"jmcquown" wrote in
news
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
"jmcquown" wrote in
:

Jim Kroger wrote:
Hi all. I am trying to make beef soup. I've tried to use several
kinds of roast, up to the most expensive I could find.
(snip)

The most expensive does not make a great roast in the crock pot. I
recommend a 3-5 lb. chuck roast.

You know how a really well-cooked roast has parts the just fall
apart in your mouth they are so tender? I would expect roast cooked
in soup (snip)

Soup? What kind of soup? Crock pot roast requires liquid, true.
Brown the roast in olive oil first to nicely brown it. Then place
it in the crock pot with a quartered yellow onion, a bay leaf,
crushed garlic cloves, plenty of ground black pepper and don't be
afraid to add salt. You might also want to add about 1/2 c. of red
wine or sherry to this. Cover and cook on High about 5 hours.

I promise you, this will be fork tender and oh so delicious! Use
the strained liquid to make a gravy if desired (thickened with a
little cornstarch slurry).

Jill



Jill, are you saying to cook the roast first and then make the soup?
I don't think that was the OP's intention.

Wayne

Beef soup... duh! Oxtails work very well for this. I'd still brown
the oxtails with onion and garlic, then add to the crock pot with beef
stock, water, possibly red wine and I'd add 1/4 c. pearl barley in the
last hour as a thickener. If the OP wants vegetable beef soup, add
carrots, potatoes, etc. about halfway through cooking in the crock
pot. Cook on High about 3 hours.

Jill




I'm sorry, Jill. I didn't see this response until after I responded to
your earlier reply. My apology.

Wayne

(Sandy n ne) wrote in message ...
You need some liquid in there to braise the meat. And actually, if you are
going to be cooking it all day, forget the expensive cuts-go with a simple
chuck roast, preferably on the bone. Brown the roast well on all sides before
putting in the crockpot (to get that carmelization going) Add a chopped onion,
some garlic, a bay leaf and whatever spices or veggies you desire. I usually
then add about 1 cup of beef broth and 1 cup of wine. Cooked all day it is melt
in your mouth delish.

Sandra

Thanks Sandra.


That sounds pretty much just like what I'm doing, except I have other
veggies in also, but the meat is covered by water (and wine and
broth).

??

Jim

Dave Smith wrote in message ...
Jim Kroger wrote:

Hi all. I am trying to make beef soup. I've tried to use several kinds
of roast, up to the most expensive I could find.

You know how a really well-cooked roast has parts the just fall apart in
your mouth they are so tender? I would expect roast cooked in soup in a
crock pot for 10 hours to be like that or even more tender.

But every time, my roast meat is not soft, but it's kind of tough. Not
like an overcooked dried out roast kind of touch, but sort of chewy.

Anybody know what I'm doing wrong?


Are you boiling it? A stew boiled is a stew spoiled.


I did notice it bubbling vigorously when cooking. Why is that bad?
Would that make the meat tough?

By the way everyone, I did sear or brown the meat first.

Thanks,

Jim

"Dimitri" wrote in message .com...
"Jim Kroger" wrote in message
...
Hi all. I am trying to make beef soup. I've tried to use several kinds
of roast, up to the most expensive I could find.

You know how a really well-cooked roast has parts the just fall apart in
your mouth they are so tender? I would expect roast cooked in soup in a
crock pot for 10 hours to be like that or even more tender.

But every time, my roast meat is not soft, but it's kind of tough. Not
like an overcooked dried out roast kind of touch, but sort of chewy.

Anybody know what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks!

Jim


Thanks. I am browning the meat. But I will cut it up, I didn't. Also,
I'll cook on low, I used high.

But how can I tell if it's cooked enough....that is, how will I know
if cooking more will make it more or less tender? The veggies will be
cooked by 10 hrs. for sure.

Thanks very much,
Jim




There are several points he

1. What cut of beef are you using? Something like chuck or meat will
some fat running through the muscle will help.
2. Are you browning the beef first or just dumping the mess into cold
water. (the browning helps the flavor but not the texture)
3. How big are the chunks of beef you are cutting? I would think for
soup no more than 1/2 inch square.
4. You don't mention if you are cooking on High or Low.
5. If you are starting with very cold ingredients then cooking on low for
10 hours this just may not be enough time.

Dimitri

Jim Kroger wrote in message
om...
[snip]
Also, I'll cook on low, I used high.

/blink

"10 hours on high?" Wow! /That's/ your problem! You've boiled the meat into
leather, soft leather, but leather none the same.

But how can I tell if it's cooked enough....that is, how will I
know if cooking more will make it more or less tender? The
veggies will be cooked by 10 hrs. for sure.

The low setting is designed to cook meats at a safe temperature over an
extended time frame, without boiling it into leather. The way to make /sure/
is to fork the meat and potatoes.

The Ranger

In article ,
"The Ranger" wrote:

Jim Kroger wrote in message
om...
[snip]
Also, I'll cook on low, I used high.

/blink

"10 hours on high?" Wow! /That's/ your problem! You've boiled the meat into
leather, soft leather, but leather none the same.

But how can I tell if it's cooked enough....that is, how will I
know if cooking more will make it more or less tender? The
veggies will be cooked by 10 hrs. for sure.

The low setting is designed to cook meats at a safe temperature over an
extended time frame, without boiling it into leather. The way to make /sure/
is to fork the meat and potatoes.

The Ranger



Agreed...
On the rare occasions I use crock pots, I start out on high just until
it starts to bubble, then turn it to low for the long term cooking of 8
to 10 hours.

Oh. Crock pots also work better if "stacked" properly. The things that
take the longest to cook should go on the bottom, and the meat should go
on the very top!

This is how I layer it. First, I put one cup of pearl barley on the
bottom. Next, diced carrots, then sliced/diced onions, then potatoes and
shallots, then I put the meat on the very top and I do NOT cut roasts up
in pieces to crock pot them! I usually use boneless chuck and keep them
whole. I add a bit of garlic and any other herbs and flavoring to the
top, then I add my stock and wine mix and add enough water if necessary
to just come to the top of the roast.

Start the crock pot on high until it is bubbling, then turn it down to
low for 8 to 10 hours.

The meat then breaks up with a fork and you can mix everything together
when it is done for serving.

Works for me anyway......

I rarely use a crock pot anymore now that I've re-discovered the
pressure cooker for pot roast. -) Faster and more consistant results.

K.

--
^ ^ Cat's Haven Hobby Farm ^ ^ ^ ^
,, ,, ,,

In article ,
Wayne Boatwright wrote:

"jmcquown" wrote in
:

snipped

No no, I didn't say cook the roast, I said brown the roast in a
skillet - sear it. Then put it in the crock pot. I didn't say to use
soup. Beef stock and red wine (if one wants to add it, although a
nice beer also works perfectly well).

Jill




Jill, all good points and ideas, but I think one of us is missing the
point...maybe me. I thought the OP wanted to make soup, using a roast
cut up in cubes. I didn't get the impression he was trying to end up
with a cooked roast. I totally agree that any beef going into the
crockpot should be thoroughly browned first, either a whole piece or
cubes. Beef stock and red wine or beer would also be great additions to
either a roast, stew, or soup.

Wayne

Thing is, even if you are making soup in the crock pot, cooking the
roast whole keeps it more tender and if you do it right, you can
literally shred it with a fork when you are done prior to mixing it into
the soup, or you can let it cool a bit and cut it up after it's cooked
into your choice of chunk sizes.

Shredded, to me, works well for soup.

K.

--
^ ^ Cat's Haven Hobby Farm ^ ^ ^ ^
,, ,, ,,

On Mon, 29 Dec 2003 15:12:01 GMT, " rosie"
wrote:

don't use EXPENSIVE cuts of meat.
not enough fat..................

be sure your cooking on the LOW temp.

i DON'T use water of any kind, just an envelope of onion soup.

Do you get a lot of liquid in the crockpot later when everything is
cooked?

jim, just remember CROCK POT=SLOW COOKING.
i (almost) ALWAYS cook on LOW.

--
read and post daily, it works!
rosie

as I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch
what they do.
..............................andrew carnegie



















"Jim Kroger" wrote in message
om...
"Dimitri" wrote in message
.com...
"Jim Kroger" wrote in message
...
Hi all. I am trying to make beef soup. I've tried to use
several kinds
of roast, up to the most expensive I could find.

You know how a really well-cooked roast has parts the just
fall apart in
your mouth they are so tender? I would expect roast cooked in
soup in a
crock pot for 10 hours to be like that or even more tender.

But every time, my roast meat is not soft, but it's kind of
tough. Not
like an overcooked dried out roast kind of touch, but sort of
chewy.

Anybody know what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks!

Jim


Thanks. I am browning the meat. But I will cut it up, I didn't.
Also,
I'll cook on low, I used high.

But how can I tell if it's cooked enough....that is, how will I
know
if cooking more will make it more or less tender? The veggies will
be
cooked by 10 hrs. for sure.

Thanks very much,
Jim




There are several points he

1. What cut of beef are you using? Something like chuck or
meat will
some fat running through the muscle will help.
2. Are you browning the beef first or just dumping the mess
into cold
water. (the browning helps the flavor but not the texture)
3. How big are the chunks of beef you are cutting? I would
think for
soup no more than 1/2 inch square.
4. You don't mention if you are cooking on High or Low.
5. If you are starting with very cold ingredients then
cooking on low for
10 hours this just may not be enough time.

Dimitri

i sure do....................i even have to pour the juices to
another pan, in order to reduce the volume and make sour cream
"gravy"

--
read and post daily, it works!
rosie

as I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch
what they do.
..............................andrew carnegie



















"Taffy Stoker" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 29 Dec 2003 15:12:01 GMT, " rosie"
wrote:

don't use EXPENSIVE cuts of meat.
not enough fat..................

be sure your cooking on the LOW temp.

i DON'T use water of any kind, just an envelope of onion soup.

Do you get a lot of liquid in the crockpot later when everything
is
cooked?

Jim Kroger wrote in message ...
Hi all. I am trying to make beef soup. I've tried to use several kinds
of roast, up to the most expensive I could find.

You know how a really well-cooked roast has parts the just fall apart in
your mouth they are so tender? I would expect roast cooked in soup in a
crock pot for 10 hours to be like that or even more tender.

But every time, my roast meat is not soft, but it's kind of tough. Not
like an overcooked dried out roast kind of touch, but sort of chewy.

Anybody know what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks!

Jim

Use ox tails.....you'll have the most 'melt-in-your-mouth' meat you
can ever imagine for soup....you won't be sorry.

As far as using regular beef....we saw a TV episode of America's Test
Kitchen and they explained the chemistry of over and/or under cooking
of meat and the way the colagen affects the
dryness...blah,blah,blah.....too much for my ind to retain.

We always use ox tails for soup ....coo it 10 hours and you'll see
what I mean.

Good luck
M: