Actually, there are two basic cooking techniques being discussed here, which can get confusing. The two methods are for two very different cuts of meat and result in two different types of “roast”.
Pot roasting for tougher, flavorful cuts of meat like chuck or shoulder or brisket. Use long, slow, moist heat - and this results in lots more rich brown gravy. You can use this method in a casserole on top of the stove or in the oven, or you can use a slow cooker.
Dry roasting for tender, expensive cuts like prime rib or sirloin or beef tenderloin. The meat is roasted dry on a rack in the oven to the desired doneness, and medium to rare is often preferred. A good method, as discussed, is to sear the roast all over until crusty brown and then roast it at a low heat until it reaches your preferred stage of pinkness. You can use the barbecue to do all this, too - keep the coals on one side and brown the roast over there, then switch to the uncoaled side and cover the 'que to finish roasting the meat.
Maybe teela brown has a point… the crock-pot suggestions, and other slow cooking options, would could for me as something very separate from the direct heat of a true roast (i.e. dry roast, apparently )
Has anyone heard of a method where the roast is put in the oven at 500-550F degrees for about 15 minutes, then the oven is turned off? The roast is then left in the oven for about an hour or so (and don’t open it to check on the progress). It’s supposed to sear the outside, and the residual heat from the oven gradually cooks the roast to medium rare inside. I haven’t tried it; has anyone?
I have done the “425F for 10-15 minutes, then turned down to 350F” method with consistent success. I haven’t seared it, so thanks for that tip, folks.
Shalmanese, at 145F is there any change of bacteria surviving? I seem to remember that dishwashers operate at 140F, so that is probably a safe temperature but it would be good to have confirmation.
No pathogens of any note survive in the internal muscle tissue of beef so all that is neccesary is to sterilise the outside with a sear/blowtorch. For Pork, trichinosis dies at 140F but it’s also probably rare enough not to worry about.
I was looking to try something for those days when I spend all my time at school and don’t get home to have dinner until past 9 PM. So I went and bought a boneless rump roast that was on sale and cut it in half, down to about 2 pounds. Following the cookbook, I put in a quarted red onion, a quartered white onion (somehow all the rest of my onions got moldy), some carrots, a couple stalks of celery, a little green onion, and some whole mushrooms and threw it all into my secondhand, 1970s vintage crockpot. I then put the beef, which I had quickly browned in my wok, into the pot, added 3/4" of red cooking wine (burgundy based, I believe), a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, and a bouillon cube. Set the thing on low and it’s been going for an hour.
I guess my question is, is this really enough liquid? Less than a cup doesn’t seem like much, even when the beef starts dripping and the juices bring up the liquid level. I guess I’ll know about 8 PM tonight when it gets to be ten hours or so.
Just so you all know, I was inspired to cook a roast tonight by this thread - I went with the pot roast style, and since my history of cooking roasts is peppered with defeats, this one came out great.
I was confident after last weekend’s success with a corned beef brisket (that I got on sale for $1.40 (total, not per pound) - no kidding!) and the following sandwiches that I took for lunch.
Now I have leftovers for sandwiches this week…off to think about what will be good on those.
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