I want to put a piece of beef in the oven tomorrow before work, and leave it until I get home about 10 hours later.
I don’t want to use a crock pot, because IME even on low that’s too long and overcooks it.
I would like suggestions about cuts (cheaper the better), cooking methods or recipes.
Is also have a feeling that’s entirely too long for vegetables to cook without turning to mush…I usually use tatersncarrots. Any good alternatives that will hold up longer? Parsnips? Turnips?
Have you thought about using the timer delay on your oven?
When I cook pork in mushroom sauce I whip home at lunch, brown the pork, place pork in sauce in oven. I then configure the delay to start about an hour before I get home.
I come home to a great smelling house!
MtM
Are you talking pot roast? It’s not really possible to overcook a pot roast, is it?
I used to do a 24 hour pot roast that is outta this world, but a crockpot on low is about the same temp range as a low oven, so I don’t know that it would help.
I do prefer oven roasts to crockpot, though. IMO they have better flavor and texture. Either is better than stove-top pot roast.
Ummm heheh…no :smack: My old oven didn’t have one, new one does but it didn’t occur to me to use it.
Is there a food safety issue if I left it in the over for several hours before the heat kicks on? And even longer before the center gets up to temp?
I know that I’ve done crock-pot-roasts that turned out dry, counterintuitively. Entirely possible I chose the wrong piece of meat for the job, though.
Agree 100% that oven roasts are the best. I always get more excited about oven roasts too. Crock pot roasts make me think ‘Hey look, a bunch of shit thrown in a crock pot all day’, while oven roasts make me think ‘Ooooh, pretty roast with a nice crispy crust nestled in a bed of tatersncarrots!’
I doubt it for beef, to be honest. It’ll get thoroughly cooked anyway.
Pot roast does absolutely dry out and get stringy–you’re right. However, most people don’t seem to mind because of all the sauce (I do), and some cuts are easier to get to stringiness than others. In my experience, the best cut for pot roast is something from the chuck. Brisket works well too, with the point/deckle being more forgiving (and fattier) than the flat (which is what is most common around here, if you don’t get the whole 12-pound “packer cut” brisket which includes both the point and the flat.) Round roasts, I find, dry out pretty quickly.
I would think that a chuck roast on low in a crockpot should be relatively okay for 10 hours. Low is about 175F, from what I can tell. I think the 6-8 hour mark is probably more appropriate; I personally would not have a problem letting the roast sit for two hours on a timer, and then starting then, but if you’re really worried about food safety, I’d venture that a frozen roast plopped in on low would probably come out just right at the 10 hour mark.
Agreed, and not likely. I’ve never really had a crock pot pot roast that was worth a damn (and I’ve made a ton of them) - soggy, watery gravy that’s too thin and oily covering a dried out hunk of (admittedly) tender meat and overcooked veggies. But when I started cooking my pot roasts in a cast iron dutch oven on the stove and then in the oven as nature intended? Perfection. Unctuous, beefy perfection.
I have an old family recipe that just might be what you’re looking for. Use something like bottom round roast (NOT top round), at least 3 pounds. Coat the roast with a fat of some sort – cooking oil is fine, bacon fat is also good. Set the oven temp to a very low setting, 150 degrees F, as low as 135 or 140 if your setting will go that low if you like it rare. Put the beef in the oven in a roasting pan and leave it there as long as necessary. It will eventually get to the same temperature as the oven is set and no higher. Obviously if you want the meat to be more well done, set the oven higher. Because of the long and slow cooking it will be very tender.
When I had an oven with a timer, I would freeze the roast first and put it in the oven frozen solid the night before, and set the oven to start at, say, 6 AM. It would be ready to serve by 6 PM the following evening.
The other advantage is that the exact timing is not critical. A difference of an hour or so one way or the other will make no difference.
We also start with frozen roasts. We use an electric roaster that can be set lower than our oven. 175F, maybe. Sealing it thoroughly seems to be important. My husband puts a layer of foil around the edges to make sure.
Assuming time is no object, what’s the lowest temp a roaster can be set and still cook safely? Long, slow cooking would make it most tender, right?
And I love the smell of the house when the crockpot is working. Every few hours, I sneak a taste.
Ok, so here is what I’ve managed to take away from the (appreciated) responses! Plan:
Chuck or bottom round roast. I’ll salt/pepper and brown it in oil tonight, then throw it in the fridge.
Question 1 - Would a dry rub at this point be beneficial?
Then, put it on a rack in a covered but dry roasting pan in the morning, and set the oven to 160, assuming it will go that low. That should produce a medium roast, I believe.
Question 2 - Back to roots and vegetables. Am I pretty much out of luck, or is there anything that will hold together after that long?
I wouldn’t cook a chuck roast medium, and I would do it in a more tightly covered vessel myself, like a Dutch oven (to do a pot roast.) I find chuck pretty tough and chewy unless it’s cooked so that the collagen breaks down, which means taking it to around 190-200F.
Basically, what happens is that the meat toughens up as it approaches well-done levels (160-170F). At this point it is pretty hard. Somewhere around here is where the magic happens. As the meat is being cooked slowly, the collagen breaks down and forms gelatin. This process can take a few hours, and the meat stalls at around 170-180F. After most of the collagen is rendered, it creeps back up in temperature, until it attains the soft fork-tender and then fall-apart texture. Keep it too long, and it turns into instant shredding, dry stringy texture, but you have some time. The meat should have some “wobble” to it when it’s almost ready.
So, if you come back and your roast is still pretty tough, chances are that you need more time for it to break down. If you’ve ever made a stew and tasted it along the way, you’ll recognize the textural differences as the meat turns hard, then into a melting consistency as the collagen is rendered off.
Ok, so keep everything the same, but set the ol’ EZ-Bake to 170?
Good God, I’m hungry.
Ok, I NEVER would have thought of just plopping a roast in the oven and setting it to like, 160 and leaving it for a whole day.
I may try this when the missues is away for work.
No concerns about it drying out?
Ugh, poor reading comprhension there on my part. Looks like 190-200 would be the target.
I don’t have a roaster pan, but I have the crock out of an old crockpot that died. Sound like a good idea to re-purpose it for oven use?
It works well if you can get your oven that low. Stick a thermometer in there and roast of your choice and cook until it reaches your desired temperature. Supposedly, this slower method creates more enzymatic action that tenderizes the roast. I’ve only done as low as 200 for about 4-5 hours to bring a 4 pound top round to 125F internal. It worked very well, and there was no dryness. I know some roast beef places will do their beefs overnight at a low temperature, but they are also doing much larger pieces of meat (like a 15+ pound top round, for instance.)
ETA: That’s for uncovered dry roasting.
OK, there are two different types of roast.
Pot roast: a braised roast (cooked low and slow with liquid in a covered pot). Typically served with veg (potatoes, carrots, onions) cooked in the pan with the roast. Chuck roast, 7 bone roast, etc. are the cuts to use for this. A pot roast is always cooked way past “well done”; the point is to melt the collagen to make tough meat tender. This is what I assumed you meant, since you mentioned a Crockpot.
Roast beef: a roasted hunk o’ meat, cooked dry. There are many variations on the “best way” to cook a roast of beef. Typically served with veg cooked separately, e.g., mashed potatoes or potatoes roasted in the same oven but in a different pan. Or Yorkshire pudding, yum! This is where you can use round roast, rump roast, etc. Roast beef is IME usually cooked rare to medium-rare (but some may cook it more) and sliced thin.
A rump or round roast will not make a good pot roast. My best guess is that’s how y’all are ending up with dry pot roast, because I can’t imagine how you’re managing to dry out a proper pot roast. OTOH, a chuck roast will not make good roast beest.
I used to always cook pot roast starting with a frozen roast (because all our meat was frozen) cooked overnight at around 200-250, depending on the oven. Then I’d toss in the veg plus more liquid the next morning and let it cook all day as low as the oven would go. Turns out juicy and delicious. The veg are quite done, though.
Whups, missed some of the responses! That’s what I get for not previewing.
I’d have to get the recipe for roast beest from the SO, but it starts with room-temp roast going into a very high oven (500 maybe). Then it gets turned down and cooked for ?18?15?something minutes per pound. Turns out a lovely, rare-to-medium piece of meat with a crispy yummy crust.
Oh yes. You should give it a try for other stuff, too. Green chile stew is beautimus made in the oven. Rich and smooth and oh so good.
I like chuck for pot roast, preferably with the bone in. I flour the meat and brown in a little oil, and then let it sit in a slow oven with onions and carrots and celery and potatoes. I usually peel and slice the potatoes, and put down a layer or two of potatoes, and put the meat on top. The other veggies get peeled and cut into chunks and scattered around the roast. Then I pour a little red wine and beef broth on top. Sometimes I put fresh garlic cloves in as well, if I’ve got them. Season to taste, but be aware that the beef broth might be quite salty enough.
If at all possible, fresh rolls are good. Even the tubes of French bread in the dairy compartment can be quite acceptable.