Made my first ever pot roast.

M

Marg CDN

Well-known member
I was missing one ingredient for Richard's sauerbraten so I finally satisfied my curiosity about pot roasts. My mother the anti-alcoholic, barely knew what wine was, so there was never any in the house and certainly not in real food. So her pot roasts were like wet shoes that had been left to dry. I never wanted to make my own. I figured Ina Garten would be a good bet and she really impressed me and my guests. I made it the same way but with a lot less salt and pepper (and there was still too much). I had a bottom round but thought it was worth trying anyway. Most enjoyable and made lots of worthwhile leftovers. I'll definitely do it again.

I am not fond of leftovers, but I really could do this again, even if only for the leftovers.

https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/company-pot-roast

Ahah!! Did it. Thanks Marilyn. It has been so long since I've posted anything.😊

 
Bravo. It's always thrilling to surmount the "bad meat experience" barrier. In my opinion, Ina's recipes are always too salty, but I "think" she uses Diamond kosher salt as I've had better success since then. I still can't figure out why she uses soy sauce AND salt in her broccoli recipe. Why, Ina? Why??? I ruined SO MUCH BROCCOLI before I learned to simply not follow her recipe blindly. Also, I was using Morton Table Salt for that broccoli recipe and I'm betting my right kidney she wasn't.

There was never any wine in our house either for random recipes. Once a year, my father bought a bottle of Manischewitz concord grape wine to pour a half-glass and pass it around the table for all 8 kids (+ spouses by then) & parents to say a Christmas Eve blessing. He also bought a case of beer (undrunk bottles of which would grow dusty between Christmases) and a bottle of Seagram's Seven--I think that's a whiskey. That was it for booze in the E household.

 
um, I noticed you put the recipe .url link in the TAG field. That is just a search reference, like you could write Ina or pot roast, etc in that field. Makes it easier to find.

Just edit your post, paste the full link in the message field and a hyperlink will appear for all of us to access.

 
Congratulations!

I have never wished to even try pot roast after having to eat mom’s as a kid.

I too felt Ina knew all, till I made her meatballs with jarred Rao’s sauce like she told me too. I should’ve known better. I grew up with Italians and am picky about sauce. The meatballs were really heavy too. Nobody liked them.

 
yes. Thank you, I did look at that a few times but my eyes are getting blurry from trying to pawn jewellery online.

 
I am not crazy about many of Ina's recipes. She oohs and aaaahs over them but they seem to be a bit ordinary. In this situation, I was looking for a Jewish link to pot roast since it always seems to be a staple in Jewish households. This time it worked.

Try it. It ain't like Mom's.

 
If you want a Jewish pot roast, this is my dad's. I know many will turn their noses up at it as overcooked, but it is comfort food for all of our family.

I make this with almost any beef. I have used round, London broil, chuck.

Brown the beef well on all sides in sunflower oil (because that's what we had in the house) in a large pot. Set aside. Slice lots of onions, say four medium. Cook them in the same pot until nicely browned. Add water, salt to taste, bay leaves and a teaspoon or two of whole allspice. Bay leaves and allspice are essential. Add beef, bring to boil, then drop heat to a simmer. Peel enough potatoes for everyone (yes, I'm good at numbers), cut into chunks and add to pot. Cook until done and serve with rice. I thicken it with cornstarch, because I like gloopy gravy. I add carrots to this, and it works very well.

Sorry about the lack of detail. My sister once asked me for another of my Dad's recipes over the phone, so I told it to her. There was a short silence, then she said, "You did know there wasn't a single quantity in that recipe?".

 
I enjoy thoses spices with beef. In fact I was surprised that Ina didn't use any. Thank you Lana. Something to consider for the next one, very soon. Why overcooked? You didn't say how long but how long is overcooked?

 
One of my cookbooks was very snotty about cooking potroast only for a short time so it stays pink. I don't do that, I cook until tender (and I like unfashionably overcooked food), but I always worry about giving out a recipe that might annoy people.

 
I'm not sure you can overcook a pot roast!! And Lana, I cannot imagine a "pink" pot roast. That is an oxymoron!!

But a moderate heat for a long time in a liquid defines the word "braise" which is what a pot roast is in order to tenderize the tough piece of meat used. I will say however that the beef of 50 years ago was MUCH tougher than the beef today so a couple of hours will do it just fine.

I also prefer to do braises in the oven rather than sstovetop so the heat doesn't ever get too hot. That will make for a tough dry piece of meat.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top