Which type of roast good for cooking in pot?

2mother

Tue, Mar 31 2020, 3:17 pm

We don't eat much meat here but I'd like to make one roast for yom tov. My cooking plan is to put the meat in a pot with lots of onions and root veg and cook it low and slow.
Which cut of meat works for that?

Brisket
Club roast
Beef deckle pot roast
French roast
London broil
Medallion roast
Minute roast
Rib roast

These are the options I see at the local store.

Amarante

Tue, Mar 31 2020, 3:27 pm

You want to braise the meat - this is when you cook meat at a low temperature for a long period of time - generally with some savory vegetables.

You don't want to waste an expensive tender cut of meat for a braise. This is where you can use a cheaper tougher cut because the long slow cooking releases the collagen and makes the meat tender.

I am not familiar with the specific cuts but I would lean towards something called a pot roast.

A rib roast seems like it is coming from the tender part of the cow and would generally be roasted in an oven.

London broil is not generally braised. It is seared quickly and then sliced against the grain.

Although brisket is a tough cut, I am more familiar with oven roasting at a low slow temperature versus braising it on the stove top.

A really good source of information is a butcher. Most grocery stores have people behind the scenes packaging and you can ask for their recommendations. They are also very helpful (at least for me) when they help me select the best cut of the ones that are available. Even the same cut of meat can be better than the others available for sale.

Chayalle

Tue, Mar 31 2020, 3:32 pm

Susie Fishbein has a pot roast recipe that is exactly what you describe. I've made it many times and it's delicious, simple, hearty fare. I've done it with a chuck roast (the kind that comes tied up with a net). She says in the recipe - just like Amarante said - that any inexpensive cut works for this.

Basically you brown onions (eta in oil), you add the roast and brown it in the onions. and while doing so sprinkle it with a bit of potato starch so which browns the surface nicely.

Add onion soup mix - a few spoonsful - and water - almost to cover the meat. Add in whatever veggies you like - potatoes, etc....and cook for like 2 1/2 hours till meat is really soft. Slice the roast. Serve with the vegetables.

Last edited by Chayalle on Tue, Mar 31 2020, 3:42 pm; edited 1 time in total

Amarante

Tue, Mar 31 2020, 3:38 pm

Or this is a great time to make a stew which is essentially a pot roast except that the meat is cut into smaller stew sizes :-).

Any kind of root vegetable is delicious. I am particularly fond of using parsnips in a pot roast or stew because it is so delicious when cooked this way. Oddly I also like string beans but added towards the end of the cooking time so they don't become completely mushy.

A can of tomatoes is always good to add as well.

2mother

Tue, Mar 31 2020, 3:48 pm

Amarante wrote:

Or this is a great time to make a stew which is essentially a pot roast except that the meat is cut into smaller stew sizes

That's a great idea! I actually have extra stew meat. Maybe I'll make both, there's lots of meals to cook for...

Chayalle

Tue, Mar 31 2020, 3:58 pm

2mother wrote:

That's a great idea! I actually have extra stew meat. Maybe I'll make both, there's lots of meals to cook for...

Do you have a pressure cooker? I actually make stew in the pressure cooker, I find it comes out so delicious. The pressure really tenderizes the meat amazingly.

I just sautee onions, some garlic, add the meat and brown for a few minutes....add carrots and potatoes - big chunks, salt, pepper, spices, water about 1/3 way up....then I close the pressure cooker and cook for about 40 minutes.

It comes out so soft and delicious. I sometimes serve this for the Seder, since the meat is not roasted, there's plenty of "soup".

This would probably work well in an instapot too....I'm too old-fashioned for that (my pressure cooker was my mother's....and still works well for me.)

chicco

Tue, Mar 31 2020, 4:03 pm

My favorites for this kind of cooking are French roasts and chuck roasts. You can choose whether or not to sear it first. Then you can use just a jar of tomato sauce, or red wine, water and some onion soup mix. Just let it go low and slow until the roast is soft.