Today was my second attempt at pot roast and unless something magical occurs in my crock pot soon, it will seem like another failure. Here’s my procedure, perhaps someone can point out what went wrong?
I took a 2.5 lb, boneless, angus rump roast and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. Took a small, thin knife and poked a few holes in it and stuff garlic slivers in the holes. I took a hot, cast iron skillet with a bit of olive oil and browned the roast on all sides (maybe about 10 minute). I then took chopped onions, carrots, and celery and quickly sauteed them in the left-over oil in the pan.
After that, I poured the vegetables in the bottom of the crock pot, set the roast on top, and poured about 4 cups of beef stock in the crock pot. The liquid maybe went up half the meat, so I poured another bottle of beer in there and the liquid level went up about 3/4 of the meat. I added a bay leaf and a few twigs of thyme, set the crock-pot on high and put the lid on.
Fast forward to an hour and 45 minutes later. I decide to turn it over as I assume it still has a while to go, and upon trying to insert a fork into it, the roast seems incredibly tough. I forcefully tear a piece out of the gray mass and it’s textured like a well-done steak. Why? I figured my first attempt failed due to the gas burner on my oven being unable to maintain a low-enough temp, hence me using the crock pot to cook this pot roast, but it doesn’t seemed to have made any difference. Tips? Any way to salvage this pot roast? Pot roast is quickly becoming my white whale…
Yeah, this is what was throwing me off. The crock pot pot roast recipes I all saw called for 7+ hours on low, or 5+ hours on high. Mine has been cooking for two hours and the temp is 160 F (just checked it).
Perhaps the problem was too much liquid indeed? I just assumed if it was in the crock pot it needed a good amount of liquid to keep from drying out…
I’ve never done a big roast and I don’t have a crock pot, but when I stew beef cubes in my dutch oven it takes a minimum of 2.5 hours and 3.5 hours is better. Keep it going and taste again after an hour, hour and a half. It’s supposed to get tough before it gets good.
Edit: in my experience, the total amount of liquid doesn’t really matter, as long as it doesn’t all evaporate, you’ll be fine.
If your meat is 160F, then it’s just starting to enter the range in which the collagen starts rendering into gelatin (where the meat starts to get soft.) You wouldn’t want to get such high temperatures with a lean meat free of connective tissue, but a tough cut like, say, chuck roast–which has decent amounts of fat and connective tissue, you want the roast to slowly render out the fat and collagen, giving you a moist cut of meat. I’ve never bothered checking the final temp of my pot roasts, but something like pork shoulder or beef brisket usually ends up at anywhere from 185-200 when it’s fully soft.
Just be patient. It will start out tough and then get soft. When I do stovetop pot roast, I use chuck or brisket and cook over low heat for about 3-4 hours at a minimum. You just have to be aware of the science and what’s going on with the meat. You need to slowly cook for much much past typical well-done temperatures to get that collagen (which is giving you the toughness when you taste it) to break down. And, trust me, it will break down.
I hope that’s what happens. I find it odd that the roast would be cooked through way before my vegetables would soften (tasted some celery and it’s still crisp). I just turned the heat on my crock pot to low, but should I keep it on high? I measured the liquid’s temperature to be about 180 when it was on the high setting.
I too have trouble with very tough roasts. Does putting too much water in a crock pot make the meat tough because you’re boiling it? Also, I’d never heard of pre-braising the meat. Maybe that would help?
Stewing meat doesn’t just depend on the internal temperature - you’ve got to keep it at that temperature for quite a while; like I said, when I stew smallish beef cubes, it still takes about 3 hours to cook.
I don’t use a crock pot, but when I do it on the stovetop, I’m guessing my temp is around 200. You’re not going to ruin the roast by putting it on high, if 180 is the high setting for your crockpot. Personally, unless I were planning to be away from the house for most of the day, I’d set it on high.
Keep the setting on low from the beginning. More importantly, both for good results and for food safety, **DO NOT **open the crock pot and turn the meat or do anything else.
Lifting the lid dramatically influences the temperature in the pot, stops the heat and moisture from circulating the way they’re supposed to, and significantly lengthens the amount of time it will take to finish cooking.
Trust the cooking time listed in the recipe and don’t open the pot until the minimum time has elapsed.
I do an average sized pot roast on top of the stove, and I will cook it for about 3 hours, and I add the veggies about half-way to 2/3 of the way through.
I sucked at pot roast because my mom always did it in the oven. Top o’ the stove is waaaay more bettah.
I really don’t think it should make much of a difference. Just make sure you choose a cut that is appropriate for pot roasting. Leaner cuts with less connective tissue are just not going to break down the way a chuck shoulder or brisket will. I really don’t think too much liquid will cause problems, because that’s essentially the way stew is made, and my stews come out plenty tender, even though they’re submerged in liquid. It’s just getting the meat up to temp and holding it there for several hours as the collagen transforms to gelatin.
IMO, here’s your first problem. Rump roast does not make great pot roast. You want a chuck roast aka shoulder roast. Use the rumps for making roast beef.
Here’s your second problem. Pot roast takes longer than that, especially in a crockpot. Cook it all day or overnight on low, don’t try to rush it. Even if you turn it to high, it’s still going to need at least a half-day or more.
My roomie often cooks potroast at a boil on the stovetop for several hours. It turns out fine, although not as good as mine. I cook mine in the oven at 200-250 for an entire day.
Don’t worry too much about the liquid level. Crockpots tend to create liquid, so you’ve probably got more than you need, but it won’t hurt anything.
Pot roast is very forgiving. Don’t worry about turning it or messing with it. Just let it cook for a very long time and it will turn out OK.
Re: your temperature - is the liquid simmering* slowly*? If I set my crockpot on High, it would be way too hot. You want to simmer slowly for a long time - I do mine for a minimum of 6 hours, and overnight is better. And use a chuck roast. For pot roasting, the cheap cut is better.
But don’t be in such a hurry. Good pot roast is a product of patience, and it is well worth the wait.
Well, you must do something different than my mom did. Hers was never as good as mine. She was a good cook, but not so much for the standard comfort food fare.
I do mine on the stove top. I have no problems with the tenderness … it’s always very nicely fork tender. But the taste … I’m not happy with it. It’s blah to me. It doesn’t have any sort of a “meat” flavor. I’m using a beef broth/red wine combo for the liquid, and I would say the overall taste is very vaguely wine-like, but not especially tasty. I’ve got garlic, onions, carrots, and peppers in the pot as well - the garlic from the beginning and everything else added about 1 hour before serving.
Ideally, I would like it to have a very savory roast flavor. What am I doing wrong?
Delphica, do you brown the meat first? Try browning it first, with flour, and seasonings; it will help seal in the flavor. One trick I use that makes for very tender meat, especially good with a tough cut, is to use leftover brewed coffee as part/all of the liquid.
Low and slow makes for the best, most tender pot roasts.
