Pot Roast Extraordinaire
Roasting is a method of cooking meat that is larger and thicker than what would be served individually. The goal is to get the middle of the meat cooked to an acceptable temperature without overcooking the outside, or making the meat too tough to eat. There are three basic methods of roasting: dry, wet and smoke. Dry roasting is typically used only for the better cuts of meat, as they are usually more tender and do not need the penetrating heat of liquid, nor the extra taste that it can lend. Pot Roasting is a wonderful way to use liquid to slow-cook a lower-grade cut of meat to a perfect, tasty tenderness.
The lower grades of meat are not at all to be avoided. In fact, I find that it is much harder to make mistakes with them, and once they are cooked to the right tenderness they tend to be just as tasty as the top cuts; plus, they are cheaper!
In all animals, the lower grade cuts of meat are around the joints, most commonly the upper joint (shoulder and hip). This is because the animal uses these muscles to move around, and this makes the muscles tougher. The cuts around the the non-moving parts of the animal are more tender, and tend to come from just behind the ribs, and to a lesser extent, from the ribs themselves.
Tougher meat takes longer to cook, and because of this runs the risk of drying out, which is why we use liquid to cook it. To use the same treatment on the better cuts of meat would actually pull flavor out of them, so we use the dry roasting for them instead.
Aside from Pot Roasting, there is also Braising, which is an oven roasting method that uses a small amount of bubbling liquid to cook the meat. In contrast Pot Roasting is done in a pot (bet you never saw that coming, did you?) and usually the meat is fully submersed in the liquid.
When we do a pot roast, there are a few things we need to keep in mind. Firstly, the meat is likely to start out tough, so we need to cook it for long enough for the liquid to tenderize it. If you choose to use a pressure cooker you will dramatically cut down the required time, but I will not go into how to use a pressure cooker in this post. If you have one and know how to use it safely, then go ahead and use it — just please be safe! Otherwise, a normal pot roast will take anywhere from 90 minutes to three hours depending on the size of the roast.
The second thing to consider is the taste of the meat itself. The presence of either fat or bones in the meat will increase the natural flavor in the meat, but they are not necessary. Also, pot roasting is normally limited to meat from larger animals: beef, pork, bison, or any of the larger game meats. The type of meat you choose will determine what sort of flavour you will get. Normally I will not use pork in a pot roast, as pork is so flavorful that there is usually a better treatment for it. I find that beef stands up very well to the strong flavors usually used in a pot roast.
Next, you must decide on what liquid to cook the roast in. My favorite is a combination of red wine and beef stock, but you could use white wine instead, or any type of stock (veal is considered the best type of stock, but might be overkill here.) A mixture of tomato and water would also work, but it would have to be a reasonable ratio: too thick and it will not penetrate the meat, too thin and it won’t have enough flavor. Any combination of these liquids will work, as long as you enjoy the flavor.
The last thing to consider is what to add to the liquid. If we are going to use a flavor-inducing liquid, we might as well take full advantage of it! The basic rule to keep in mind is to add things that add lots of flavor and do not break down in the liquid over time. Vegetables that can added include the tougher roots such as onions, carrots, parsnips, turnips. These add a lot of flavor, and will be tender enough to serve once the cooking is done. Veggies to avoid include potatoes or other starch vegetables, at least until the last half hour or so, otherwise they fall apart — plus they do not add a lot of flavor. Also, I find celery just gets stringy when cooked in liquid, do I would not bother with it. Garlic is almost a requirement, of course.
Most fresh herbs will also get mushy and lose their flavor by the time then roast is finished, so stick with the tougher ones. I usually add a couple of bay leaves, and some sprigs of rosemary and thyme tied up in a bunch for easy removal later on. Peppercorns and cloves are great as well; tons of flavor, and will not dissolve in the liquid — just remember to fish or strain them out at the end, as they are a little too powerful to be eaten whole. If you have a tea strainer that fully encloses, you might want to put the cloves and peppercorns in it and drop the whole thing into the pot.
Once you have decided on your ingredients, you need to prepare your meat. If you read my post on carmelization, you will know that using a pan to brown the outside of your meat will add a lot of flavor. First, pat the meat dry with a paper towel to remove any moisture from the surface. Second, season the meat with salt; this will help dry the surface, as well as add a bit of flavor. Next, heat a small amount of oil in a pan to medium-high heat. Use a vegetable oil that can take a high heat, such as canola oil. Olive oil will break down at too low a temperature, so it is not best for browning your meat. Once the oil is up to heat (and not before!!) place the largest, flattest surface of the meat down on the pan. If the oil is hot enough you should get a nice, satisfying sizzle, and a terrific aroma. Too low a heat, and the meat will just boil on the surface, adding nothing to the flavor. Too high, and you risk burned meat, splattered skin and kitchen fires. Once the meat is in the pan you will begin to feel an urge to move it around. All this will accomplish is to rip pieces of meat off, leaving the tastiest stuff behind. To tell when the browning is done, gently pull the meat to one side to see if it will move easily. If not, let the heat continue to work. Once it is fully browned to perfection the fibres in the meat will relax and let go of the pan, and you will be able to flip the meat to another side. By the way, once you are done browning the meat the pan should be “deglazed” if you decide to make a gravy later on. If not, you can use the same pot for browning as for roasting; just remember to rinse out the oil before adding the ingredients to roast, as the oil will just float to the top and do us no good.
Once the meat is fully browned, get it into your roasting pot, add your veggies, herbs, spices and cover the whole lot with your cooking liquid. Bring up to a boil, and immediately turn down to a simmer and cover. If you have a meat thermometer use it to test the internal temperature of the meat every 15 minutes or so, starting about an hour into the cooking. You need a minimum of 160 degress Fahrenheit, but you can safely go to 170 or even a bit more with pot roasting since there is no danger of the meat drying out. If you do not have a thermometer, you can use a knife to pierce the meat. Leave the knife in for a few seconds, then pull it out and put the tip of the knife to your lips. If the knife feels cold, or even lukewarm, the meat is not done yet. The knife should be hot enough to almost burn, or at the very least uncomfortably hot.
Once the meat is fully cooked, pull it out and put it on a platter or a roasting pan to cool down. It is best to cover it with a tent of foil so the cooling down occurs slowly. As the meat cools down some of the liquid will escape, and this can be used for your gravy should you choose to make some (watch for a future article on gravy, a fine art to be sure!)
You can also pull out your veggies and serve them up as well. If you cut them large enough in the beginning then they should be firm enough to be worth eating; if they are mushy they will likely be bland as well, having given their flavor up to the cause.
Pot Roasting is great for summer, because you don’t need to have the oven on, so the kitchen does not get so hot. Also, since you only used one pot for cooking, and one for browning cleanup should be easy. And most importantly, it is really, really tasty!
Yours in Good Taste,
Erik Christensen