Grandma's Pot Roast Recipe | Mantitlement (2024)

FAQs

Does pot roast get more tender the longer it cooks in the oven? ›

Yes, pot roast absolutely becomes more tender the longer it cooks. Roasts are generally made from tougher cuts of meat, such as chuck or brisket, which contain a lot of collagen, connective tissue, and fat. These tougher tissues require a long cooking time to break down and for the collagen to converts into gelatin.

The best meat for pot roast is a beef cut with abundant connective tissue, like chuck roast, beef brisket or bottom round roast. This connective tissue called collagen is what makes pot roast melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Or make a slurry of 2 tablespoons flour and 1/4 cup of water. Pour into the simmering sauce and stir for a few minutes until adequately thickened. The roast can be shredded or cut into chunks and mixed with the sauce.

If your crock pot roast is tough, it is possible you didn't use a boneless chuck roast, in which cases some cuts of meat will never become fall-apart tender OR more likely, you did not cook your beef long enough. If your pot roast seems tough, cook on!

Place the roast on top of the onions and season with the salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup of the broth or water and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer on low for 2 hours. Add the potatoes, carrots, and quartered onions and cover and slowly simmer for 1 hour longer.

There are several reasons why this could have happened even after so much cooking. First, your choice of a rump roast could be a factor since cuts from the hind quarter are very muscular and, since muscles are the most resistant to breaking, this cut is quite stubborn when it comes to becoming tender.

I opt for basil, thyme, paprika, dried bay leaves, and black pepper. These add a lovely, almost Italian-inspired flavor to this pot roast recipe. Veggies. Including onions, garlic, carrots, and potatoes (all of which are also in my beef stew!).

Ultimately, it depends on your preferences and the flavor profile you're aiming to build in your roast, so have fun with it, and don't be afraid to be bold. Just remember there is no need to fully submerge your roast in liquid -- a little goes a long way to making a moist and fork-tender pot roast.

A cup or so of beef stock is tasty; good red wine is delicious with beef; plain water is okay too. If you add sliced carrots and onions, you'll have a flavour base for delicious gravy when the roast is done.

Can you put too much liquid in pot roast? ›

Pot roast is prepared using a braising method, which involves slow-cooking meat in a liquid such as stock or red wine. If you add too much liquid, the meat might end up boiling instead of braising.

The key to cooking pot roast is cooking it low and slow. The meat should just fall apart, hence the name, and if it doesn't, you probably have not cooked it long enough. Also, I like to cook the potatoes separately, as they tend to be a little to mushy for my liking when you cook them with the roast.

It's delicious both ways. If you want to give your crock-pot a whirl, here's a slow cooker pot roast recipe for you. But pot roast is plenty easy to make in the oven! You do all the browning and roasting all in the same pot and it requires less time than in a slow cooker roast.

For a stronger flavor, add garlic salt and/or onion salt. The amount of broth needed to cover half the roast will depend on size. To ensure even cooking, flip the roast once, preferably halfway through the cooking time. We err on the side of a LOW temp for a longer period of time to create tender, juicy servings.

Your pot roast should be submerged 2/3rds of the way in its cooking liquid. In this recipe I use 3 1/2 cups of beef stock and 1/2 cup of red wine, so 4 cups of liquid total in a 5.5 quart dutch oven.

Whether you cook your pot roast using a stovetop, oven, slow cooker, or pressure cooker method, you'll always get the most tender and flavorful results if you use low temperatures over a long period of time. That's what it takes to melt down the tough connective tissue in the meat until you can cut it with a fork.

It is only the temperature that counts. This in combination with the fact that the longer it roasts the more tender it will become. So you should roast at as low a temperature as you have the time for, and make sure that the internal temperature of the meat never gets above 60°C (140°F).

As a general rule of thumb, a beef roast will take about 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours and 15 minutes to cook at 250°F, per pound of meat. Here's a rough estimate of cooking time based on size: A 3-pound roast will take about 5 to 6 hours. A 4-pound roast will take about 6 to 8 hours.