"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Ellen K." > wrote in message
> ...
>> Welcome to my world, when I got to the butcher that had the grassfed beef
>> the only cut they had was a shoulder roast. (Which I'd also never made
>> before.) So I bought that.
>>
>> I made it as planned but my cousin the legendary cook said I *had* to add
>> garlic, white pepper and paprika, so I did, but although it was done to
>> perfection it didn't taste like much, I think I undersalted and
>> underseasoned it.
>>
>> I cut off a bit of what remained of my half (I always take half of
>> everything I make for each holiday to a mentally disturbed woman who
>> lives in the city and otherwise would not get holiday food, she doesn't
>> want to be my guest but is happy to get the goodies) to make my first
>> attempt at a "diabetic version" cholent for Shabbos day, which came out
>> not bad although more a soup than a cholent per se. I used about 3 oz of
>> the meat, 1/4 cup (dry measure) garbanzo beans since I previously
>> established that I can tolerate those quite well, 1 tbsp (dry measure)
>> lentils (ditto re tolerating), and 1 1/2 tsp barley (which I was afraid
>> of but away from home I usually take about a tablespoon full (cooked
>> volume) without a problem), 7 whole garlic cloves, additional salt and
>> white pepper, cayenne pepper, some of the original gravy and onions, and
>> additional water. [For anybody who doesn't know how cholent is made, my
>> method is that once all the ingredients are in the pot one turns on the
>> fire on high (I do this with the pot uncovered), then when it boils one
>> covers the pot, turns the heat down very low, covers the fire (most
>> people use a sheet of tin for this purpose, I use a "heat diffuser"), and
>> leaves it alone until lunchtime the next day. Since the fire is covered
>> by shortly before sunset on Friday, this means the simmer time is about
>> 18 hours.]
>>
>> BG did go up to 150 about 45 minutes after this possibly too-generous
>> meal (which also included the now famous half-matzo and a small first
>> course) but I started the day with FBG of 134 and was still 115 on
>> returning from services, so I'm thinking on a normal Shabbos when I'm
>> maybe 95 after services this would really be fine. I didn't test again
>> at two hours but was back to 104 after my afternoon nap.
>>
>> I think maybe I will cut up the rest of the meat and divide up the
>> remaining gravy and onions and freeze it in a bunch of small tupperwares
>> to use for future cholents. (I don't really like red meat enough to eat
>> it up during the week, and the butcher that carries the grassfed beef is
>> in the city, so like this I can avoid making another trip there for quite
>> a while.)
>>
>> Thanks again to all who provided advice about the cuts I originally asked
>> about, and for the interesting recipes.
>
> Did you find that the grass-fed cooked differently than regular beef? I
> haven't personally noticed this except that perhaps it is a more lean
> meat. But I was watching a cooking show and one chef who had never cooked
> it before claimed that it cooked a lot faster. That was her excuse for
> overcooking it. Heh!

I made it such that total cooking time was 20 min per pound, the "doneness"
was exactly right, about "medium rare".