How do you cook a pot roast?

[dbt1949]

I've never really cooked one before. I have a vague idea but I'd like to hear you all's ideas.

[GargoyleBoy]

Dude. You roast it. In a pot. It's in the name.

[wonderpug]

Dude. You roast it. In a pot. It's in the name.

Well now what am I going to do with all this weed?

[coopasonic]

Dude. You roast it. In a pot. It's in the name.

Well now what am I going to do with all this weed?

Get roasted?

[Daveman]

Been awhile and I make no claims to be a great chef, but off the top of my head:

pot roast, seasoned and coated in flour
assorted thick-sliced carrots (or baby carrots)
assorted cubed potatoes (or small potatoes)

Put it all in a crockpot on low, about 8 hours? The outer fats reduce to a liquid and mix in with the flour and seasoning to create a gravy. I've tried and tried to slice the pot roast but it usually just pulls apart, doesn't really matter.

Did a small variation now and then with Italian seasoning and some tomato sauce (not a lot, just enough to give the gravy a tomato-y flavor) that was really good too, served on top of pasta.

[Z-Corn]

Brown a chuck roast on all sides in fat (oil or bacon drippings) in a dutch oven on the stove.

Remove browned roast and saute onions and garlic in dutch oven until soft. Add a little tomato paste, cook for a minute or two.
Deglaze pan with red wine. Add some beef stock, maybe water if you like.

Add chuck roast back to dutch oven, liquid should come about half-way up side of roast. Braise in 325F oven with lid on for 90 minutes.

Add vegetables (carrots, potatoes, etc.) to dutch oven, place back in oven and cook another 60 minutes or until veggies are cooked.

Remove everything from dutch oven and thicken liquid to make a gravy for the top of meat and veggies.

That's the simple explanation, it can go way deeper!

Fuck a crockpot.

edit to add: I'm not disparaging Daveman's suggestion, I just hate crockpots. They make for lazy home cooks.

[Daehawk]

Made it both in crockpot which I still do now and in a dutch oven. Came out wonderful either way. You really dont need to seer it in a crockpot at least.

[Z-Corn]

You really dont need to seer it in a crockpot at least.

And that's why crockpots suck and make lazy cooks. You absolutely do need to brown the meat. Maillard reaction.

[Unagi]

You really dont need to seer it in a crockpot at least.

And that's why crockpots suck and make lazy cooks. You absolutely do need to brown the meat. Maillard reaction.

you MUST sear it, for crockpot cooking. He's just lazy, himself... it's not the crockpot.

[Unagi]

Been awhile and I make no claims to be a great chef, but off the top of my head:

pot roast, seasoned and coated in flour
assorted thick-sliced carrots (or baby carrots)
assorted cubed potatoes (or small potatoes)

Put it all in a crockpot on low, about 8 hours? The outer fats reduce to a liquid and mix in with the flour and seasoning to create a gravy. I've tried and tried to slice the pot roast but it usually just pulls apart, doesn't really matter.

Did a small variation now and then with Italian seasoning and some tomato sauce (not a lot, just enough to give the gravy a tomato-y flavor) that was really good too, served on top of pasta.

This, but add minced garlic with the carrots and potatoes.
(and sear that roast, it just adds that needed rind to the end creation)


edit: and also keep the carrots and potatoes big... cooking for 8 hours will reduce baby carrots or small cubed potatoes to mush.

[$iljanus]

Hey dbt, what kind of cookware do you have for this undertaking? It could help guide the advice.

[stimpy]

Put pot roast in slow cooker. Put in 1 jar of giardiniera , hot or mild. Fill half of that jar with water and add.
Cover. 10 hours. Shred. Serve as sandwiches or over rice or potatoes.

[dbt1949]

Well, I have a stove, a Dutch Oven (that's older than me) and a large crockpot.
So, so far all the suggestions I can do.

[GreenGoo]

First, I don't cook. Like, ever. Sure I make meals for my kids, but what I do is not cooking. I also don't know how to cook, although I can follow instructions.

No onions or celery for flavor for the gravy at least? It just seems to me that carrots and potatoes are lonely in there. Onions seem like a no-brainer. I like the garlic suggestion. What about pickles? Pickles are a pretty common item in German cuisine (meat wrapped around pickles is called Rouladen I think) and my Scottish grandmother made what was essentially Rouladen (it wasn't until 25 years later that I made the connection) when I was a kid. I love pickles.

If adding things make it not pot roast any more, ok, it just seems like it could use a little more. Carrots and potatoes are so bland. I'm not suggesting replacing them, only that they could use a flavour boost.

edit: Z-corn mentions onions. I missed it the first time around.

[Daehawk]

edit: and also keep the carrots and potatoes big... cooking for 8 hours will reduce baby carrots or small cubed potatoes to mush.

I simply quarter my potatoes. But I do use baby carrots and have never had a problem with them. If you do then just add them later in the cook cycle.

Also I sit my roast not on the bottom of the crock but on top of the onions.

For extra flavor I add Worcestershire sauce and 1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup no water added...but not all the time.

Also in a crock never add too much water. It will make its own. Just barely enough to cover the roast itself is sufficient.

Lastly IMO its best to always cook on low for longer than high for shorter time.

[$iljanus]

Well, I have a stove, a Dutch Oven (that's older than me) and a large crockpot.
So, so far all the suggestions I can do.

Dutch oven, the original slow cooker! I like using a dutch oven because you can brown the meat and deglaze in the same pot, keeping all the brown bits which add to the flavor of your cooking stock.

And just a random tip, don't overfill your cooking "vessel". The veggies will sweat a little adding liquid during the cooking process and you want to braise your meat, not boil it. Also, I like to season my roast with kosher salt overnight in the fridge. But if you don't want to wait, you can salt it the day of as well.

[Z-Corn]

edit: Z-corn mentions onions. I missed it the first time around.

Yes thank you. My way is The Way.

You have a great idea with suggesting pickles. They would not be out of place for the sour they add, BUT I forgot to mention that I add a teaspoon or two of cheap balsamic vinegar at the end. This gives a nice sour note.

I'm not above adding a half-teaspoon of sugar at the end either, more flavor layering.

[Isgrimnur]

PRACTICE!

[Z-Corn]

PRACTICE!

This is very true.

That's why dbt should do it My Way. I've been braising pot roast properly for 30 years. Including years and years in professional kitchens.

I JUST finished a bowl of stew I made last night. I made it exactly as I posted above with the extra added step of cubing the chuck roast after browning it.

Escoffier himself would jizz his whites upon tasting my braises!

[GreenGoo]

I'm overly full from dinner and this thread still has my mouth watering. Except for the jizz parts, I suppose. That's less good.

[Jeff V]

Spread your leaves evenly on a large cookie sheet. Roast at low temperature until leaves are dry and crumbly, do not over-bake or you will get toasted by the fumes. Divide into one ounce portions and store in Ziploc bags.

Oh...you're talking meat? Pot roast is one of those things my mom was terrible at and I swore I would never eat again. Related, her beef stew was just as bad and I swore that off too. My wife says I make a really, really good beef stew (I can cook it, I just won't eat it). A tip I got from Alton Brown - sear it, braise it, refrigerate it, cut a hockey puck out of the oil and fat that hardens over the fluids in the pot, sear the meat again in the grease from the re-heated hockey puck, then proceed to add things like root vegetables, stock, and herbs (some of the herb from the first paragraph should work just fine).

[hepcat]

One thing to make sure of is that your roast is in the liquid in the crockpot. If you put it on top of the vegetables so that it is raised above the liquid line, you'll get a dry roast. It will still be edible, but it will taste more like a baked steak than a fall apart pot roast.

I've switched over to using an instant pot lately. I can get the whole thing done in less than 90 minutes...and that includes searing it in the instant pot first.

[Cylus Maxii]

Look up the Pioneer Woman (Ree Drumond) recipe and video. Its great.

[ImLawBoy]

Look up the Pioneer Woman (Ree Drumond) recipe and video. Its great.

She's got a couple of pot roast recipes out there. I like the Red Wine Pot Roast.

[Anonymous Bosch]

In my experience, it doesn't get any better than a perfectly slow-cooked sous vide chuck roast:

Much is made of sous vide's ability to transform cuts of meat, creating new textures and serving meat at temperatures that were not practical in the past. However, sometimes it shines brightest when it's just creating a perfect version of an old dish. That's the case here with a great traditional pot roast. The meat is fall apart tender but still very juicy, unlike the sometimes dried texture of many braised pot roasts.

When I make pot roasts I almost always use a chuck roast. It's a wonderful cut of meat with lots of fat to render leaving a flaky, moist meat behind. There are many different time and temperature combinations you can use for a traditional-style roast. I usually cook it at 185°F (85°C) for 12 hours for a very braise-like texture or 161°F (71.7°C) for 24 to 48 hours, for a firmer, but still flaky texture.

[hepcat]

I've been eyeing a sous vide cooker for a while now, but cooking something for 2 straight days makes me nervous.

[Scuzz]

My wife would brown the meat, then put it into a crock pot with potatoes and veggies and onions.

[rittchard]

If you've really never cooked one before, I recommend starting out with the EASIEST possible version.

Buy one of these oven bag things:

https://www.mccormick.com/recipes/main- ... -pot-roast

...and follow their instructions. Pick whatever veggies you like, throw it all in the bag and throw it in the oven. I've tried other versions (slow cooker, etc.) but I've always found this version to be the best bang for the amount of time/effort.

Oh yeah, the only modification I like to do is add some soy sauce and/or cooking sherry (wine or whatever), which Asian-ifies it a little lol. Totally optional though.

[Daehawk]

SOY! Thats another sauce I use in the crockpot. Makes a great gravy too from the juice.

[Isgrimnur]

You mean liquid salt?

[Daehawk]

You mean liquid salt?

Lol..so true. Soy with chicken salad is so special too.

[Brian]

Brown a chuck roast on all sides ...

Remove browned roast and saute onions and garlic ...

Deglaze pan with red wine...

Add chuck roast back to dutch oven...

Add vegetables (carrots, potatoes, etc.) to dutch oven...

Remove everything from dutch oven ...

Fuck a crockpot...

Not sure about this last step in the process.

[pr0ner]

Brown a chuck roast on all sides ...

Remove browned roast and saute onions and garlic ...

Deglaze pan with red wine...

Add chuck roast back to dutch oven...

Add vegetables (carrots, potatoes, etc.) to dutch oven...

Remove everything from dutch oven ...

Fuck a crockpot...

Not sure about this last step in the process.

[LordMortis]

My mom would have me use an oven but I use a slow cooker. We use a tip roast. I don't know why. It's what she did so it's what I do. I find a slow cooker retains more of the natural juices and is easier to keep the roast form getting dry. In addition the retention of more of it's juices allow me to make a better au jous or BBQ (I guess that would be KC style BBQ, but I'm no expert on nomenclatures, only on what I like)

If found a a great base both for au jous and for BBQ is something called Joes. I can't find it online, so I'll have to go home and check my memory against reality. So I double up on lazy.

Ultimately I'm not a fan of a roast, so I cook it with express intention of making it in to "leftovers" my mom used to make. I'll cook a roast and then turn the juice into au ju or BBQ for sandwiches, slice up the "leftovers" and lightly cook it in the crock pot again in the prepared sandwich juices.

I'm a barbarian and I don't care. I like what I like.

[stimpy]

What time is dinner?

[soulbringer]

Just made one today. Salt and peppered the roast, browned in skillet, put in crock pot on top of potato and carrot chunks. Sautee'd onion and garlic in roast dripping in pan added that to crock pot. Deglazed pan with some red wine and a little beef stock and whisked in some flour and added that to the pot. Covered roast with some remaining beef stock. Cooked on low for 7 hours and added some fresh sliced mushrooms and cooked for another 45 minutes. It was heavenly.

[Unagi]

that sounds perfect. almost just what we do. although we do a bit of cornstarch toward the end of cooking and don't do the flour.

[GreenGoo]

See, I don't cook, as per above.

When everyone says "deglaze the pan with red wine" I think it involves scrapping off the bits stuck to the pan using red wine as a solvent/cleaner/bit absorber, which is then added back to the crockpot/roast for flavouring (edit: Sorry, I see soulbringer says as much regarding adding back to the roast. Still, clarify "deglaze" for me please).

Please feel free to enlighten me. I could google it but this seems like the right place to learn things of this nature.

[Anonymous Bosch]

I've been eyeing a sous vide cooker for a while now, but cooking something for 2 straight days makes me nervous.

Rest assured, you certainly don't have to cook a sous vide pot roast for a full 48 hours. Here's a decent explanation for the range in cooking times you often see for sous vide recipes.

TL;DR version: the 2-day cooking time is more of a 'worst case' scenario, e.g. a bargain-priced supermarket cut may well require a lengthier than normal cooking time to sufficiently tenderise, but that doesn't mean you'd need to cook a superior-quality cut for the same amount of time.

[GungHo]

I throw in a package of Kroger brand burrito mix. You know the bags you can buy that are powder filled for making all kinds of things from burrito sayce/taco sauce/white gravy etc. Ads a nice flavor and I just rub it in before I start cooking. And as much as I detest onions they are without a doubt, essential for a pot roast. And I'll agree with the poster earlier who said slow and low on your time and heat. Mas mejor that way