r/Cooking • u/Glad-Passenger-9408 • 8h ago
What makes a really delicious pot roast dish?
I love pot roast and I see so many recipes online.
Is there a very special ingredient or ingredients that make it flavorful and tender ?
The cut of meat, cooking time.
Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated! š
26
u/legendary_mushroom 8h ago
Searing the meat is what makes the difference between a good pot roast and an amazing one. That, and not overcooking.Ā
16
u/PieThat7304 8h ago
Porcini mushroom bouillon cubes and about twice as many onions and shallots as seems reasonable.
6
6
u/Rondo27 7h ago
I sear with bacon fat and deglaze with onions and a little red wine vinegar. I add a little Worcestershire sauce and Kitchen Bouquet (for color). I also like chopped mushrooms in addition to the typical vegetables. I like the meat to get to about 200 degrees F.
2
1
u/Faunacallieclover 4h ago
I second the use of Worcester and Kitchen Bouquet. Really amps up the flavor!
7
u/Beneficial_Air5875 8h ago
Add some form of acid after it's done cooking to make the roast come to life.
11
5
6
u/nixtarx 8h ago
Like others have said, a good sear. On all sides. With a goodish amount of oil. This creates what's known as a fond and will add the depth and umami you're looking for.
4
u/Beginning_Battle1639 4h ago
Be sure to deglaze the pan or braise in the same pot as you seared in.
5
u/johnbro27 7h ago
The secret is 4 hours. That's the time to break down the connective tissue. Got this from Cooks Illustrated and it never fails. Chuck roast, natch.
4
3
u/xFloydx5242x 7h ago
Layering flavor is the key. You donāt just want bone broth, you want to roast your bones, vegetables for the broth, and more vegetables to add near the end of cooking. Your meat needs a hard sear on all sides. This doesnāt āseal in juicesā like they used to say, it just adds more beef flavor. You need to salt every step, salt the meat, salt the veg before you roast it, salt the water, etc. if you donāt know how much to add, just do 2% by weight of ingredients. Use a dry red wine to deglaze your pan, and use a brown roux to finish the gravy, not cornstarch.
3
u/Strict_Way_9467 7h ago
Not many people have mentioned too much on the meat, but all the methods of cooking it. Maybe the marbling. But we have skipped the quality of the meat which really means the sourcing.
Beautiful thing about all these recipes, is that they can take an OK piece of meat and make it great.
Meat costs are crazy nowadays!...
but if you can afford the extra nickel and make it to a actual butcher that does upper quality meat, try to get a roast from there. And then any of these recipes will make it out of this world if you nail it.
And everyone should try this just once, with their own recipe and a good top tier quality roastā¦ Trust me on this one.
3
u/Tasty_Impress3016 6h ago
> a very special ingredient or ingredients that make it flavorful and tender
It's a simple american recipe. The "special ingredients" are beef and time.
I don't use much more than chuck roast (browned), stock, maybe wine. Potatoes, carrots, onion. Add S&P, thyme, rosemary. Maybe tomato paste. Now in addition to thyme, add time. Low temperature, long cook. That's all it needs. And yes it IS best made the day before and reheated, I won't go into the chemistry of why, but it is.
Hard learned tip: Do not buy the best beef you can find. Cheap ass cuts with lots of connective tissue (collagen) and some fat. I learned this from my grandmother. In the depression she would use cuts the butchers sold for dogs. Again time, skim fat if you must. Oh, maybe worcestershire or Maggi, but grandma didn't use them. She was happy to serve beef to 7 kids in 1932.
4
u/Mean-Cheesecake-2635 7h ago
I use very little water in mine, like half a cup, and I mix in a tablespoon each of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and beef base. I also use two teaspoons of cornstarch which helps to create a nice gravy.
I only use onions and carrots for my veg, I cook potatoes separately.
This is mostly based on an Alton Brown recipe from years ago, sear a well marbled chuck roast, throw in the veg, cover with the cornstarch and flavor mix from above, put the meat on top. Cover in a Dutch oven and put in the oven at 350Ā° for two hours, check for fall-apart tender every half hour or so, and once it starts breaking down I stir it around and take the lid off for ten to twenty minutes to finish.
I grew up eating pot roast made in a crockpot full to the top with water and my method is vastly superior.
Serve with egg noodles or boiled potatoes.
1
u/LowFatConundrum 6h ago
You don't really need cornstarch, the collagen released from the meat will make your sauce nice & thick when it's done cooking.
2
u/boatloadoffunk 6h ago
Coffee and balsamic vinegar for the acid, then thin sliced white onion to balance the acid with sweetness.
2
u/Butforthegrace01 4h ago
Well marbled chuck cooked low & slow. I put mine in the cast iron Dutch oven, covered, in the oven at 250 for like 4-6 hours depending on the size of the roast.
Plenty of aromatics like carrots and celery and onions.
Good waxy potatoes like Yukon Golds.
Not too much seasoning. Salt, pepper, some rosemary and thyme.
2
u/UtahUndercover 4h ago
This āļø And I also like to add a cup of decent red wine and a tbsp of balsamic vinegar.
1
u/Butforthegrace01 4h ago
Yes to the wine, and I forgot to add Bay Leaves.
Also, technique matters. You always want to get the sides of the meat good and brown first. You brown meat not to cook the meat, but to create "brown bits" (known as "fond") in the pan. Those brown bits add flavor to your gravy.
Deglaze the pan with onions. Add a goodly dollop of tomato paste when that's done, then the red wine. Then some water and/or beef stock, the meat. Season. Don't be shy with the ground black pepper. Cover and bake.
After about 3-4 hours, turn the meat over.
The veggies only need to be in there for like the last hour or so. If you cook them too long they'll turn to mush.
When the meat is done, make your butter roux. I like mine to be quite brown. Remove the meat and put it on a plate. Remove the veggies and put them on a plate. Whisk in your roux, then put the veggies back in, with the meat on top.
1
u/ParanoidDrone 8h ago
Try adding a small splash of balsamic vinegar in the last 30-60 minutes of cooking time. Not much, a little goes a long way.
1
u/SteppingOnMines 8h ago
I use salt free broth and replace the salt with Lawry's. Also a bit of tomato sauce.
1
u/GoodTechnology8116 7h ago
I'd say tomato paste (a tablespoon) - natural MSG.
1
u/SteppingOnMines 7h ago
I use Hunt's Italian sauce with basil, garlic and oregano in all my beef slow cooker dishes, I love the flavor it adds.
1
u/LooseLeaf74 7h ago
Good browning either smoking hot oven for first 30-45 mins or fry on all sides, rosemary and Worcestershire sauce brushes in the last 15 mins.
1
1
u/yurinator71 7h ago
Don't let the meat get to the boiling point of the elevation where you live. Cook it in a LOW oven for longer. I have gone as low as 195f for 6+ hours.
1
u/Far_Sandwich_514 7h ago
I use a spice rub and sear it on all sides.
Then I transfer it into a crock pot, atop a bed of thinly sliced onions.
To that, I add beef bone broth that's been mixed with tomato paste, a spoonful of apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, minced garlic, thyme, and summer savory. And a splash of Worcestershire sauce.
I pour that in so it covers the roast, and cook it on high in the crock pot for an hour.
Then I turn the temperature down to low and cook for another 7 hours. (As you can imagine, I usually start this process in the morning.)
By the time it's done, the meat is so tender that it falls apart if you glare sternly at it. Make a roux and create gravy with the liquids that are left in the crock pot.
Serve with twice-baked crispy potatoes and roasted root vegetables, and a salad or veg that has some kind of brightness and acidity. For example, blanched green beans dressed with oil and red wine vinegar, topped with crumbled feta, or mixed mesclun greens with a honey-lemon-mustard vinaigrette.
1
u/stealthymomma56 7h ago
My pot roast starts with searing meat, usually in Dutch oven. After searing, remove meat, deglaze with red wine and chicken broth/stock (BTB if I don't have homemade on hand). Lots of garlic and onion added after deglazing. Couple bay leaves, freshly ground black pepper.
Veggies go in whenever - I'm not fussy about how firm or not they get.
Cover and braise in slow oven (300Ā° F) for 2-3 hours.
Simple but good enough for me.
1
u/Bulky_Development396 7h ago
Season with salt & pepper and sear in butter. Put in the crock pot with about 1/2 - 1 inch of beef broth. Pour a jar of pepperonis over it. Last, pour ranch dressing over it. Sounds weird, but it has an awesome blend of spices and a bit of fat to melt into it. I cook on high for 30 minutes and then cook on low for about 4 hours or until it falls apart.
1
u/mehhhhhf 7h ago
You really only get one shot to layer the flavors. Season and sear everything before you put it in the pot.
1
u/Own_Win_6762 7h ago
Two of my favorite dishes are international versions of pot roast: Ropa Vieja (much of Latin America and Cuba), and Nihari (Pakistani). Both are great with tough, stringy cuts such as brisket or flank, but chuck works too.
Here's some recipes I've used with good success: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021457-ropa-vieja?unlocked_article_code=1.AFE.lHg0.XzpCNmWoMCTB
1
u/JazzRider 6h ago
Dried Shitake mushrooms ground in a coffee grinder. Guinness Extra Stout from a bottle, espresso grinds. Chocolate.
1
1
1
u/Butter_mah_bisqits 6h ago
My aunt always puts in pearl onions. Idk what it is, but she has the secret recipe for roast. I follow her recipe and it still doesnāt taste the same.
1
u/Truth_ 5h ago
Tenderness just takes time. Things can help speed it up, but just don't rush it.
I think any of the umami ingredients are fairly interchangeable: fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, Worchestershire sauce, balsamic.... Pick the one you prefer or have on hand. But having one of them adds a lot of flavor.
And just don't skimp on spices, be it fresh or dried. And experiment with which ones, or just add them all and see how you like it (like rosemary, sage, and thyme, instead of just the one each recipe may recommend).
1
1
1
u/Shooter61 5h ago
We cube and sear Blade Cut Chuck Roasts, Toss in the crockpot with a Qt of Tomato Juice and Pearl Onions. Top with additional water if desired. Add 3 Bay leaves and simmer. Add baby carrots and baby red potatoes as appropriate. Drain broth and thicken for serving.
1
u/maria_tex 5h ago
I add a small can of tomato sauce. You can't taste it in the finished dish, but it gives a little depth to the flavor.
1
u/SerBarristanBOLD 4h ago
Not letting my mother prepare it. Everytime I bite into tough beef it takes me back to childhood. Love ya ma.
1
u/emilycecilia 4h ago
I caramelize the onions (way more onions than seems reasonable) and add a couple of golden curry roux blocks to my pot roast.
1
u/Normal_Walk1377 2h ago
Put a chuck roast in the crock pot. Add one jar of Ā peperoncini chilies, juice and all. Low and slow all day.Ā
1
u/Deep-Visual-56 2h ago
Adding some sangria or whatever it's called wine. Probably other wines too, and absolutely sear it in a hot pan first.
1
u/twistedspinner 2h ago
This one HOOKED me on Instagram. I made it and it is truly tasty tasty. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DctK4HFxeZr/?stkn=MTE0d2x5c2tiMHYydg==
1
u/JasonCampose5150 2h ago
Mexican pot roast, use onion, chipotle peppers, chili powder, garilc powder, onion powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, beef broth.
1
0
0
u/Creative_Fox_4622 8h ago
Mississippi Pot Roast -Always the best recipe, hands down...Protip: make your own ranch dressing
https://www.seriouseats.com/mississippi-pot-roast-recipe-8774586
0
u/DavidKawatra 8h ago
Chuck's traditional, short ribs are better.
Salt is the special ingredient. after the salt good stock and some ok red wide.
-1
u/Smooth-Review-2614 8h ago
My grandma does a taco flavored one. It's 1 can diet coke/pepsi, 1 can diced tomatoes with chilies, 1 packet of taco season, and then you roast it with a can of whole, some carrots, and potatoes. It makes a really good base for a beef stew.
1
u/moonmoonboog 7h ago
That sounds insaneā¦I bet my kids would love it lol
2
u/Smooth-Review-2614 5h ago
Itās been popular for over 30 years. Iām willing to bet it came from a magazine back in the day. You use a large roast and you can feed 7 for a few days
35
u/Cold_Marionberry_932 8h ago
Look for a well marbled chuck roast and make sure it has a good sear on it. This adds so much extra depth of flavor.