Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.

I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.

I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
white wine.

I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.

Was it overcooked, or did it need to cook longer to tenderize it?

I swear I can't have one meal where my kids aren't bitching about the
food.

The carrots were great, though.
Oh, and the potatoes were perfect. Nuked them for 10 minutes like
someone suggested, then covered in oil and finished in the 325 oven
for 30 minutes. They came out exactly as they do when they cook at
425 for 90 minutes. Good to know.

"Mitch" <Mitch@...> wrote in message
...
> Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
>
> I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
>
> I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
> dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> white wine.
>
> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>
> Was it overcooked, or did it need to cook longer to tenderize it?
>
> I swear I can't have one meal where my kids aren't bitching about the
> food.
>
> The carrots were great, though.
> Oh, and the potatoes were perfect. Nuked them for 10 minutes like
> someone suggested, then covered in oil and finished in the 325 oven
> for 30 minutes. They came out exactly as they do when they cook at
> 425 for 90 minutes. Good to know.

It needed to cook longer. I make this on top of the stove, that works
better for me. After browning I add a little liquid and reduce it to a
one-bubble simmer for 2.5-3 hours. I add the vegetables the last
hour. Personally, I would forget the salty onion soup mix and cream
of mushroom and just brown some onion chunks to toss in with the
carrots and potatoes the last hour.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Mitch wrote:
> Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
>
> I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
>
> I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
> dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> white wine.
>
> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>
> Was it overcooked, or did it need to cook longer to tenderize it?
>
> I swear I can't have one meal where my kids aren't bitching about the
> food.
>
> The carrots were great, though.
> Oh, and the potatoes were perfect. Nuked them for 10 minutes like
> someone suggested, then covered in oil and finished in the 325 oven
> for 30 minutes. They came out exactly as they do when they cook at
> 425 for 90 minutes. Good to know.

I think its the cut of meat. I don't usually have much luck with round
roast. Try a rump roast.

me

Mitch wrote:
> Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
>
> I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
>
> I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
> dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> white wine.
\
My suggestion is lay off the bottom round, Lay off the cream of mushroom
soup (what IS the purpose?? you can make a gravy if it comes to that)
Lay off the onion soup (all that salt probably draws any moisture out,
right?) and use more liquid in such a low fat cut as bottom round.

"Mitch" <Mitch@...> wrote in message
...
> Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
>
> I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
>
> I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
> dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> white wine.
>
> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>
> Was it overcooked, or did it need to cook longer to tenderize it?
>
> I swear I can't have one meal where my kids aren't bitching about the
> food.
>
> The carrots were great, though.
> Oh, and the potatoes were perfect. Nuked them for 10 minutes like
> someone suggested, then covered in oil and finished in the 325 oven
> for 30 minutes. They came out exactly as they do when they cook at
> 425 for 90 minutes. Good to know.

I'd say to cook it for longer. I usually do my meat in the slow cooker and
let it cook all day. I will often do my veggies in a second slow cooker,
adding some canned beef broth to them for flavor. I've even cooked my beef
the day before in the slow cooker then put it in the oven the next day with
the veggies. The top of the stove works well too. If you have a Dutch oven
that can go in the oven, then start your meat on top of the stove, then
transfer to the oven with the veggies. I don't think you can overcook a
roast.

It could also just be the meat you bought. There is oven store here that
sells meat that comes out bad no matter what I do to it. I stopped buying
meat there.

In article >, Mitch@...
says...
> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>

There ya go - not cooked long enough.

Cooking a pot roast is not like cooking a steak - it's not just a matter
of having the meat reach a certain temperature. It has to sit at a near-
boiling temp for a while to break down the tough connective tissue.
Don;t time it, but check it to see if it's tender.

--
Peter Aitken

One time on Usenet, Mitch said:
> Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
>
> I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.

This doesn't make a good pot roast, IMO -- I always use boneless
chuck roast, usually 2-3 pounds. A round is usually better as plain
ol' roast beef -- season with salt, pepper, and garlic, place in a
roasting pan or dish and bake uncovered at 350 F. for about an hour
per pound. Check temp with a meat thermometer and let rest for 10
minutes before slicing.

> I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
> dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> white wine.

To each their own, but I wouldn't bother with the soups or wine for
a pot roast. Instead, put the carrots, some peeled & halved potatoes,
and maybe some large onion chunks all for the last hour of cooking.

> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>
> Was it overcooked, or did it need to cook longer to tenderize it?

Definitely not overcooked, probably undercooked. I do pot roast this
way: dredge the chuck roast in seasoned flour, then brown on all sides
on the stove top in a large cast iron pan in some hot oil or
shortening. Once it's browned, add a cup of water and cover. Let cook
low and slow -- usually about 2 hours for the meat, then another hour
after adding the veggies. Then I take meat and veg out of the pan and
pop them in a warm oven while I make gravy. And now I'm wanting pot
roast, maybe I'll do that next weekend.

> I swear I can't have one meal where my kids aren't bitching about the
> food.

*Grin* Tell them no one loves a critic...

--
"Little Malice" is Jani in WA
~ mom, Trollop, novice cook ~

"Little Malice" > wrote in message
...
>
> This doesn't make a good pot roast, IMO -- I always use boneless
> chuck roast, usually 2-3 pounds.

Yes! I missed that he used round. It is too dense.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

"Steve Wertz" > wrote in message

> On Mon, 08 Jan 2007 00:32:53 GMT, Mitch wrote:
>
>> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
>> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>
> Don't people check their food before they take it out of the oven
> or off the stove?
>
> -sw

No. Recipe says cook for ? hours per pound. It's 2-1/4 pounds. So
multiply 2.25 X ? and then it's done. Period. What's to check?
<eg> rotfl

BOB
wondering why my ribs weren't done in 4 hours. The math checks out. The
temp was correct, bla, bla, bla.

But they were just about perfect @ 5-1/2 hours. LOL

In article >, Mitch@...
says...
> Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
>
> I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
>
> I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
> dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> white wine.
>
> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>
> Was it overcooked, or did it need to cook longer to tenderize it?
>
> I swear I can't have one meal where my kids aren't bitching about the
> food.
>
> The carrots were great, though.
> Oh, and the potatoes were perfect. Nuked them for 10 minutes like
> someone suggested, then covered in oil and finished in the 325 oven
> for 30 minutes. They came out exactly as they do when they cook at
> 425 for 90 minutes. Good to know.
>

Time and temp alone may work for braising really tough cuts like
brisket, but they can be deadly for round, as you seem to have
demonstrated. You don't need soup or other liquids, or covered roasting
pans to produce a delicious round roast.

Cooking a round roast "longer" isn't going to tenderize it, it's going
to over-cook it. There's nothing in particular in a piece of round that
will break down to make it seem more tender, as there is in chuck or
brisket. It is true that you can cook any piece of meat in liquid until
it's "falling apart tender", but with round, you'll end up with
something more akin to pet food than what you'd want to serve to your
family.

The rule of thumb that I go by is that if the package says "round", it
should not be cooked more than medium rare, or *maybe* medium if you, or
someone else who'll be eating it, are really squeamish.

Also, keep in mind that any oven-cooked roast is going to have a range
of done-ness from "really well-done" to "rare" or "medium-rare" from one
end to the other, if it's done right. So having meat to meet everyone's
tastes should seldom be a problem.

If you don't already, you should use a meat thermometer to help you tell
when a roast is done, rather than flying blind and relying on some time
+ temperature formula.

I've been cooking round (mainly eye of round) recently at at lower oven
temperatures, between 250 and 275 deg., with very good results. The
lower oven temps slow cooking down a bit and give you more control and
time to check meat temp. as it cooks, helping to prevent overcooking.

Of course, all this screws up trying to cook the veggies with the meat,
but they probably ought to be cooked separately in any case. In dry-
roasted meats, you should rely on seasonings applied to the roast before
and/or after browning for meat flavoring.

Bob

>Time and temp alone may work for braising really tough cuts like
>brisket, but they can be deadly for round, as you seem to have
>demonstrated.

So it seems that a big part of this is my ignorance about the cuts of
beef!

Goomba38 wrote on 07 Jan 2007 in rec.food.cooking

> Mitch wrote:
> > Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
> >
> > I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> > it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
> >
> > I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
> > dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> > white wine.
> \
> My suggestion is lay off the bottom round, Lay off the cream of mushroom
> soup (what IS the purpose?? you can make a gravy if it comes to that)
> Lay off the onion soup (all that salt probably draws any moisture out,
> right?) and use more liquid in such a low fat cut as bottom round.
>
>

First off braising is cooking at a low temp in the oven for a long time
....with a lid...something like a crockpot.

There isn't a lot you can do with bottom round...unless you do braise it or
turn it into corned beef or stew etc...it is a tough cut.

marinate it in some red wine, sone rice wine vinegar crushed garlic and
some dry mustard powder over night ...

cook it in the crockpot smothered in onions and maybe a little bbq sauce.
on low for say 8-10 hrs.

In article >,
Mitch <Mitch@...> wrote:

> So it seems that a big part of this is my ignorance about the cuts of
> beef!

Your problem was with cooking time. I'd have given the cut four braising
hours minimum. Other beef cuts may give results in less time. I look at
three hours minimum for any cut of beef that I would possibly construe
as pot roast material. But that's just me and my idea of a pot roast.

leo

--
<http://web0.greatbasin.net/~leo/>

"Steve Wertz" > wrote
>
> Round is very dense with no real grain, and very little
> connective tissue. You can get it tender with low slow cooking,
> but it will taste like nothing.
>

This has been my experience too. I began trying to roast round,
and this is why it took me so long to even want to try beef again.

In article >,
Mitch <Mitch@...> wrote:

> Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
>
> I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
>
> I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
> dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> white wine.
>
> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>
> Was it overcooked, or did it need to cook longer to tenderize it?

Lower heat, longer cooking.

>
> I swear I can't have one meal where my kids aren't bitching about the
> food.

All in good time! Hang out here long enough and the bitching will become
praise.

>
> The carrots were great, though.
> Oh, and the potatoes were perfect. Nuked them for 10 minutes like
> someone suggested, then covered in oil and finished in the 325 oven
> for 30 minutes. They came out exactly as they do when they cook at
> 425 for 90 minutes. Good to know.

And an energy saver. I'm also always looking for ways to save on power
bills.

It's one of many reasons I've fallen in love with my table top oven. ;-)
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article .com>,
wrote:

> Mitch wrote:
> > Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
> >
> > I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> > it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
> >
> > I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
> > dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> > white wine.
> >
> > I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
> > roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
> >
> > Was it overcooked, or did it need to cook longer to tenderize it?
> >
> > I swear I can't have one meal where my kids aren't bitching about the
> > food.
> >
> > The carrots were great, though.
> > Oh, and the potatoes were perfect. Nuked them for 10 minutes like
> > someone suggested, then covered in oil and finished in the 325 oven
> > for 30 minutes. They came out exactly as they do when they cook at
> > 425 for 90 minutes. Good to know.
>
> I think its the cut of meat. I don't usually have much luck with round
> roast. Try a rump roast.
>
> me

<cough>

Rump is just as tough IME.

Long slow cooking... or use a pressure cooker.
Tough cuts of meat for a really good "potroast" can be done in 20 to 30
minutes.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article >,
Steve Wertz > wrote:

> Round is very dense with no real grain, and very little
> connective tissue. You can get it tender with low slow cooking,
> but it will taste like nothing.

I agree. The outstanding broth it makes that can made into a rich gravy
can mask the dryness and lack of flavor in the pot roast. Thin serving
slices across the grain help too. A round won't fall apart like other
cuts of beef. It's tough and I should have mentioned that in a previous
post. At any rate, YMMV. I don't prefer round for anything at all. But
it's certainly viable as a pot roast. The OP didn't cook it long enough.

leo

--
<http://web0.greatbasin.net/~leo/>

In article >,
Steve Wertz > wrote:

> On Mon, 08 Jan 2007 00:32:53 GMT, Mitch wrote:
>
> > I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
> > roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>
> Don't people check their food before they take it out of the oven
> or off the stove?
>
> -sw

Not everybody is as experienced a cook as you dear.

It's why they post here looking for advice. :-)

Lighten up!
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article >,
Mr Libido Incognito > wrote:

> Goomba38 wrote on 07 Jan 2007 in rec.food.cooking
>
> > Mitch wrote:
> > > Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
> > >
> > > I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> > > it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
> > >
> > > I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
> > > dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> > > white wine.
> > \
> > My suggestion is lay off the bottom round, Lay off the cream of mushroom
> > soup (what IS the purpose?? you can make a gravy if it comes to that)
> > Lay off the onion soup (all that salt probably draws any moisture out,
> > right?) and use more liquid in such a low fat cut as bottom round.
> >
> >
>
> First off braising is cooking at a low temp in the oven for a long time
> ...with a lid...something like a crockpot.
>
> There isn't a lot you can do with bottom round...unless you do braise it or
> turn it into corned beef or stew etc...it is a tough cut.
>
> marinate it in some red wine, sone rice wine vinegar crushed garlic and
> some dry mustard powder over night ...
>
> cook it in the crockpot smothered in onions and maybe a little bbq sauce.
> on low for say 8-10 hrs.

Or follow same and pressure cook for 30 minutes.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Mitch wrote:
> Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
>
> I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
>
> I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
> dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> white wine.
>
> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>
90 minutes for pot roast? Try 4-5 hours and lots of liquid.

Jill

In article >,
Steve Wertz > wrote:

> On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 22:08:27 -0500, yetanotherBob wrote:
>
> > The rule of thumb that I go by is that if the package says "round", it
> > should not be cooked more than medium rare, or *maybe* medium if you, or
> > someone else who'll be eating it, are really squeamish.
>
> I stand corrected in my last comment. I knew there was going to
> be one cut I was over-looking: the one I never buy with an intent
> other med-rare roast beef cooked low and using dry heat.
>
> Round is very dense with no real grain, and very little
> connective tissue. You can get it tender with low slow cooking,
> but it will taste like nothing.
>
> -sw

I generally purchase top round specifically for tartar as it is so low
in fat. I don't care for raw beef fat, but raw lean beef........

Dipped in raw egg yolk......

Pure heaven! :-d

It's quite tender served raw.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article >,
"cybercat" > wrote:

> "Steve Wertz" > wrote
> >
> > Round is very dense with no real grain, and very little
> > connective tissue. You can get it tender with low slow cooking,
> > but it will taste like nothing.
> >
>
> This has been my experience too. I began trying to roast round,
> and this is why it took me so long to even want to try beef again.

Chuck is my cut of choice for pot roast.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Omelet wrote:
> In article >,
> Steve Wertz > wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 08 Jan 2007 00:32:53 GMT, Mitch wrote:
>>
>>> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
>>> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>> Don't people check their food before they take it out of the oven
>> or off the stove?
>>
>> -sw
>
> Not everybody is as experienced a cook as you dear.
>
> It's why they post here looking for advice. :-)
>
> Lighten up!

Yeah, and you could clearly tell by his post that he needed help, not
smartassedness. <eye roll>

--
The Doctor: And I'm looking for a blonde in a Union Jack. A specific
one, mind you, I didn't just wake up this morning with a craving.

In article >, ost
says...
> On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 22:08:27 -0500, yetanotherBob wrote:
>
> > The rule of thumb that I go by is that if the package says "round", it
> > should not be cooked more than medium rare, or *maybe* medium if you, or
> > someone else who'll be eating it, are really squeamish.
>
> I stand corrected in my last comment. I knew there was going to
> be one cut I was over-looking: the one I never buy with an intent
> other med-rare roast beef cooked low and using dry heat.
>
> Round is very dense with no real grain, and very little
> connective tissue. You can get it tender with low slow cooking,
> but it will taste like nothing.
>
> -sw
>
This is one reason the gods have given us horseradish, mustard and the
like.

Also, whenever possible I sear the roast (most often eye of round of
late) on the grill outside, with lots of wood smoke for flavor. Makes a
big difference, imo.

I've read postings by folks who cut a slit from end-to-end in an eye of
round, stuff a chorizo or linguica sausage in, and roast the whole thing
like that. I haven't tried it, but I've got a bunch of linguica in the
freezer, next to the eye of round pieces, so it's just a matter of time
until I succumb to curiosity.

Bob

yetanotherBob wrote:
> In article >, Mitch@...
> says...
>> Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
>>
>> I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
>> it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
>>
>> I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
>> dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
>> white wine.
>>
>> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
>> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>>
>> Was it overcooked, or did it need to cook longer to tenderize it?
>>
>> I swear I can't have one meal where my kids aren't bitching about the
>> food.

Then I suggest you stop guessing about recipes and actually
follow some. Maybe get them to either help with the food
prep or, at least, suggest things they might like. Don't
make it a combat. Make it a cooperative venture. Lot less
grief that way.

>> The carrots were great, though.
>> Oh, and the potatoes were perfect. Nuked them for 10 minutes like
>> someone suggested, then covered in oil and finished in the 325 oven
>> for 30 minutes. They came out exactly as they do when they cook at
>> 425 for 90 minutes. Good to know.
>>
>
> Time and temp alone may work for braising really tough cuts like
> brisket, but they can be deadly for round, as you seem to have
> demonstrated. You don't need soup or other liquids, or covered roasting
> pans to produce a delicious round roast.

Sorry. No. There's a big difference between the various
round cuts. Top round is ok for roasting. Bottom round is
tough. Gooseneck round is bulletproof, and so on.

Bottom round needs to be moist-cooked. And it needs to be
cooked to the point where internal connective tissues break
down. Browning it (browning it isn't braising) adds the
flavors of Maillard reactions which are very appetizing and
can add a rich brown color to the pan liquids. Braising is
cooking the meat in a little liquid in a closed vessel.

Moist cooking will go through two stages: the first one
leads to toughening the meat as the temperature of the meat
gets higher. By the time it reaches about 180F, it's very
tough. After that, the protein gradually relaxes, collagen
dissolves and the meat becomes more tender. In effect, what
you did was to both overcook and undercook your roast
simultaneously.

Raise the temp to 375 and lose all the soup mix crap. Just
use some beef stock or broth (look for the low sodium stuff)
and a good splash of red wine. Cut into chunks a couple
peeled onions, some peeled big carrots, and a few ribs of
celery. Put them in the bottom of the pan and put the meat
on top. Think 3 hours or more.

Pastorio

Steve Wertz wrote:
> On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 22:08:27 -0500, yetanotherBob wrote:
>
>> The rule of thumb that I go by is that if the package says "round", it
>> should not be cooked more than medium rare, or *maybe* medium if you, or
>> someone else who'll be eating it, are really squeamish.
>
> I stand corrected in my last comment. I knew there was going to
> be one cut I was over-looking: the one I never buy with an intent
> other med-rare roast beef cooked low and using dry heat.
>
> Round is very dense with no real grain, and very little
> connective tissue. You can get it tender with low slow cooking,
> but it will taste like nothing.

<sigh> There's more than one "round" cut. The round is
essentially the thigh.

Info about rounds
<http://www.askthemeatman.com/images/beefroundallcuts.jpg>
Cutting a top round into smaller cuts
<http://www.askthemeatman.com/images/howtocuttoproundpix20kb.gif>
Bottom round cut into roasts and steak
<http://kerryz.net/beef-fb2263/fig122.jpg>

Bottom round is tough and is best suited to moist cooking.
Top round is what restaurants serve as roast beef. It can be
cooked up beyond medium and still retain palatability.

Foodservice uses for rounds <http://tinyurl.com/y7gqv3>

Pastorio

Bob (this one) wrote:

> Raise the temp to 375 and lose all the soup mix crap. Just use some beef
> stock or broth (look for the low sodium stuff) and a good splash of red
> wine. Cut into chunks a couple peeled onions, some peeled big carrots,
> and a few ribs of celery. Put them in the bottom of the pan and put the
> meat on top. Think 3 hours or more.
>


Put a couple of bay leaves in the bottom with the vegs, and grind some
black pepper over the top.

If the meat was needled (label says something like "Enhanced with up to
12% solution") it won't need much stock because so much water will cook
out of the meat.

Best regards,
Bob

Mitch wrote:
> Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
>
> I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.

Why did you dredge it in flour? What's the point in that?

>
> I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots.

Why on earth would you do that?

> In another
> dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> white wine.

ACK!

>
> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.

Way too short of a cooking time for a bottom round roast.

>
> Was it overcooked, or did it need to cook longer to tenderize it?
>
> I swear I can't have one meal where my kids aren't bitching about the
> food.

Well if you're serving them shit like that, I can't imagine why they
would be bitching.

>
> The carrots were great, though.

Yeah nothing like mushy carrots soaked in beef drippings and cream of
mushroom/dry onion soup/white wine slop. Mmmm-mmmm! Look out Sandra
Lee, you've got competition!

> Oh, and the potatoes were perfect. Nuked them for 10 minutes like
> someone suggested, then covered in oil and finished in the 325 oven
> for 30 minutes. They came out exactly as they do when they cook at
> 425 for 90 minutes. Good to know.

Next time you should just brown the roast, put it in the roasting pan
with carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes AROUND the meat, and roasting
for a couple of hours. I don't understand why you thought you had to
go through the extra step of nuking the potatoes first. But then
again, since you've been following the advice of the anal-retentive
dumb****s here, it doesn't surprise me that you don't know jack shit
about cooking.

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Mitch wrote:
>> Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
>>
>> I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
>> it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
>
> Why did you dredge it in flour? What's the point in that?
>
>>
>> I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots.
>
> Why on earth would you do that?
>
>> In another
>> dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
>> white wine.
>
> ACK!
>
>>
>> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
>> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>
> Way too short of a cooking time for a bottom round roast.
>
>>
>> Was it overcooked, or did it need to cook longer to tenderize it?
>>
>> I swear I can't have one meal where my kids aren't bitching about the
>> food.
>
> Well if you're serving them shit like that, I can't imagine why they
> would be bitching.
>
>>
>> The carrots were great, though.
>
> Yeah nothing like mushy carrots soaked in beef drippings and cream of
> mushroom/dry onion soup/white wine slop. Mmmm-mmmm! Look out Sandra
> Lee, you've got competition!
>
>> Oh, and the potatoes were perfect. Nuked them for 10 minutes like
>> someone suggested, then covered in oil and finished in the 325 oven
>> for 30 minutes. They came out exactly as they do when they cook at
>> 425 for 90 minutes. Good to know.
>
> Next time you should just brown the roast, put it in the roasting pan
> with carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes AROUND the meat, and roasting
> for a couple of hours. I don't understand why you thought you had to
> go through the extra step of nuking the potatoes first. But then
> again, since you've been following the advice of the anal-retentive
> dumb****s here, it doesn't surprise me that you don't know jack shit
> about cooking.
>

wahahahahahaha! It pretends that it cooks.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

In article >,
yetanotherBob > wrote:

> In article >, ost
> says...
> > On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 22:08:27 -0500, yetanotherBob wrote:
> >
> > > The rule of thumb that I go by is that if the package says "round", it
> > > should not be cooked more than medium rare, or *maybe* medium if you, or
> > > someone else who'll be eating it, are really squeamish.
> >
> > I stand corrected in my last comment. I knew there was going to
> > be one cut I was over-looking: the one I never buy with an intent
> > other med-rare roast beef cooked low and using dry heat.
> >
> > Round is very dense with no real grain, and very little
> > connective tissue. You can get it tender with low slow cooking,
> > but it will taste like nothing.
> >
> > -sw
> >
> This is one reason the gods have given us horseradish, mustard and the
> like.
>
> Also, whenever possible I sear the roast (most often eye of round of
> late) on the grill outside, with lots of wood smoke for flavor. Makes a
> big difference, imo.
>
> I've read postings by folks who cut a slit from end-to-end in an eye of
> round, stuff a chorizo or linguica sausage in, and roast the whole thing
> like that. I haven't tried it, but I've got a bunch of linguica in the
> freezer, next to the eye of round pieces, so it's just a matter of time
> until I succumb to curiosity.
>
> Bob

Linguica sausage...

Is that made from just tongue, or is it a type of head cheese?

I've not heard of it.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

On 8 Jan 2007 10:05:41 -0800, wrote:

>But then
>again, since you've been following the advice of the anal-retentive
>dumb****s here, it doesn't surprise me that you don't know jack shit
>about cooking.

Oh, well, at least it's the last post I'll ever see from your lonely
ass.

Mitch wrote:
> Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
>
> I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
>
> I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
> dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> white wine.
>
> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>
> Was it overcooked, or did it need to cook longer to tenderize it?
>
> I swear I can't have one meal where my kids aren't bitching about the
> food.
>
> The carrots were great, though.
> Oh, and the potatoes were perfect. Nuked them for 10 minutes like
> someone suggested, then covered in oil and finished in the 325 oven
> for 30 minutes. They came out exactly as they do when they cook at
> 425 for 90 minutes. Good to know.


The best way to make pot roast is in a pressure cooker. Try the basic
recipe first, then with a little experimentation, you can make it as
fancy as you like.

Even when it doesn't come out the way I thought it would, I've never
had a failure.
(Literally, never).

Mitch wrote:
> On 8 Jan 2007 10:05:41 -0800, wrote:
>
>> But then
>> again, since you've been following the advice of the anal-retentive
>> dumb****s here, it doesn't surprise me that you don't know jack shit
>> about cooking.
>
> Oh, well, at least it's the last post I'll ever see from your lonely
> ass.

Good call, Mitch.

--
The Doctor: And I'm looking for a blonde in a Union Jack. A specific
one, mind you, I didn't just wake up this morning with a craving.

In article >,
says...
> Linguica sausage...
>
> Is that made from just tongue, or is it a type of head cheese?
>
> I've not heard of it.
>
>

It's a Portuguese sausage, similar to chorizo but generally milder.

--
Peter Aitken

In article . com>,
" > wrote:

> Mitch wrote:
> > Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
> >
> > I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> > it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
> >
> > I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
> > dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> > white wine.
> >
> > I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
> > roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
> >
> > Was it overcooked, or did it need to cook longer to tenderize it?
> >
> > I swear I can't have one meal where my kids aren't bitching about the
> > food.
> >
> > The carrots were great, though.
> > Oh, and the potatoes were perfect. Nuked them for 10 minutes like
> > someone suggested, then covered in oil and finished in the 325 oven
> > for 30 minutes. They came out exactly as they do when they cook at
> > 425 for 90 minutes. Good to know.
>
>
> The best way to make pot roast is in a pressure cooker. Try the basic
> recipe first, then with a little experimentation, you can make it as
> fancy as you like.
>
> Even when it doesn't come out the way I thought it would, I've never
> had a failure.
> (Literally, never).

I agree!

Mom taught me to pressure cook pot roast.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article >,
Peter A > wrote:

> In article >,
> says...
> > Linguica sausage...
> >
> > Is that made from just tongue, or is it a type of head cheese?
> >
> > I've not heard of it.
> >
> >
>
> It's a Portuguese sausage, similar to chorizo but generally milder.

Huh. I'll be on the lookout for it, thanks!
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

"Mitch" <Mitch@...> schreef in bericht
...
> Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
>
> I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
>
> I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
> dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> white wine.
>
> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>
> Was it overcooked, or did it need to cook longer to tenderize it?
>
> I swear I can't have one meal where my kids aren't bitching about the
> food.
>
> The carrots were great, though.
> Oh, and the potatoes were perfect. Nuked them for 10 minutes like
> someone suggested, then covered in oil and finished in the 325 oven
> for 30 minutes. They came out exactly as they do when they cook at
> 425 for 90 minutes. Good to know.

Tyr cooking it longer and do not add COLD liquid to the meat - preheat
whatever liquid you are using.

Recooking undercooked braised meat is very well possoible and actually
improves the flavor.

Good luck!

In article >,
says...
> Linguica sausage...
>
> Is that made from just tongue, or is it a type of head cheese?
>
> I've not heard of it.
>
>
It's essentially a Portuguese-style chorizo, with many variations. The
main ingredients typically are pork, paprika and garlic, and the
sausages are dry smoked. In the commercial varieties, the pork isn't
always the finest, but there's generally no mystery meat added.

Good stuff, imo.

Bob

> Bob (this one) wrote:
>
>> Raise the temp to 375 and lose all the soup mix crap. Just use some
>> beef stock or broth (look for the low sodium stuff) and a good splash
>> of red wine. Cut into chunks a couple peeled onions, some peeled big
>> carrots, and a few ribs of celery. Put them in the bottom of the pan
>> and put the meat on top. Think 3 hours or more.
>>



My jr. high school cooking teacher (an old warhorse) made us repeat 25
times one day, about 50 years ago:

"Long, slow cooking makes tough meat tender."

gloria p

PS: maybe a small amt. of broth but at least a cup of red wine!

Mitch wrote:
>
> Had shoe leather for dinner. Please school me.
>
> I had a 2-pound bottom round roast. I dredged it in flour and braised
> it in a skillet until it was browned on all sides.
>
> I covered the bottom of a baking dish with baby carrots. In another
> dish I combined cream-of-mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and some
> white wine.
>
> I placed the roast on top of the carrots, poured the mixture over the
> roast, put the lid on, and cooked at 325 F for 90 minutes.
>
> Was it overcooked, or did it need to cook longer to tenderize it?
>
> I swear I can't have one meal where my kids aren't bitching about the
> food.

The trick to braised meats like pot roast is lower temperature
and longer cooking times. You should have cranked the stove down
to 300 or less and given it another hour or two.