Regarding tough as hell......if a meat is like that you just need to
cook it at a long low cooking time. Yesterday I cooked I a chuck roast
like a pot roast. I put it in an oval cast iron dutch oven after
searing it briefly in olive oil on top of stove. (same pot - all
metal). I put in one envelop of onion soup mix and a little water. I
cooked it on 250 essentially all afternoon. One hour before it was to
be eaten, I added chopped celery, potatoes, carrots, turnips. added a
bit more water. I cooked about 45 min. more. I removed all from pot
and kept warm on plate and made gravy with cornstarch and water. It
was excellent. You just need a long slow cook time. Or put in crock
pot but you can do slow cooking in the oven. A heavy cast iron pot
with a lid (like Le crueset) works best. For a cheaper copy of this
kind of cookwear, I have Country Cottage sold on hsn. Its non stick,
heavy and works well for slow oven cooking. I like to cook where I put
everything in a pot and I don't really even need to check it that much.
(add a little water)