Calling all chefs:
I have a 2 lb boneless roast and I have no idea how to cook it. 9 times out of 10, when I cook, I just sautee, fry, or grill. Sooo…I’m looking for some instructions on how to best cook a roast. What to cook it with, how long to cook it, at what temperature it cooks; that sort of thing.
Any culinary help would be greatly appreciated.
Can always make pot roast. You’ll need a crock pot, some taters, maybe an onion, some celery, carots if you like em. Cut up the veggies. Put roast in the crock pot, add veggies, cover with water, season to taste (I sometimes use a bit of garlic) turn on “low setting”. Go to work, shopping, whatever. Come back 4+ hours later, preferably with some multigrain rolls and beverage of your choice, dish it up and dig in.
One idea…you can get a box of kosher salt and encrusted the roast in it. Seals in the juices. And then just roast it with some shallots and root vegatables. 400 for as long as it takes to get to about 180 internally (a meat thermometor is a good idea here). And serve with horseradish…mmmmmmm…
How should I roast a cook?
Roasts are the easiest food. I’ve taken to doing them on top of the stove lately. I brown it first, then toss in a little broth or wine, onion, potatos, and put the lid on the pot. Keep a low fire on it for a couple hours. Mmmmm…
If it’s beef, why does it need to go to 180. 170 is the upper end of well down. 150 is how most people like meat, 145 is safe for beef other than hamburger. Even if I’m lost and confused and this is a pork roast we are talking about, 180 will be terrible with the leaness of modern pork. The parasite that causes trichinosis is killed at 137 F. I tend to cook pork to 150 to be on the safe side, and find it a vast improvement over the roasts my mother made and cooked to 170. Yes, I know that there can be bacteria in the meat, and that it wouldn’t be killed until 160, but that is very unlike. Most bacteria is on the outside, which will be whatever temperature you are cooking at.
My information is from the America’s Test Kitchen people and their book “The New Best Recipe.” Very good cookbook with a good deal of food science (hence this information). They are on a bit of a soapbox about everyone overcooking everything, though. The book has several interesting discussions on these matters. And good recipes, too.
As for cooking the meat, are we talking about a pot roast cut or a roast beef cut (which was my first thought)?
I know you don’t have a standing rib roast but man, this is the best roast I’ve ever seen on TV. I’m pretty sure Alton’s techniques in this recipe could work for any roast.
BTW he cooks to 118 degrees, rests until 130 degrees, cooks again for 10 mins or so at 500 and he’s done. I believe he’s going for a final temp of 140 or 145.
Season the outside with whatever (My grocery sells them pre-marinated)
Put in roasting pan (you know, those blue oval things) with a 1/4 cup of water and close the lid. Cook at 325F until it is the desired doneness.
2lbs is going to take maybe 1.5 hours.(?)
Though July / August isn’t the best time for this (in The N hemisphere)
Brian
Ok, ok. You’re right. 180 is a bit much. I don’t know what I was thinking. But my ultimare point is it’s better to go by tempurature than time (assuming you get it right :o ).
Ah, okay. My mother doesn’t get the whole temperature thing. She’ll insist that it can’t be done, it hasn’t been in long enough … argh. Meat thermometers do indeed hace a purpose.
A lot depends on exactly what cut of meat you have. Some folks have suggested making Pot Roast, which is a moist cooking process. However, better cuts of beef aren’t well suited to that and should be dry roasted. If you have a piece of chuck, make pot roast. Round could go either way but should probably be dry roasted. Sirloin Tip Roast should be dry roasted. Pot Roasting a Rib Roast is just wrong.
Provided you do have a pot roast, you might find this helpful:
Here’s how I cook my roasts (cheapest cuts only, 'cause we’s pofolks):
Season the outside with salt.
Brown on all sides in a cast iron skillet.
Place in a pan with carrots and potatos and pour over it:
1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1 cup of water (that you’ve used to deglaze the skillet), with garlic powder, minced onions, dried parsley, pepper, maybe some rosemary mixed in.
Cover the whole thing tightly with aluminum foil and keep it in the oven 'til it’s done. Usually about 2 hours. When it comes out cut a slit in the corner of the aluminum foil so you can pour the juice into a saucepan and make gravy.
Couldn’t believe nobody had mentioned the searing/browning process until now. This will seal the roast and help keep the juices on the inside.
Probably not. That oft-quoted advice appears to be another cooking myth.
You beat me to it. Searing to “seal in the juices” is a myth. However, searing does have an important place in cooking: the Maillard Reaction. This reaction is the browning of meat which produces an intense, concentrated meaty flavor, and is important to any type of roast.
Actually, Kalhoun mentioned browning near the top of this thread.
Plus a reference on the Maillard reaction.
(emphasis added.)
Actually the method I mention from Alton Brown:
…includes searing. But AFTERWARDS, and not in a skillet but in a 500 degree oven. Alton agrees with the articles mentioned above, but he does like him some crispy outsides, so that’s the method he uses.
Those McCormick oven roasting bags are an easy way to make a tender and juicy pot roast. Just chop up a couple of potatoes, onions, and some carrots, toss them in the bag with the roast and pour in the contents of the seasoning packet mixed with water. The instructions call for a 3-4 pound roast, but 2 pound roasts work just fine - just shorten the cooking time to 1 1/2 hours.