# Can my dinner be saved? Tough beef

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-dinner-be-saved-tough-beef/643956>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 13, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-dinner-be-saved-tough-beef/643956 "2012-12-13T20:41:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![baileygrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@baileygrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/baileygrrrl)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-dinner-be-saved-tough-beef/643956/1 "2012-12-13T20:41:22Z")

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I decided to make a [peperonchini beef](http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pepperoncini-beef/) in the slow cooker for my company pot luck. I’ve made this dish once before and the beef literally fell apart and was tender. I don’t actually remember what cut of meat I used but this time I used a rump roast.

Not sure what went wrong, but I set it to cook on low for 8 hours overnight and this morning I went to break up the beef and its tough as leather. It’s pretty much inedible.

Is there any way to save it? If I cook it longer in the liquid is there any chance it will become more tender? I’m kind of bummed that I may have to throw away almost $20 worth of meat.

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**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-dinner-be-saved-tough-beef/643956/2 "2012-12-13T21:18:12Z")

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I am not a fan of slow cookers, but 8 hours on low may simply not enough time to cook a large lump of middling tough beef. A pot roast, using thinner cuts, needs 3-4 hours at relatively high oven temperature to become tender.

It’s possible that more time on a higher setting will turn the roast into something edible, but it sounds like you cooked it just hot enough and long enough to do something odd to it.

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**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-dinner-be-saved-tough-beef/643956/3 "2012-12-13T23:09:10Z")

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Are you able to cut it across the grain into thin slices and perhaps add a sauce?

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**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-dinner-be-saved-tough-beef/643956/4 "2012-12-13T23:14:14Z")

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Yes, keep cooking it. As long as it’s in liquid it won’t get too dry before it gets tender. Just cook it until it’s done–we often do tough roasts overnight in our electric roaster, with a layer of foil between the roaster and its lid to help keep moisture in.

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**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-dinner-be-saved-tough-beef/643956/5 "2012-12-13T23:17:16Z")

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Cook it another 6 hours or so on low and it should be fine.