What did I do to my roast??
November 24, 2014 6:46 PM Subscribe
I ruined my pot roast last night! What happened?
I was following an America's Test Kitchen recipe for pot roast, but it turned out tough and inedible. The recipe called for a 3-4 lb "top blade roast." I found 3-pound piece of meat labeled accordingly in the supermarket. It kind of just looked like a giant steak, around 2-3 inches thick, instead of your standard lumpier roast shape. Per the recipe, I seared it, cooked down a mixture of diced onions and carrots with about a cup of liquid, and then cooked the whole thing in a dutch oven for 3-4 hours in a 200 degree oven. The recipe said it should be 145-150 degrees when it was done, but it was already at 190 when we took it out after 3 hours.
Result: shoe leather.
What went wrong??
I was following an America's Test Kitchen recipe for pot roast, but it turned out tough and inedible. The recipe called for a 3-4 lb "top blade roast." I found 3-pound piece of meat labeled accordingly in the supermarket. It kind of just looked like a giant steak, around 2-3 inches thick, instead of your standard lumpier roast shape. Per the recipe, I seared it, cooked down a mixture of diced onions and carrots with about a cup of liquid, and then cooked the whole thing in a dutch oven for 3-4 hours in a 200 degree oven. The recipe said it should be 145-150 degrees when it was done, but it was already at 190 when we took it out after 3 hours.
Result: shoe leather.
What went wrong??
You need slower, cooler cooking for a roast like that.
posted by Setec Astronomy at 6:51 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Setec Astronomy at 6:51 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
A link to the recipe might be helpful. Since it sounds like it got much hotter than you intended, one thing that happened is that you cooked it too long. For whatever reason, yours cooked faster than expected. I wonder if theirs had a bone and yours didn't or vice versa?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:52 PM on November 24, 2014
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:52 PM on November 24, 2014
For something from the rump, just cook it longer. The collagen needs to break down. It's not like a rib roast where you are going to get a pink center. It will be well done, but will get tender with more time. Think of it as braising, not roasting. Moist, low-temperature cooking. Pot roast should be soft and tender.
Shoulder cuts (chuck roast) has more fat, so is more likely to turn out tender.
posted by BradNelson at 6:57 PM on November 24, 2014 [2 favorites]
Shoulder cuts (chuck roast) has more fat, so is more likely to turn out tender.
posted by BradNelson at 6:57 PM on November 24, 2014 [2 favorites]
I too suspect that your "200 degree" oven wasn't actually that low if it got the center of your roast to 190 in 3 hours. Definitely get an oven thermometer and check its temperature after its been set to 200 degrees for a while.
posted by brainmouse at 6:59 PM on November 24, 2014 [8 favorites]
posted by brainmouse at 6:59 PM on November 24, 2014 [8 favorites]
I cook a roast like that at 350 for 3 hours, I start with about two cups of water. I make sure to check every hour to make sure it's not getting dry.
posted by HuronBob at 6:59 PM on November 24, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by HuronBob at 6:59 PM on November 24, 2014 [2 favorites]
The oven at my last place was off by almost 100 degrees.
posted by efalk at 7:10 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by efalk at 7:10 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
Pot roast is a braise, relying on a moist, not-hot environment to s-l-o-o-o-w-l-y melt the collagen in the muscle fibers. I think optimum temp for braised beef is more like 160-180F, but correctly braised fatty cuts can still be very tender (just not succulent/super moist) at higher temperatures than that. Some things that could have gone wrong:
- How much liquid remained after you cooked down the aromatics/how big was the pot you cooked it in? I don't like a very dilute liquid but do think braises work best when at least 1/3 of the meat is immersed, so I tend to use a pot that really crowds the contents. And—you covered the pot, yes?
- Was your sear hot and fast (as it should be)? Your meat should have been good and brown on all sides but basically raw more than 1/4" below the surface. Maybe you went further with a lower/slower browning and the meat was on its way to being cooked (particularly possible if it was a large flat piece)? You can always roll/tie meat to make it more compact.
- But I agree that your oven is almost certainly too hot. I would expect a 3 pound dry roast to cook to 190F in 3 hours in more like a 300F oven; 3 pounds in liquid should take much longer even at that temperature, much less at 200F. Get an oven thermometer, but for most slow-braised dishes you can check the liquid and see if it's barely simmering—like, a lazy bubble or two every second.
posted by peachfuzz at 7:15 PM on November 24, 2014 [4 favorites]
- How much liquid remained after you cooked down the aromatics/how big was the pot you cooked it in? I don't like a very dilute liquid but do think braises work best when at least 1/3 of the meat is immersed, so I tend to use a pot that really crowds the contents. And—you covered the pot, yes?
- Was your sear hot and fast (as it should be)? Your meat should have been good and brown on all sides but basically raw more than 1/4" below the surface. Maybe you went further with a lower/slower browning and the meat was on its way to being cooked (particularly possible if it was a large flat piece)? You can always roll/tie meat to make it more compact.
- But I agree that your oven is almost certainly too hot. I would expect a 3 pound dry roast to cook to 190F in 3 hours in more like a 300F oven; 3 pounds in liquid should take much longer even at that temperature, much less at 200F. Get an oven thermometer, but for most slow-braised dishes you can check the liquid and see if it's barely simmering—like, a lazy bubble or two every second.
posted by peachfuzz at 7:15 PM on November 24, 2014 [4 favorites]
Meat gets mislabeled in the store all the time. Take a look at the results from a google image search; is that what you bought? If so, and assuming the recipe makes sense, then I'd be suspicious of your oven, as others have said. Any tough cut of meat should be in good shape after 3-4 hours at 225 or so, so something clearly wasn't right.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:17 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Dip Flash at 7:17 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
Asker, I don't have a great answer for you, but can you tell us - is it dry but broken down and shreddy? Or is it a big dry solid/tough hunk?
If it is dry but shreddy, you can at least pull it and simmer it in the braising liquid and it will basically be moist overall.
posted by ftm at 7:28 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
If it is dry but shreddy, you can at least pull it and simmer it in the braising liquid and it will basically be moist overall.
posted by ftm at 7:28 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
- That cut sounds really thin for 3 or 4 hours - was it submerged? Lid on the Dutch oven?
- You can fix this by putting the whole thing into a slow cooker or similar w/ a half bottle of red wine (drink the rest) some mushrooms, and maybe a wee bit more garlic and herbs.
- Let'r rip for another few hours on medium heat.
- Serve as stew. If you did not add potatoes, maybe add some.
Enjoy!
posted by jbenben at 8:32 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
- You can fix this by putting the whole thing into a slow cooker or similar w/ a half bottle of red wine (drink the rest) some mushrooms, and maybe a wee bit more garlic and herbs.
- Let'r rip for another few hours on medium heat.
- Serve as stew. If you did not add potatoes, maybe add some.
Enjoy!
posted by jbenben at 8:32 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
If you want to rescue it, try slicing it very thinly across the grain and serving with a thick sauce (e.g., stroganoff, or philly cheese steak).
In the future, the best way to avoid overcooking meat is to get an instant-read thermometer and check the temperature a few times as it bakes.
posted by d. z. wang at 8:40 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
In the future, the best way to avoid overcooking meat is to get an instant-read thermometer and check the temperature a few times as it bakes.
posted by d. z. wang at 8:40 PM on November 24, 2014 [1 favorite]
It's not obvious from your question if you know this, but the reason it was shoe leather is that it was way overcooked. 190 was just way too hot.
So, why was it 190 after only three hours? I think there are two basic options. The first is that you did more cooking on the stovetop than a simple sear. The second is that your oven was just way hotter than you thought it was. I think the second option is more likely since ovens are off on their temperatures all the time.
Of course, you could just call and ask, but the first thing they'll ask is if you have an oven thermometer.
posted by Betelgeuse at 9:15 PM on November 24, 2014
So, why was it 190 after only three hours? I think there are two basic options. The first is that you did more cooking on the stovetop than a simple sear. The second is that your oven was just way hotter than you thought it was. I think the second option is more likely since ovens are off on their temperatures all the time.
Of course, you could just call and ask, but the first thing they'll ask is if you have an oven thermometer.
posted by Betelgeuse at 9:15 PM on November 24, 2014
If your oven's temperature does turn out to be off, it may be very easy to adjust the temperature control knob to be more accurate. See this page (also covers electronic oven controls but less specific since brands vary).
posted by Wretch729 at 12:35 AM on November 25, 2014
posted by Wretch729 at 12:35 AM on November 25, 2014
« Older Hotels in San Diego over Thanksgiving weekend? | Anyone fluent in Seven-Year-Old who can translate?... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Mizu at 6:49 PM on November 24, 2014