Slow Cooked Beef

Ventucky Red

Ventucky Red

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Okay, what is the secret?

I have tried everything, and all I get is shoe leather. Does anyone have a good recipe...
 
Ventucky Red said:
Okay, what is the secret?

I have tried everything, and all I get is shoe leather. Does anyone have a good recipe...
Click to expand...
Start with a good tough chuck roast.
Or better yet, a couple of giant beef ribs.
THEN
Low and Slow.
 
Try to slow cook a filet, and you will end up with chalky cardboard.
 
What are you cooking and what are you trying to accomplish? A brisket on the smoker, a ribeye in the sous vide, and a pot roast in the crock pot are all show cooked beef.
 
If you're talking pot roast, I've had falling-apart, melt-in-your-mouth success with taking a pot roast or chuck roast, stabbing it all over with a paring knife, "massaging" it with seasonings, and searing it until it has a nice crust on top and bottom, about 4-6 minutes on each side. Put in a crockpot on high, with a bed of onions, and pour all the oil from the searing pan over the roast. Then place potatoes and carrots around the roast. Sprinkle everything with salt, garlic, and a little flour, and then pour about a cup of broth over the top. Cover and let cook - if you're home, you can leave it on high for an hour and then turn it down, or put it to low right away. Either way, within 4-8 hours, you have a very delicious roast and veggies - and it won't go bad if you have to leave it on low or warm for an extra hour or two.
 
look at you…..

when you get your cooking YouTube channel I’ll like n ‘scribe.
 
SkyChaser said:
If you're talking pot roast, I've had falling-apart, melt-in-your-mouth success with taking a pot roast or chuck roast, stabbing it all over with a paring knife, "massaging" it with seasonings, and searing it until it has a nice crust on top and bottom, about 4-6 minutes on each side. Put in a crockpot on high, with a bed of onions, and pour all the oil from the searing pan over the roast. Then place potatoes and carrots around the roast. Sprinkle everything with salt, garlic, and a little flour, and then pour about a cup of broth over the top. Cover and let cook - if you're home, you can leave it on high for an hour and then turn it down, or put it to low right away. Either way, within 4-8 hours, you have a very delicious roast and veggies - and it won't go bad if you have to leave it on low or warm for an extra hour or two.
Click to expand...

Keep it simmering a bit longer. Mom and I will hop in the plane and be there a little after 7.
 
Spice or rub al gusto, cook in a covered pot in the oven at 180 for at least 12 hours.
 
Melt in your mouth Yankee pot roast:

1 tablespoon high heat oil
1 tablespoon butter
3lbs of chuck roast, cut into 3 or 4 large pieces (remove the tough band of gristle)
1 large onion, wedge cut.
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained well
3 or 4 peperoncinis
1 package of au jus gravy mix
1 package of ranch dressing mix
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt as desired
Pepper as desired

-Let your roast sit out till it is room temperature, pat dry with paper towel and then cut into 2 or 3 pieces (easier to manage in instapot) and remove the thick band of gristle.
-season roast with salt and pepper and set your Instapot or electric pressure cooker on saute
-Add about a tablespoon of high heat oil like avocado oil to the pot and then brown the large pieces of meat on all sides, remove to pan or platter lined with paper towel to drain.
-add butter, garlic and onion to hot pot and saute until onion is transluscent (about 2 minutes). stir pot so that onions pick up all the good color (and flavor) from the pot.
-Now, add the DRAINED tomatoes, browned chuckroast, au jus gravy and ranch dressing packages, Worcestershire sauce and Peperoncinis.
-Set the pot to "custom" or "manual" pressure and pressure cook for about 70 minutes. When time is up let the pressure "natural" release.
-Pull meat from pot, it should be mostly falling apart, but pull or chop it and remove any clumps of fat or gristle that remain. Also remove the peppers if you have delicate palates (if not, leave them in for a nice little bite).
-stir the pot well before returning the meat. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

I like to serve over mashed potatos or white rice. Garlic bread goes great as doe green beans or a nice green salad.
 
Ventucky Red said:
Okay, what is the secret?

I have tried everything, and all I get is shoe leather. Does anyone have a good recipe...
Click to expand...
You say you have tried everything. But the most important item is to use a piece of meat with fat and a lot of connective tissue. IOW, cheap meat.
If you have tried good, tender meat, all you will do is dry it out.

So what all have you tried?
 
wilkersk said:
Melt in your mouth Yankee pot roast:

1 tablespoon high heat oil
1 tablespoon butter
3lbs of chuck roast, cut into 3 or 4 large pieces (remove the tough band of gristle)
1 large onion, wedge cut.
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained well
3 or 4 peperoncinis
1 package of au jus gravy mix
1 package of ranch dressing mix
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt as desired
Pepper as desired

-Let your roast sit out till it is room temperature, pat dry with paper towel and then cut into 2 or 3 pieces (easier to manage in instapot) and remove the thick band of gristle.
-season roast with salt and pepper and set your Instapot or electric pressure cooker on saute
-Add about a tablespoon of high heat oil like avocado oil to the pot and then brown the large pieces of meat on all sides, remove to pan or platter lined with paper towel to drain.
-add butter, garlic and onion to hot pot and saute until onion is transluscent (about 2 minutes). stir pot so that onions pick up all the good color (and flavor) from the pot.
-Now, add the DRAINED tomatoes, browned chuckroast, au jus gravy and ranch dressing packages, Worcestershire sauce and Peperoncinis.
-Set the pot to "custom" or "manual" pressure and pressure cook for about 70 minutes. When time is up let the pressure "natural" release.
-Pull meat from pot, it should be mostly falling apart, but pull or chop it and remove any clumps of fat or gristle that remain. Also remove the peppers if you have delicate palates (if not, leave them in for a nice little bite).
-stir the pot well before returning the meat. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

I like to serve over mashed potatos or white rice. Garlic bread goes great as doe green beans or a nice green salad.
Click to expand...


I thought yankee pot roast was made with chopped yankees. At least that's how my grandma used to make it....
 
Half Fast said:
I thought yankee pot roast was made with chopped yankees. At least that's how my grandma used to make it....
Click to expand...

I wouldn't think yankees would be all that tasty. Even if you cooked 'em all day long, they'd probably still taste like shoe leather. Hey, maybe that's the OP's problem right there!

Seriously, I like the tomatoes and dark gravy. And, I prefer mashed potatoes rather than cooking root veggies together with the roast.
 
Sous vide. I have done some awesome corned beef using cheap brisket cuts for 3 days.
Cheap roasts, I can slow cook in a sous vide for 12-48 hours depending on the cut. Even a London Broil which is very tough after 12 hours sous vide is soft. Flank steak, after 12 hours you no longer have to cut across the fibers on an angle. It is soft enough to cut with a good dinner knife.

Tim
 
Beef short ribs - cut up an onion and line bottom of crock pot. Place short ribs. Douse with wooster sauce. Low for 4-5 hours. Perfect.
 
Ditch the oils

I've been eating low carb animal based for roughly 1-1/2 years now...basically almost zero carbs (try for <10g/day)

I've drastically cleaned up (I mean simplified) my diet... mostly just plain salt on meat, not a lot of other species, herbs, and condiments.

And I avoid all seed oils.

Suggestions here to brown beef in oil make me cringe. Since I've cleaned up what I eat, I have become very sensitive to the taste of vegetable oils. Every time I eat something cooked in it, I can tell... Not so much the taste up front, but it's like it leaves a funky film in my mouth with a horrible aftertaste...that lingers for a long time
so
My suggestion is to use animal-based fats for browning instead. I use tallow most of the time. It gives a much better result!

I have found I don't appreciate much of the pepper and other spices and sauces folks tend to use either. They often give a similar horrible aftertaste....

I remember having that yucky feeling before my lifestyle change, but always just chalked it up to overeating or whatever. Thought it was normal... just "how it was". Now I know it was very often veg oil, spices, and probably things like soy and other garbage that lands in a lot of the bottled sauces folks use.

It takes some getting used to, but if you let the natural flavor of the beef shine through, it's better!
 
and that said
I have made quite a few pot roasts lately. Use my crock pot, and I've mostly used the low setting, but have tried high as well for a shorter time.
Very simple...meat and salt. I have made some with taters and carrots but for me those are not necessary. They bring nothing good to the party.
I've tried both pre-browning and not. Doesn't make a noteworthy difference.

Meat falls apart tender
and it's not "dry" exactly.... I'm always amazed how much water comes out of the meat....it's basically boiled near the end of the cooking cycle...mostly submerged in water with some fat floating on top.

It's certainly not "dry" sitting in liquid like it is, and it tastes great.... BUT the forkable meat sort of "tastes dry".
I feel like my crock pot even on low is getting too hot and is cooking all the fat and water out of the meat. I've been meaning to try one in my actual old-fashioned dutch oven pot, in the oven at a much lower temp.

Any other suggestions?
 
Brad W said:
and that said
I have made quite a few pot roasts lately. Use my crock pot, and I've mostly used the low setting, but have tried high as well for a shorter time.
Very simple...meat and salt. I have made some with taters and carrots but for me those are not necessary. They bring nothing good to the party.
I've tried both pre-browning and not. Doesn't make a noteworthy difference.

Meat falls apart tender
and it's not "dry" exactly.... I'm always amazed how much water comes out of the meat....it's basically boiled near the end of the cooking cycle...mostly submerged in water with some fat floating on top.

It's certainly not "dry" sitting in liquid like it is, and it tastes great.... BUT the forkable meat sort of "tastes dry".
I feel like my crock pot even on low is getting too hot and is cooking all the fat and water out of the meat. I've been meaning to try one in my actual old-fashioned dutch oven pot, in the oven at a much lower temp.

Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...
Buy a cheaper, fattier piece of meat. And then sear it. :biggrin:

I'm only partially poking fun at you. The point of searing (not browning, full on searing) is to help keep the moisture in the meat. I do use canola oil or olive oil to do the sear, but if you want to sear it with bacon grease/lard or tallow or other natural fat, it will work just as well. I had the same problem, which is why I started searing it first. I only rub in salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic powder, and some times an Italian seasoning mix with oregano, marjoram, rosemary, and thyme in it.
 
Brad W said:
Ditch the oils

I've been eating low carb animal based for roughly 1-1/2 years now...basically almost zero carbs (try for <10g/day)

I've drastically cleaned up (I mean simplified) my diet... mostly just plain salt on meat, not a lot of other species, herbs, and condiments.

And I avoid all seed oils.

Suggestions here to brown beef in oil make me cringe. Since I've cleaned up what I eat, I have become very sensitive to the taste of vegetable oils. Every time I eat something cooked in it, I can tell... Not so much the taste up front, but it's like it leaves a funky film in my mouth with a horrible aftertaste...that lingers for a long time
so
My suggestion is to use animal-based fats for browning instead. I use tallow most of the time. It gives a much better result!

I have found I don't appreciate much of the pepper and other spices and sauces folks tend to use either. They often give a similar horrible aftertaste....

I remember having that yucky feeling before my lifestyle change, but always just chalked it up to overeating or whatever. Thought it was normal... just "how it was". Now I know it was very often veg oil, spices, and probably things like soy and other garbage that lands in a lot of the bottled sauces folks use.

It takes some getting used to, but if you let the natural flavor of the beef shine through, it's better!
Click to expand...
I like meat, but honestly this sounds like a miserable existence. Did COVID whack out your taste buds? I do know some people that happened to and it sucks.
 
SkyChaser said:
Buy a cheaper, fattier piece of meat. And then sear it. :biggrin:

I'm only partially poking fun at you. The point of searing (not browning, full on searing) is to help keep the moisture in the meat. I do use canola oil or olive oil to do the sear, but if you want to sear it with bacon grease/lard or tallow or other natural fat, it will work just as well. I had the same problem, which is why I started searing it first. I only rub in salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic powder, and some times an Italian seasoning mix with oregano, marjoram, rosemary, and thyme in it.
Click to expand...
hmmm... I guess I don't fully appreciate the difference between browning and searing. I learned years ago by watching TV chefs about the Maillard reaction, and adding flavor... and I've certainly heard this idea before about searing. And I think I even recall some debate on the topic.... that searing damages the cells on the surface and makes it "leak" worse, and so and....
Regardless
I am often buying the cheapest chuck roast I can get (Costco)....and with all my meat I tend to select the fattier cuts from the available selection at the store....

I've tried browning the roasts before and noticed no difference. Basically browned all major surfaces as best as I could in a skillet prior to dropping it into the crock pot....

How would you define the difference between searing and browning? hotter and faster perhaps?
Lindberg said:
I like meat, but honestly this sounds like a miserable existence. Did COVID whack out your taste buds? I do know some people that happened to and it sucks.
Click to expand...
Nope, but that did happen to my sister.... and she loves to cook. Messed with her smell and taste, and made things tough for her. & thanks, That reminds me I need to ask how shes doing with that.... last I knew it came back partially

That was actually my point....it's not a miserable existence at all. Just the opposite. I do understand the spirit of where that comes from. We've been trained so long to complicate our food so much, it's a hard habit for some to break.

Letting the real flavors of my food shine through is better. I feel more nourished, satiated, better all around health and energy, less gross after eating a big meal. And it's all just faster and easier and generally cheaper.
The ONLY miserable thing about it is when traveling/eating out. Portion sizes in restaurants are out of whack.. They depend so much on folks filling up on the bread, and the potatoes, and all the other crap food that is making us all feel horrible, and is making us overweight and sick....
Even when you can find some good stuff... order a steak for example....it's hard to get it not cooked in fake vegetable oil 'butter' & smothered in pepper and spices that all make me feel gross after
 
Brad W said:
hmmm... I guess I don't fully appreciate the difference between browning and searing. I learned years ago by watching TV chefs about the Maillard reaction, and adding flavor... and I've certainly heard this idea before about searing. And I think I even recall some debate on the topic.... that searing damages the cells on the surface and makes it "leak" worse, and so and....
Regardless
I am often buying the cheapest chuck roast I can get (Costco)....and with all my meat I tend to select the fattier cuts from the available selection at the store....

I've tried browning the roasts before and noticed no difference. Basically browned all major surfaces as best as I could in a skillet prior to dropping it into the crock pot....

How would you define the difference between searing and browning? hotter and faster perhaps?
Click to expand...
Super, super hot. Like barely not smoking out the oil, burner on just below hottest it can go hot. You want to leave it in there long enough to form a nice crust, but not long enough to burn at all. I would consider browning to be a medium-hot, slightly prolonged cooking session. I don't want to start the cooking process at all, as my goal is just get a nice crust on the outside of the roast. I don't know any fancy names or why it works, just that it tastes a million times better when I sear it before slow-cooking. My cooking knowledge comes from my mother or from experimenting and hers comes from experimentation and old cookbooks, so you probably have more credible sources than I do. :)
 
I don't see the point of browning a roast, crock potted or not. I've browned pot roasts before but I can't tell the difference in the end, and not doing it is one less pan to clean up.
 
Ventucky Red said:
Okay, what is the secret?

I have tried everything, and all I get is shoe leather. Does anyone have a good recipe...
Click to expand...
Smoking Barbacoa
Beef cheeks open package
Season 1 part salt 2 parts Black Paepper
(1)Smoker for 4 hours At 250 deg
(2)Put them in a Metal pan or bowl, Cover with Beef Tallow.
Cover pan with 2 layers of plastic wrap.
Cover the plastic wrap with Foil
Back on heat 250 deg for 4 hours
Rest in warmer 160 to 200 deg over night.
Strain and Shread ( option is use a Hand Mixer for shread )
Option: you can substitute (2) put in slow cooker covered in Tallow on low heat all night.
 
Ventucky Red said:
Sans the smoker and sous vide - I have tried everyting...
Click to expand...
For most tough cuts, i.e. ribs and chuck pot roast, 4-5 hours on crock pot low works pretty well. Pulled pork more like 8 hours.
 
So for slow cooker, if no sous vide or smoker, crock pot is just fine. You could do the same on the stove with low simmer. You’re basically braising the meat. Good cuts for braising are those with a tough reputation, stuff that has tendons or a lot of connective tissue.

Go slow for 5-8 hours with a nice savory liquid. Store bought stock is fine. Or like an above, water and lotsa Worcestershire. Experiment. I’ve used Coke and Dr. Pepper before. Or juice and cup of mild pickled peppers.

Add garlic and onion, salt and pepper. If you like veggies, add carrot and potato near the end otherwise they turn to mush (which is ok if you like em like that). Celery will add flavor too.

Keep it mostly covered in liquid. You should be able to pull it with a fork when done.

Chuck is a good choice, but you can do hocks and tail.

Now I’m hungry.
 
@SkyChaser

Get a sous vide. the roast or whatever you cook will come out nice and moist.
Even chicken breast, the notoriously dry meat comes out moist in sous vide.

Tim
 
SkyChaser said:
The point of searing (not browning, full on searing) is to help keep the moisture in the meat.
Click to expand...
That would be myth #4 on this list. The point of searing is to initiate the Maillard reaction and has nothing to do with sealing in the juices.

www.seriouseats.com

The Food Lab's Top 6 Food Myths

The Food Lab's all about clearing up culinary misinformation; separating the old wives tales from the old wives that keep telling them. So here are the <strong>six most common and egregious food myths I commonly encounter,</strong> and the truth behind them. You can use this information to...
www.seriouseats.com www.seriouseats.com
 
asicer said:
That would be myth #4 on this list. The point of searing is to initiate the Maillard reaction and has nothing to do with sealing in the juices.

www.seriouseats.com

The Food Lab's Top 6 Food Myths

The Food Lab's all about clearing up culinary misinformation; separating the old wives tales from the old wives that keep telling them. So here are the <strong>six most common and egregious food myths I commonly encounter,</strong> and the truth behind them. You can use this information to...
www.seriouseats.com www.seriouseats.com
Click to expand...
searing adds a nice crust, and that's flavor
 
asicer said:
That would be myth #4 on this list. The point of searing is to initiate the Maillard reaction and has nothing to do with sealing in the juices.

www.seriouseats.com

The Food Lab's Top 6 Food Myths

The Food Lab's all about clearing up culinary misinformation; separating the old wives tales from the old wives that keep telling them. So here are the <strong>six most common and egregious food myths I commonly encounter,</strong> and the truth behind them. You can use this information to...
www.seriouseats.com www.seriouseats.com
Click to expand...
I stand corrected. Apparently the added flavor makes the meat taste less dry, whether it actually is or not!
 
Matthew said:
searing adds a nice crust, and that's flavor
Click to expand...
Yes, that's the Maillard reaction. Thanks for explaining it to the laity. Sometimes I get too far ahead of myself.
 
Depends what you're cooking. I have done briskets in the smoker. I've done corned beef in the crock pot and sous vide (with a quick finish in a hot cast iron pan). The latter is tedious but superior.

My mother's pot roast recipe: Lay a sheet of aluminum foil down. Place a round roast on it. Throw some veggies around the edge. Pour a can of creme of mushroom soup concentrate on it and a package of Lipton Onion soup mix on top of that. Seal up the foil. Cook it at 300 for a few hours.
 
I love smoking a chuck roast. 225 until it reaches 170 and/or stalls, wrap it in butcher paper and cook it to 195. Drop the smoker down to 180, or you can even cook it in the oven at this point, for two hours. Will come out great. Can't wait to get home and eat my leftovers today!

Added a second photo to make it aviation related!
420404754_10228440383107144_1869232623346669331_n.jpg
420418865_10228440383027142_5520436922764697838_n.jpg
 
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