Please help the worlds worst cook

I bought an expensive boneless chuck roast, 3.43 pounds. I know pot roasts is for less expensive cuts of meat but I hoped if bought better quality meat at the "fancy" super markets I'd get better results.

I can't even figure out if stove top pot roasting or oven roasting is better? I understand I don't want the "dry" type of oven roasting for a rib eye or tenderloin.

A recipe I have is for oven roasting in liquid in a covered roasting pan. But then I started Googling and read about stove top roasting and became more confused. My daughter has tried this oven roasting recipe several times and while the roast is flavorful it is never fork tender?

I do like the recipe because it is simple....besides being an awful cook, (or because of being an awful cook,) I hate to cook.

So is stove top or oven roasting preferred for pot roasts?

I've read conflicting ideas about browning the meat first? Is it necessary?

And what in the heck is .43 of a pound of meat? Pounds have 16 ounces so how to they come up with .43 of a pound?

 

I find that roasting in the oven, especially in a covered container, provides more even heating than stove top. But, as you've found out there is more than one way to cook a roast. Oven, stove top or crock pot are all possibilities.

As for the .43 it's the decimal fraction of a pound. Just be glad they didn't label it as a fraction or you'd have 3 27/64 pound of meat. As one of only three countries on the planet that are not on the metric system that's what you get. If we were metric it would be 1'555 grams.

 

We put ours in the crock pot with a bag of mixed vegetables, potatoes & seasonings. We put enough water to cover the meat & vegetables.

 

I brown the meat first. I think it adds more flavor. I also brown some onions with it. Sprinkle with salt and pepper first. Then I add carrots and potatoes and for pot roast, I add beef stock (from a carton) to cover it half way at least. Then I cover it and put it in the oven at a low heat, 275. For your size, I'd leave it in 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Should fall apart then.

 

Me too. My old Betty Crocker cookbook says mix flour, salt and pepper, rub it in then brown it, works for me.



I did also till the ex gave me some Better Than Bouillon, gooey stuff you mix with hot water to make the base. If you want some out-of-this-world gravy, give it a try.

Last week I made Porcupine Meatballs and put some in, quite the flavor.


Not a commercial, just my two cent opinion.

 

Okay, thanks, as usual, to all. Great suggestions.

And I am awful with fractions...decimal fraction of a pound????? That's crazy. I am a nurse and use metric to measure medicine. Liter of IV fluid, 50 mcg fentanyl, 1 gram Ancef, etc., I do wish we'd just go metric!

 

A family favorite!

Oven to 350
Season meat with salt, pepper, garlic powder (lightly) and Onion powder (lightly)
Cut roast into 4 to 6 chunks (helps it cook quicker)
In a sauce pan, empty 3-14 oz cans beef broth
Add 1/2 cup Red Wine to the broth and bring to just below boiling
Chop 3 cloves o garlic and one sweet onion and set aside
Sear meat on both sides in a little olive oil to get some nice carmelization.
Set meat into an oven roasting pan and hold for next step
Add a little more olive oil to pan and add in the chopped onions and fry until translucent and about to turn brown.
Just before onions are done, add garlic to fry pan with onions and quickly toss to release some flavor.
To the onions and garlic add 1 cup of red wine and scrape all goodies off the bottom of the pan, let reduce slightly
Dump onion, garlic, wine mixture into the beef stock and give it a quick stir.
Pour broth over your meat and into the oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

While meat begins to cook, peel and halve 5 potatoes (keep potatoes in a pan of water or they will start to oxidize), some carrots and what ever other veggies you want. Add these when there is 30 minutes left for the meat. Just submerge them in the broth and stick it back into the oven. Meal is done when potatoes are fork tender.

Take 2 large tablespoons of cornstarch and put in a small mixing bowl and add enough red wine to form a slurry. Remove the pot roast from the oven and while still very hot, spoon the slurry into the broth - do small amounts all around, stirring it into the broth as you go. This will thicken your broth into a gravy. If gravy is still loose, repeat cornstarch slurry.

Place napkin under your chin and into shirt collar, roll up sleeves, and enjoy. Season with salt and pepper to taste at the table.

 

To the OP.......did you try out your 3 - 1/2 lb pot roast ?

 

A little (ok, a lot...) late to the party but I'm with Shadeladie in that I like to get a sear on the meat first, then into the oven. I make steak the same way only in a cast iron skillet since it's only in the oven for a few minutes.

 

Sadly no pot roasts I have cooked have met my ??? standards ????? Maybe it is old age. I often find myself remembering something I ate as a child, teen, young adult, trying to cook it and find it doesn't taste like I remember....but honestly I would be happy it the roast would simply come out fork tender. Maybe my old jaws and teeth aren't as strong as they used to be?

I tried to make a chocolate cream pie, four whole ingredients,!!!! Hersey's chocolate bars, cream, marshmallows, whipping cream. (I may have forgotten exactly what the ingredients were.) Plus I made my own Graham cracker crust. The pie didn't taste very good and was runny, and the crust was thick and hard! What kills me is you can read the comments on the Internet when you look up recipes...."Oh, this is the best pie I've ever eaten...my family loves it...it is wonderful and so easy.'..etc.

I am officially the world's worst cook!

 

My recipe is pretty simple and easy and always comes out tender.

What pan or pot are you using? I like to use an enamel covered cast iron Dutch Oven or the black oval roasting pan. I've tried other kinds but find those two make everything come out best.

I just noticed the weight question and I just round up or down, usually up. So under .50, I round up to 1/2 pound and over .55, I round up to the next full pound. Doesn't have to be exact and makes life easier!

 

Key is you want to braze it in liquid in the oven to keep it moist. Additional time in the oven will make it fall apart tender. I use broth for my liquid.