Best pot roast recipe

[aristocatz]

What is the best pot roast recipe? I am looking to make a really tasty one for Christmas & prepare it with root vegetables.

Any recipes to share?

Thanks!

 

[SandrA9810]

I cook it with a packet of onion soup and a can of beer. Don't add the veggies till about the last half hour or so. They'll get too starchy and soft to taste good if you cook it the entire time.

Make sure you caramelize the meat first before adding the liquid.

 

[Katy Belle]

I like The Pioneer Woman's recipe. She just puts carrots and onions in with the roast. The carrots dont get too mushy.

 

[MIGrandma]

I don't really use a recipe. I put a roast (sometimes beef, sometimes pork) in the roasting pan, along with a can of beef broth. Season the top of the meat (and the liquid around it) with salt, pepper and other spices that we like with meat. Cover and cook it at 350 for about 4 hours, then add chunked potatoes, baby carrots, onions, celery, and fresh mushrooms and let it cook a couple more hours. Delicious and tender, the meat falls apart with a fork.

 

[HeatherC]

My favorite growing up was made with Campbell's Tomato Soup.

Season and brown the roast in a little oil. Put in roasting pan with veggies and dump one can of tomato soup over it. That's it! No water either. Makes a yummy gravy to serve over mashed potatoes.

Lately I have been using the three envelope one from Pinterest. Just combine an envelope of brown gravy mix, Good Seasonings Italian Dressing envelope and a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix. Add a cup of water and pour over roast. I make this in the crockpot.

I think I may be making pot roast today!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I keep trying, lol.

I really hate it with too many carrots because it sweetens the meat and the gravy.

I just made one last night in my electric roaster for the first time and it did not come out tender as I would have liked. Grrr....

Secret is cooking slow and low. I am still trying to figure that part out. Really need a new crockpot.

I make it with onions, mushrooms, and a packet of Lipton beefy onion/mushroom soup. Sometimes I toss in potatoes and carrots (not too many). Other times I just make mashed potatoes.

 

[TuTu4U]

I like The Pioneer Woman's recipe. She just puts carrots and onions in with the roast. The carrots dont get too mushy.

A friend of mine was just RAVING about the Pioneer Woman's pot roast recipe. She said it was the best ever and there were no leftovers.

I am going to try it tomorrow.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/2008_the_year_of_the_pot_roast/

 

[The Mystery Machine]

A friend of mine was just RAVING about the Pioneer Woman's pot roast recipe. She said it was the best ever and there were no leftovers.

I am going to try it tomorrow.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/2008_the_year_of_the_pot_roast/

That is pretty basic recipe although I would make gravy from the pan drippings. Oh and skip the pepper & rosemary. We don't do pepper or major herbs here.

I am going to try her 275 degree cooking method though next time. I am "on the hunt" for a good cooking method.

All in all, I do think the secret is to find a roast with alot of marbling, which is not so easy to find in the grocery store these days.

 

[luvsJack]

We like the 3 envelope Pot Roast on a regular week day roast, I just do all this in the crock pot. If I have more time:

I like to brown it in bacon grease first (just fry some bacon, remove and then brown the roast in the drippings).

If adding veggies, I put the potatoes in first (if in crockpot, at the beginning; if on the stove, after its been cooking a little while). The carrots, I will caramelize them first.

Heat butter or the drippings from the roast (when you browned it), add the carrots (I use tiny baby carrots) and let cook and caramelize and then add to the roast.

I THINK the browning and caramelizing carrots came from Pioneer Woman but not completely sure. I am always getting recipes or methods of cooking from here or there and can't remember for sure.

And some body (Rachal Ray, maybe?) says to add a TB of tomato paste to it and I do sometimes. I can't remember what its supposed to do though! Something about adding the acidity of tomatoes, maybe? Maybe its that different "depth of flavor" that chefs are always talking about. Anyway, it is good with the 3 envelope method and other methods I have used.


For some things, I like to combine different methods rather than following one definitive recipe.

If I was doing something new for Christmas dinner, I think I would try it on a smaller scale on another day. But, that's just me and my mixing of stuff so YMMV on that one.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We like the 3 envelope Pot Roast on a regular week day roast, I just do all this in the crock pot. If I have more time:

I like to brown it in bacon grease first (just fry some bacon, remove and then brown the roast in the drippings).

If adding veggies, I put the potatoes in first (if in crockpot, at the beginning; if on the stove, after its been cooking a little while). The carrots, I will caramelize them first.

Heat butter or the drippings from the roast (when you browned it), add the carrots (I use tiny baby carrots) and let cook and caramelize and then add to the roast.

I THINK the browning and caramelizing carrots came from Pioneer Woman but not completely sure. I am always getting recipes or methods of cooking from here or there and can't remember for sure.

And some body (Rachal Ray, maybe?) says to add a TB of tomato paste to it and I do sometimes. I can't remember what its supposed to do though! Something about adding the acidity of tomatoes, maybe? Maybe its that different "depth of flavor" that chefs are always talking about. Anyway, it is good with the 3 envelope method and other methods I have used.


For some things, I like to combine different methods rather than following one definitive recipe.

If I was doing something new for Christmas dinner, I think I would try it on a smaller scale on another day. But, that's just me and my mixing of stuff so YMMV on that one.

I have never done that. I bet that is good, yum. I use olive oil "for health".

The issue I have with using tomato base stuff is that it sweetens the meat and I hate that. Just a personal thing.

 

[luvsJack]

I have never done that. I bet that is good, yum. I use olive oil "for health".

The issue I have with using tomato base stuff is that it sweetens the meat and I hate that. Just a personal thing.

It is so very good!

And you are right, tomato stuff does give a bit of sweetness. I keep a tube of paste in my fridge and just add a little. It was something about helping to tenderize it or something but it does add some sweetness.

 

[clarabelle]

I have had much better luck cooking mine in a dutch oven than in the crock pot
I also have better results with a chuck roast than other cuts of meat

Brown on the stove then cook in a low oven

 

[figment52]

I have had much better luck cooking mine in a dutch oven than in the crock pot
I also have better results with a chuck roast than other cuts of meat

Brown on the stove then cook in a low oven

I add red wine instead of water for the liquid to keep it moist and tender.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I have had much better luck cooking mine in a dutch oven than in the crock pot
I also have better results with a chuck roast than other cuts of meat

Brown on the stove then cook in a low oven

I think you have touched on something here. Certainly food for thought so to speak.

You know what, I used to cook mine in a dutch oven, a big nice heavy one with a lid that had NO ESCAPE.

I think today's crock pots and cheaper pots do not have lids that seal well which is part of the cooking equation.

I think you have found me a good excuse to finally buy that Le Creuset for Christmas for myself.

 

[tasha99]

Not sure you'd want something this "different" for Christmas, but someday try this. It's delicious. I had to substitute turnips for the Jerusalem artichokes. The blend of orange and anise was unusual and smelled soooo good.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/pot-roast-2-recipe/index.html

 

[clarabelle]

I think you have touched on something here. Certainly food for thought so to speak.

You know what, I used to cook mine in a dutch oven, a big nice heavy one with a lid that had NO ESCAPE.

I think today's crock pots and cheaper pots do not have lids that seal well which is part of the cooking equation.

I think you have found me a good excuse to finally buy that Le Creuset for Christmas for myself.

Mystery -I love my Le Creuset dutch oven. It is the oblong shape. It is heavy but any kind of meat cooked low and slow it in is wonderful. I got it at an after Christmas sale at Williams Sonoma a few years ago.

 

[Katy Belle]

I think you have touched on something here. Certainly food for thought so to speak.

You know what, I used to cook mine in a dutch oven, a big nice heavy one with a lid that had NO ESCAPE.

I think today's crock pots and cheaper pots do not have lids that seal well which is part of the cooking equation.

I think you have found me a good excuse to finally buy that Le Creuset for Christmas for myself.

Agree! I hate roast cooked in a crock pot...not sure why, almost too moist or squishy in some way
I actually use Pampered Chef stoneware, covered with aluminum foil. Works great, IMHO.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Mystery -I love my Le Creuset dutch oven. It is the oblong shape. It is heavy but any kind of meat cooked low and slow it in is wonderful. I got it at an after Christmas sale at Williams Sonoma a few years ago.

Well, we have an outlet that opened up a couple of months ago. Might have to take a trip over there.

I really do think that is part of the reason why my roasts are just not tender as I would like.

The pots are not well sealed enough including the crock pots they sell these days. Everyone has gone to the glass lids which are nice for veggies, etc. but not for meats.

 

[luvsJack]

My crock pot actually has a pretty good sealing lid. It is a programmable crock pot and it does have a glass lid, but it has a seal around the inside of the lid. It cooks a roast or stew really well. Nice and tender.

You have to also be careful of where you buy your roast. We have a nice, privately owned grocery store in the next town over. Their meat is so good. Its still cut the way it was "back in the day" without all the fat being trimmed off. I can remove the fat later and cooking with it on the cut of meat, makes for a much more flavorful and tender end result.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My crock pot actually has a pretty good sealing lid. It is a programmable crock pot and it does have a glass lid, but it has a seal around the inside of the lid. It cooks a roast or stew really well. Nice and tender.

You have to also be careful of where you buy your roast. We have a nice, privately owned grocery store in the next town over. Their meat is so good. Its still cut the way it was "back in the day" without all the fat being trimmed off. I can remove the fat later and cooking with it on the cut of meat, makes for a much more flavorful and tender end result.

My crock pot lid stinks. It is plastic lid that does not seal well. It is an old crock pot that has seen better days.

Even my electric roaster I bought has a terrible seal on it. The lid is very light weight.