Now that fall is creeping up on us, I have officially declared it to be Pot Roast Season. I bought a big roast at the store on sale yesterday and it has been in my slow cooker all day long, putting out an increasingly distracting delicious smell.
The basic difference between pot roast and roast beef is that pot roast is cooked wet, while roast beef is cooked dry. Both use a "low and slow" cooking method which renders otherwise tough cuts of cheap meat delicious and fork tender.
Any big roast cut will work for these. Look for cuts with a name that includes "chuck," "roast," or "butt." I avoid the cuts with a big fat pad on one side; it just gets gross (in my opinion).
Pot roast is more technically called a braise. The easiest way to make pot roast is with a slow cooker, all you need is meat, enough water to cover it at least halfway, salt and pepper, and 10-12 hours on Low.
You can also do pot roast on the stovetop or in the oven, in a pan with a lid. Simmer the roast for several hours until it's fork-tender. You will know it's done when you can easily tear a chunk off the side just by picking at it with a fork.
To make it better, add any or all of the following:
- Carrots
- Onion
- Celery
- Garlic
- Parsley
- 1-2 bay leaves
- Chicken stock
As a bonus, you end up with a lot of delicious beef broth which you can use in soups, in other cooking, or drink from a mug.
Roast beef is cooked dry, and unlike pot roast, you can customize the doneness level (e.g. rare, medium-rare, whatever you like). The best way to cook a roast beef is to sear it on the stovetop, then bake it in the oven ideally on a racked pan. A meat thermometer is the best way to ensure your roast beef is properly cooked.
Image courtesy Flickr/churl
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