tastes more like beef stew.

I suggest you buy the magazine -- lots of hints in there, a few recipes, and instructions on how to tie up the roast! :)

[sneezles]

I agree with Jewel, the leaner the meat the meaner the pot roast!
I always use chuck or rump for mine. Here is a recipe that is mighty tasty...to do it in a crockpot, use only half of the marinade, add the veggies at the start, cook on low for 10-12 hours or high 5-6 hours. And I like to serve with either mashed potatoes or wide noodles, leaving out the potatoes.



* Exported from MasterCook *

Beef Pot Roast

Recipe By :Elizabeth Powell
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :6:00
Categories : Beef Main Dishes


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cup red wine
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups beef bouillon
1 teaspoon salt
6 peppercorns
6 allspice berries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1 onion -- sliced
3 pounds rump roast
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup bacon fat
4 whole potatoes -- peeled & quartered
4 whole carrots -- peeled & quartered

Mix together wine, vinegar, bouillon, salt, peppercorns, allspice, brown sugar, bay leaf, and sliced onion. Trim roast and place in a ceramic bowl. Pour marinade over roast, turn to coat, and marinate at least two hours or over night, turning once or twice.
Remove roast from marinade and pat dry. Strain marinade, reserving liquid. Season flour with salt and pepper to taste. Dredge meat in flour. In heavy sauce pan, sear meat quickly on all sides in smoking hot bacon fat. Add reserved marinating liquid. Cover and simmer until tender, about 3-1/2 hours. Add potatoes and carrots during last hour of cooking. When done, place roast and vegetables on a platter and keep warm. Skim fat from liquid and reduce over medium-high heat until liquid measures about 2 cups. Season to taste; if necessary, thicken gravy with one teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in a tablespoon of cold water.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 590 Calories; 35g Fat (54.7% calories from fat); 30g Protein; 35g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 105mg Cholesterol; 647mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 4 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 4 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 115 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

[ISAIAH30_18]

so is there such a thing as too much liquid when cooking in the crockpot?:confused:

[sneezles]

Yes, since the slow cooker retains moisture(especially if you don't peek ;) ). You can reduce the liquid usually by half.

[ISAIAH30_18]

Wow!!! thanks everyone!!!!! I don't know what I would do without you!!!!
I'll check the newstands for Cooks Illustrated (I'm such a newbie to 'real' cooking, I didn't even know about that one!)....sounds like a keeper!

Again, thanks everyone!!!! And I'm sure my DH thanks you for eliminating mean roast from his leftover rotation!!

:D :D :D

[joeldotz]

I can't comment on recipies or cooking technique, but I can add my two cents on what kind of beef. I'm refering to Natural Beef. Natural Beef is raised with out the aid of artificial hormones or antibiotics. Normally, in a feedlot, calves are implanted with artifical hormons. A pellet about quarter inch long and as big around as an ink pen filler is placed, with an applicator, between the skin and the cartlidge of the ear. It slowly disolves over about 90 days. Another common practice is feeding low levels of antibiotics to help calves over come stress that is common in confinment feeding. The American Medical Association is recommending that this practice be stop, because they believe it is causing resistance in bacteria to some of our most common antibiotics. I use to raise cattle this way, now I'm selling Natural Beef. Nothing tastes better than when you know what your eating is the best. Good luck with that pot roast.

[clarksmom]

That's a gem of a recipe I've made and loved. Check it out on the search. I use a crock pot but you can easily cook in oven as well.

Good luck and remember - you aren't alone. I made a great London Broil once about 10 years ago and the magic has yet to return. once