Pot Roast a Classic Favorite!

Pot Roast seems to be a lost art.  We grew up on them but we don’t have too many folks ask us about them anymore, which kinda bums us out.  Roasts, cooked properly, are an excellent cut of beef.  We’ve all heard people complain about “Aunt Mabel’s pot roast” and we’ve lived through a few roast horror stories ourselves.  Probably the biggest enemy of any roast is over cooking.

Crock Pots are great for soup or chili, but many a pot roast has suffered an agonizing bout of overcooking via the Crock Pot.  We’ve heard of folks (God bless them) who throw a bunch of veggies and a lean round pot roast into a crock pot then leave it on high all day while they are at the office.  This much contained water, heat and time will pretty much turn what could have been an awesome dinner into mush.  There is a big difference between tender meat, and mush.

Angus Beef Tri Tip

Tri-Tip or Chuck Roast

Now, that same Crock Pot set to “Low” would have made something a whole lot more palatable, but a few extra minutes of prep time can simply put it over the top.  For starters season and sear,  the roast – just like a steak – prior to roasting, then wrap it in aluminum foil.

Cook it on the same drip rack in the same oven that you used for the steak, except cook it to an internal temperature of 160F, remove it from the heat and allow it to rest – still in the foil – for 20-30 minutes.

If you roast the vegetables in the same oven, on the same drip rack, you can simply transfer them to a large serving bowl.  Cover with foil and allow them to rest for the same 20-30 minutes.

What to do with the 20-30 minute rest period…. well, it’s the perfect amount of time to set the table and make gravy!

Gravy!

Grab the cookie sheet that was under the drip rack and add a 1/4 stick of butter to the pan while it’s still hot.  When the butter melts, use a wooden spoon to stir up and dissolve the butter into the drippings and vise-versa.  Pour this mixture into a sauce pan and set the oven to medium heat.  Add just enough white flour to make a thick paste.  Finally, add milk slowly until it becomes a nice, brown gravy.

Staying true to form that gravy, to be delicious, should be unhealthy, add a healthy pinch of Kosher or Sea Salt and enough Coarse Black Pepper to taste.  One can also add Beef Bullion for a “beefier” taste, if desired.

Once this task is complete, the table is set, the roast and vegetables are ready to serve and you’re all set.  Total time start to finish should be 1.5-2 hours.  If dead-set on using the Crock Pot, use a small stoneware dish or bowl to prop the roast up and off the bottom of the Crock Pot so it doesn’t get soggy, the drippings will still make a very nice gravy, using the directions described above.  Veggies are probably still best steamed or cooked separately.

Again, use premium beef to stack the odds in your favor of having a perfect pot roast.  Nothing is more true than ” you get what you pay for” when it comes to beef!

Chef’s notes:

  • Preheat Oven to 400F
  • Preheat Skillet and add Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Season Roast to taste
  • Sear Pot Roast on all sides of roast one side at a time, until golden-brown crust is achieved
  • Wrap the roast in aluminum foil and place on drip rack/cookie sheet
  • Place UNWRAPPED vegetables on same drip rack/cookie sheet
  • Put roast and vegetables in 400F oven until internal temp of roast is 160F remove from oven
  • Put vegetables in serving bowl and cover, leave roast wrapped and allow to rest for 30 min
  • Set table
  • Mix drippings with 1/4 stick of butter, heat until melted & blended. Add white flour to form paste.  Add milk SLOWLY until consistency is reached.  Add salt to taste.