Cookin-Con: Viva da Pot Roast
Jeneane and I have tossed around our Chicken Soup Recipes in the past couple days. You might ask, why in the hell would two women who have much better things to do with their time, than attempt to upstage Martha post our recipes online? Simple stupid: WE CAN. And from my standpoint may be someone will read my weblog and find the courage to make something they once thought nearly impossible for them to make at home. If you do-- I want to hear from you!
It's been mentioned that it might be a good idea that Jeneane and I do a Cookin-Con at some remote Alaskan Lodge at a place and date to be named later. I propose something a little more sane... Next year we hold an auction to say 30-50 lucky souls to come to our private little cook-off, at a private hotel with kitchens, and allow the guests to vote on who's Pot Roast, Chicken Soup or whatever was the best. Income from this event will allow Ms. J and myself to attend the event, pay for the meal and even have a few bucks left over for the charity of our choice.
Whatta ya think?
Here's the Pot Roast Recipe I promised, I call it:
Viva da Crock Pot Roast
Dig out the the Crock Pot. Wash it up and prepare the following: I have a smaller 4 qt. crock pot, so I can't use meat larger then 2 1/2 lbs, if I had this Crock Pot a new 6.5 qt pot I could do much larger meals.
Comments: First off, I admit that over the years I've grown lazy when it comes to cooking. Having grown up around and in the restaurant business all my life, I'm not up for spending countless hours preparing a gourmet meal. But I did learn by trial and error that you can create a great wholesome fresh meal with a little preparation. This took some doing because Dr. Doug is not a crock pot fan, but one day I prepared this along with a green salad, a glass of red wine and some apple cobbler. The pot roast was an instant hit. My Crock Pot got to come out of the closet.
2-2 1/2 lb piece of beef, I prefer a thick piece of boneless Chuck Roast
2 12 oz can of beef broth
Garlic powder or a 2 cloves of garlic (Not garlic salt)
Black coarse ground pepper
Optional: Favorite Steak Seasoning
2-3 stocks of celery chopped
1 medium 3-4 inch white onion
1 medium turnip
4-5 carrots scraped and cut into quarters
4-5 medium potatoes peeled, or 8-10 2-2 1/2 inch whole red potatoes (not peeled)
1. Prepare the meat and allow to come to near room temperature, by allowing it to sit out covered for 45 minutes. Blot the meat dry of all excess moisture. Wet meat doesn't brown. Cold meat stiffens when browned will become tough. Season with Black Pepper and garlic powder. Do not add salt. There is enough salt in the beef broth to season.
2. Rough cut onion, and mince garlic, if you are using fresh garlic. Do not cut Onion too fine as it will fall apart completely while cooking. Set aside.
3. Sear the beef in an oiled skillet and brown. DO NOT cook the meat more than it takes to brown. Remove and place immediately in the Crock pot set at high.
4. Add Onions, garlic and one can of beef broth. Put on the lid and keep it on until the pot begins to boil. Normally this takes about 30-45 minutes.
5. When it starts to boil, set timer and allow to cook for 30 minutes. Then turn temperature to low and keep the lid on.
6. Allow to cook about 60-90 minutes then carefully lift the hot lid and turn the meat over. Replace the lid quickly and continue cooking another 1-2 hours. Check the meat to make sure it's done. Done means the meat is nearly soft to the touch of the fork.
7. While the meat was cooking, you should clean and prepare the remaining vegetables. Set these aside on the counter so they are near room temperature when you add them to the pot. Cold vegetable take longer to cook in the crock pot as it dramatically changes the temperature.
8. When the meat is done, remove and platter. Cover with foil and allow to stand. I wrap my meat platter with a towel to insulate and keep hot, because I do not have a warming oven.
7. Turn the crock pot back to high. Add vegetables, and additional broth if needed. Allow to cook until the potatoes and the turnips are done. Which should me about 30-45 minutes. If the meat is too cool, set it back in the pot for 10-15 minutes to reheat. Remove everything and platter and cover until serving time.
8. If you like thick gravy. (Which I don't.) Remove the veggies and thicken with arrowroot or corn starch and the remaining can of broth. If you like thin gravy, serve it up as is.
Serve the roast and veggies up with a good salad. I'm not opposed the the great bag salads today, they're quicker and cheaper than you can make for a couple or small family. Have a great glass of red wine and enjoy.
P.S. This left over Pot Roast makes excellent sandwiches.
