On 2005-01-04, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> at 300 for about 2 hours....

> disgustingly dry....

Gee, I wonder why?

nb

In article >, notbob
> wrote:

> On 2005-01-04, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
>
> > at 300 for about 2 hours....
>
> > disgustingly dry....
>
> Gee, I wonder why?
>
> nb

No enough liquid, I guess. Hey, everybody told me to bake it for a
couple hours low and slow. I did. It sucked.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> More on 1-4-05 - Chicken Tortilla
Soup, and Swiss Steak.
"Are we going to measure or are we going to cook?" -Food writer
Mimi Sheraton

On 2005-01-05, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> No enough liquid, I guess. Hey, everybody told me to bake it for a
> couple hours low and slow. I did. It sucked.

Low and slow for meat is usually about 200 deg F, give or take 25 deg. As
for Swiss steak, if 4 yrs of military chow is any indicator, it sucks no
matter what you do to it.

nb

In article >, notbob
> wrote:

> On 2005-01-05, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
>
> > No enough liquid, I guess. Hey, everybody told me to bake it for a
> > couple hours low and slow. I did. It sucked.
>
> Low and slow for meat is usually about 200 deg F, give or take 25 deg. As
> for Swiss steak, if 4 yrs of military chow is any indicator, it sucks no
> matter what you do to it.
>
> nb

Oh. Live and learn. :-P
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> More on 1-4-05 - Chicken Tortilla
Soup, and Swiss Steak.
"Are we going to measure or are we going to cook?" -Food writer
Mimi Sheraton

"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, notbob
> > wrote:
>
>> On 2005-01-04, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
>>
>> > at 300 for about 2 hours....
>>
>> > disgustingly dry....
>>
>> Gee, I wonder why?
>>
>> nb
>
> No enough liquid, I guess. Hey, everybody told me to bake it for a
> couple hours low and slow. I did. It sucked.
> --
> -Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com>

If I can add my two cents I think there was nothing wrong with your recipe
or the technique.

IMHO the problem is the cut of beef - The Top Round appears to be a good
value 'cause its red and very lean but I believe unless cooked rare and
sliced like a London Broil you end up with shoe leather.

Next time try your recipe with a piece of boneless chuck or at the very
least use a thin cut of bottom round. IIRC we used to make it all the time
but we had to simmer it to death in an electric fry pan with lots and lots
of liquid.

Dimitri

In article > ,
"Dimitri" > wrote:

> "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
> ...
(snip)
> > No enough liquid, I guess. Hey, everybody told me to bake it for a
> > couple hours low and slow. I did. It sucked.
> > --
> > -Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com>
>
> If I can add my two cents I think there was nothing wrong with your
> recipe or the technique.


Thank you, Galahad, Sir.
Note to notbob: Pffthhgggbbtt!
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> More on 1-4-05 - Chicken Tortilla
Soup, and Swiss Steak.
"Are we going to measure or are we going to cook?" -Food writer
Mimi Sheraton

On 2005-01-06, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:


> Pffthhgggbbtt!

LOL...

You ought to get that fixed!

nb

I make swiss steak in the crock pot. I do brown the steaks first on the stove.
Then throw it in the crock pot with 2 cans of stewed tomatoes, a chopped onion,
about a cup of diced up celery and 1 packet of onion soup mix. Cook for about 8
hours on low or 6 hours on high. Never fails. Yummy with mashed potatoes.

Sandra

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> I sliced the meat in two, horizontally, although I did it vertically.
> :-)
> I pounded the hell, snot, and sh** out of it with a knife (poor woman's
> cube steak?), working seasoned flour into it. Browned it in oil and
> butter, covered it with onions, mushrooms, some green & red peppers
> (dehydrated), and a can of Red Gold Petite diced tomatoes and baked it
> at 300 for about 2 hours. It was tender enough and the meat was
> disgustingly dry. Bleah. The mushrooms were great. Served with some
> disgusting scalloped corn and canned green beans that had no flavor
> whatsoever, even though they'd been doused liberally with Butter Buds
> before nuking. The baked potato would have been fine with some sour
> cream and butter, but I didn't have any sour cream.
>
> Gee, I can't WAIT to do this again. Not!


I've never HAD a good Swiss Steak. My suggestion would have
been to sliver the meat and make fajitas or pepper-steak stir-fry,
but I didn't want to rain on your parade....

gloria p

Melba's Jammin' at wrote on 1/3/05 8:45 PM:

> I sliced the meat in two, horizontally, although I did it vertically.
> :-)
> I pounded the hell, snot, and sh** out of it with a knife (poor woman's
> cube steak?), working seasoned flour into it. Browned it in oil and
> butter, covered it with onions, mushrooms, some green & red peppers
> (dehydrated), and a can of Red Gold Petite diced tomatoes and baked it
> at 300 for about 2 hours. It was tender enough and the meat was
> disgustingly dry. Bleah. The mushrooms were great. Served with some
> disgusting scalloped corn and canned green beans that had no flavor
> whatsoever, even though they'd been doused liberally with Butter Buds
> before nuking. The baked potato would have been fine with some sour
> cream and butter, but I didn't have any sour cream.
>
> Gee, I can't WAIT to do this again. Not!

Well, I doubt you'll be lining up to make this again, but tomato sauce with
the diced tomatoes would have made a more succulent, "wetter" sauce.

I think the key to this is to have a lot of sauce so the meat picks up
flavor and moistness from the gravy.

It's a shame it didn't turn out better. The sides didn't work out so great,
either, did they? :-)

For the rest of the meat, I would slice it into strips, marinate it over
night in lime juice and chili powder, plus extra garlic and cumin, then stir
fry, grill or broil and serve with tortillas, peppers and onions. In other
words, Fajitas. Or serve with "spanish rice" (I use Lipton's pouch for
this) instead of tortillas, and eat with a knife and fork.

On Mon, 03 Jan 2005 19:45:19 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

> :-)
> I pounded the hell, snot, and sh** out of it with a knife (poor woman's
> cube steak?), working seasoned flour into it. Browned it in oil and
> butter, covered it with onions, mushrooms, some green & red peppers
> (dehydrated), and a can of Red Gold Petite diced tomatoes and baked it
> at 300 for about 2 hours. It was tender enough and the meat was
> disgustingly dry. Bleah.

<snip>
>
> Gee, I can't WAIT to do this again. Not!

First, get yourself a decent piece of meat... one meant for
pot roast. You said you had top round, Sheryl said bottom
round was better and I think cheap chuck is good bet too.

Pounding it with a knife isn't going to take the place of
using a real "meat tenderizing" tool... so visit your local
charity shop, garage sale or hardware store to find the
proper mallet.

Report back when you have everything in place (fergit about
that "tomatoey" recipe thing unless it's part of your
heritage) or come to one of our houses for some REAL pot
roast.




sf

Umm, ...how thick was the "swiss"steak? Maybe one hour would have done it?
(PS.... Butter Buds??!?)

Richard.


"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
...
>I sliced the meat in two, horizontally, although I did it vertically.
> :-)
> I pounded the hell, snot, and sh** out of it with a knife (poor woman's
> cube steak?), working seasoned flour into it. Browned it in oil and
> butter, covered it with onions, mushrooms, some green & red peppers
> (dehydrated), and a can of Red Gold Petite diced tomatoes and baked it
> at 300 for about 2 hours. It was tender enough and the meat was
> disgustingly dry. Bleah. The mushrooms were great. Served with some
> disgusting scalloped corn and canned green beans that had no flavor
> whatsoever, even though they'd been doused liberally with Butter Buds
> before nuking. The baked potato would have been fine with some sour
> cream and butter, but I didn't have any sour cream.
>
> Gee, I can't WAIT to do this again. Not!
> --
> -Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Updated 11-29-04; Sam I Am!
> birthday telling; Thanksgiving 2004; Fanfare, Maestro, please.
> "Are we going to measure or are we going to cook?" -Food writer
> Mimi Sheraton

"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
...
>I sliced the meat in two, horizontally, although I did it vertically.
> :-)
> I pounded the hell, snot, and sh** out of it with a knife (poor woman's
> cube steak?), working seasoned flour into it. Browned it in oil and
> butter, covered it with onions, mushrooms, some green & red peppers
> (dehydrated), and a can of Red Gold Petite diced tomatoes and baked it
> at 300 for about 2 hours. It was tender enough and the meat was
> disgustingly dry. Bleah. The mushrooms were great. Served with some
> disgusting scalloped corn and canned green beans that had no flavor
> whatsoever, even though they'd been doused liberally with Butter Buds
> before nuking. The baked potato would have been fine with some sour
> cream and butter, but I didn't have any sour cream.
>
> Gee, I can't WAIT to do this again. Not!
> --
> -Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com>

Is the cut you purchased called "Swiss Steak" or was it just simply a round
steak? If so IMHO (Round Steak) the flavor/texture is inherently dry. There
is little or no fat to keep it "moist". Its only good buried in Campbell's
soup.


Dimitri

"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
...
> I sliced the meat in two, horizontally, although I did it vertically.
> :-)
> I pounded the hell, snot, and sh** out of it with a knife (poor woman's
> cube steak?), working seasoned flour into it. Browned it in oil and
> butter, covered it with onions, mushrooms, some green & red peppers
> (dehydrated), and a can of Red Gold Petite diced tomatoes and baked it
> at 300 for about 2 hours. It was tender enough and the meat was
> disgustingly dry. Bleah. The mushrooms were great. Served with some
> disgusting scalloped corn and canned green beans that had no flavor
> whatsoever, even though they'd been doused liberally with Butter Buds
> before nuking. The baked potato would have been fine with some sour
> cream and butter, but I didn't have any sour cream.
>
> Gee, I can't WAIT to do this again. Not!

Barb, the next time you have a 1-inch thick slice of meat use Sheldon's
recipe. It is fine.

Charlie

SWISS STEAK

Source: Sheldon, rfc, 25FEB02

1.5 to 3 lbs. round steak (about 1-inch thick)
1/3 cup flour
2 large onions, sliced
2 tbs. fat
1.5 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 clove garlic, cut fine
1 stalk celery, diced
1.5 cups canned tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup wine
2 potatoes, quartered
2-3 carrots, chunked
1/2 green pepper, sliced
chopped parsley


Lay the meat on a breadboard and sprinkle both sides with flour. Using a
mallet, pound the flour into the steak on both sides. The flour will become
absorbed into the steak. Sauté the onions in the oil and remove from the
pan. Add the meat to the pan and brown well on both sides. This will take
about 10-20 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Deglaze pan with wine,
add water. Place the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, celery, carrots, potatoes
and the sautéed onions over the steak. Cover the pan and simmer for about
1.5 hours or until tender. Serve over noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.
Garnish with parsley. Serves 4 to 6 depending on amount of beef you use.

"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
...
> I sliced the meat in two, horizontally, although I did it vertically.
> :-)
> I pounded the hell, snot, and sh** out of it with a knife (poor woman's
> cube steak?), working seasoned flour into it. Browned it in oil and
> butter, covered it with onions, mushrooms, some green & red peppers
> (dehydrated), and a can of Red Gold Petite diced tomatoes and baked it
> at 300 for about 2 hours. It was tender enough and the meat was
> disgustingly dry. Bleah. The mushrooms were great. Served with some
> disgusting scalloped corn and canned green beans that had no flavor
> whatsoever, even though they'd been doused liberally with Butter Buds
> before nuking. The baked potato would have been fine with some sour
> cream and butter, but I didn't have any sour cream.
>
> Gee, I can't WAIT to do this again. Not!
> --
> -Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Updated 11-29-04; Sam I Am!
> birthday telling; Thanksgiving 2004; Fanfare, Maestro, please.
> "Are we going to measure or are we going to cook?" -Food writer
> Mimi Sheraton

Sorry you were disappointed. Were it me, I'd have skipped it all in favor of
a good stir fry, but that's just me ;-)
For another hunk of the meat, try slicing it super thin (partially frozen
does wonders for that), and marinating it in equal parts hoisin, oyster and
soy sauce for a few hours. Makes a very tasty stir fry when combined with
your favorite veggies (me, I like broccoli, water chestnuts, julienne
carrots, and sugar snap peas).

I've never baked Swiss steak, always simmered it on the stove. I do pot
roasts that way too, and pork chops & gravy. Round steak is pretty dry on a
good day, but it does work out good for the stir fry.

I had to laugh when I read the comment about the baked potato. Alexis
doesn't think they come that way (sans sour cream). I'm pretty sure she
thinks they grow in the ground with sour cream already there.

kimberly

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> I sliced the meat in two, horizontally, although I did it vertically.
> :-)
> I pounded the hell, snot, and sh** out of it with a knife (poor woman's
> cube steak?), working seasoned flour into it. Browned it in oil and
> butter, covered it with onions, mushrooms, some green & red peppers
> (dehydrated), and a can of Red Gold Petite diced tomatoes and baked it
> at 300 for about 2 hours. It was tender enough and the meat was
> disgustingly dry. Bleah. The mushrooms were great. Served with some
> disgusting scalloped corn and canned green beans that had no flavor
> whatsoever, even though they'd been doused liberally with Butter Buds
> before nuking. The baked potato would have been fine with some sour
> cream and butter, but I didn't have any sour cream.
>
> Gee, I can't WAIT to do this again. Not!

I forget where you're located, but if you're ever up NY way give a shout
and I'll make you my version.

--
Steve

It's not a good idea to squat while wearing spurs.

On Mon, 03 Jan 2005 19:45:19 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

>I sliced the meat in two, horizontally, although I did it vertically.
>:-)
>I pounded the hell, snot, and sh** out of it with a knife (poor woman's
>cube steak?), working seasoned flour into it. Browned it in oil and
>butter, covered it with onions, mushrooms, some green & red peppers
>(dehydrated), and a can of Red Gold Petite diced tomatoes and baked it
>at 300 for about 2 hours. It was tender enough and the meat was
>disgustingly dry. Bleah. The mushrooms were great. Served with some
>disgusting scalloped corn and canned green beans that had no flavor
>whatsoever, even though they'd been doused liberally with Butter Buds
>before nuking. The baked potato would have been fine with some sour
>cream and butter, but I didn't have any sour cream.
>
>Gee, I can't WAIT to do this again. Not!

Maybe you could try grillades:
http://southernfood.about.com/librar...0/bl00219f.htm

This only one of many variations of the dish. I know it calls for
peppers and other weird stuff, but still...


modom

"Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes."
-- Jimmie Dale Gilmore

On 2005-01-04, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> at 300 for about 2 hours....

> disgustingly dry....

Gee, I wonder why?

nb