I made roast beef.
And it was awesome. I actually would have settled for not-horrible-for-once, so I was thrilled.
I posted two weeks ago that I was planning to give it another shot, and appreciated all of the supportive comments with great advice. I know that every one else in the entire world can make a great roast in a crock pot, but mine always turn out horrible. Like . . . I-can-only-chew-for-so-long-before-my-jaw-starts-to-ache horrible. And my heart sank when my camera-woman for the chicken cut-up session said that she felt it really came down to meat quality.
No matter how much I want to make a decent roast, I’m not paying more than 1.99/lb.
And then it hit me . . . a few of you mentioned the low-and-slow method.
My mother-in-law makes brisket that tastes like my ideal roast. I know that sounds strange, but I had only ever had barbecued brisket before hers. I now cook brisket this way, and it turns out perfectly every single time. I had the bright idea that since brisket is one of those meats that is fabulous when cooked low-and-slow, but horrid if cooked ANY other way . . . maybe roast, even the 1.99/lb kind, would do well with this method.
It did! And as a blogger . . . I took pictures of the entire process on the off-chance that it would turn out.
Remember, this is my MIL’s recipe, and she’s a FABulous cook, but not-so-much into specific amounts. I’m not either, so I was fine with that.
Instructions:
Sprinkle heavily with “all the spices in your cabinet.”
Seriously. Now, I only use what sounds like it would taste good on roast and skip the cinnamon and nutmeg. I stick with the savory stuff like Lawry’s seasoning salt, garlic powder, celery salt, pepper, onion powder, etc.
Pour “one of those pink cups full” of water over the meat. (Don’t tell her I threw out the pink cups. I use a large plastic drinking cup, about 2-3 measuring cups worth, until the water comes to the top of the meat.)
Cover tightly with heavy-duty foil.
Cook for eight hours at 225 degrees.
All that’s well and good, but here’s what I think is the genius of her method: Cook it the day before.
Meaning . . . I got home from the store, seasoned the roast, and stuck it in the oven at 2:00 p.m. I took it out just before 10:00 p.m., let it cool, and put it in the fridge.
The next day, it looks like this:
The fat that was in the juice is now completely solid, and can be picked right off and thrown away. The fatty sections within the meat are also solid, and can be easily identified and cut away.
Then, I chop/slice/randomly shred the meat, make gravy out of the broth,
and put the meat into the gravy to heat back up.
Serve it over mashed potatoes and you have the world’s most comforting comfort food.
Next time, I’m getting a bigger roast. With brisket, I generally buy enough to make two pans at the same time, and freeze one meal’s worth.
My family’s thoughts? My nine-year-old said, “This is roast? I like it better than usual. It’s so much easier to chew.”
Hmmmph.
Actually, they loooovvedd it. Everyone raved and raved.
So what’s on my menu this week?
Monday – Out to Eat for School Fundraiser (No complaining here!)
Tuesday – Chicken Fried Rice
Wednesday – Crock pot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
Thursday – Tacos
Friday – Out to Eat
I’ll be linking this up to Orgjunkie.com for Menu Plan Monday!
Okay, so I’m wondering. . . could you elaborate on your “make gravy out of the broth” step? What exactly do you do? This post made my mouth water so I FULLY intend to grocery shop Monday and make this on Tuesday to eat on Wednesday (our usual ‘eat out’ day because of all the clubs). I can’t wait! Thank you so much!!
Yes, I was wondering where the broth came from too?
Also, what is a “pink cup”? <:O)
They were these pink plastic cups that we somehow inherited!
Ummmm, here’s the thing. I actually took pictures of the first few steps, but then realized I had done it completely wrong and ended up having to do a million steps to correct my mistake. Definitely not tutorial-worthy. My MIL actually just makes gravy from a package. I’ll try to look up a link about making gravy from broth.
That’s awesome! And now you’ve taught me how to cook a brisket! Thanks.
Woohoo! Can’t wait to try it!
You’re making wish I didn’t recently eliminate meat from my diet. Anyway, the best crockpot $1.99/lb roast recipe ever (no, seriously – it’s the best).
1 – 4(ish) lb cheap roast (cheaper the better)
1 pkg lipton onion soup mix
14 oz ketchup
32 oz cola soda (not diet)
Pour ingredients over roast in crockpot – cook on low 8 to 10 hours. I always shredded the beef in the broth afterwards and we enjoyed it most on buns using some of the “sauce” as an au jus.
The leftover beef is also awesome in beef enchiladas.
I have to vouch for this recipe as I slowcook my roast in cola sometimes too. Yummy Yummy!
Love your blog but I’m vegan and that just looks icky! Sorry.
Oh Cathy, I’m sorry! I can only imagine that it’s the last thing you want to see!
Where do you find beef for $1.99/lb (besides super fatty hamburger)? I have trouble finding anything under $3/lb (in Central Illinois). Maybe I’m watching the wrong store ads.
It’s rare, but I do find it here in Texas. I know it’s different in different regions though. Is there a local frugal blogger that you follow that you could ask? If not, I’ll see if I know anyone who blogs about grocery deals in that area.
Beef is getting harder and harder to find for that price.
Good idea! I just posted on a frugal bloggers facebook page that I follow. Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction! Thank you
I loved that he noticed the “lack of chewiness”. So awesome.
I’m with you…I’ve never made a good roast and I usually use a crock pot. Need to try this method.
Awesome! I’m not a roast fan usually (dry, etc.) so I’ll have to try it.
What cut of beef did you use. I love chuck roasts. They are probably the cheapest of the roasts but to me the best. They are ALWAYS tender.The longer it cooks the more tender it gets.
I just had to laugh at your “Sprinkle heavily with “all the spices in your cabinet.” instruction as I do this myself all the time. In fact, this morning I put our porc roast in the crockpot, heavily sprinkled it with onion & garlic powder, chili powder and basil. Then I reached for whatever fruit juice we happen to have, in this case a blend of guava, pineapple and passion fruit puree juice and voila. It smells sooooooo good right now, I can’t wait for dinner!