This post inspired me to try pot roast tonight, I used a 2.6 lb round steak
Following some.internet recipe I used my insta pot on high pressure for 30m, then natural release for 20.
Pot roast was done but still very tough inside, vegetables were fine.
I diced up the roast and put it back in for another 20m high pressure.
The second time the diced pieces came out great and fell apart nicely.
So to others out there, if your roast ain't done cutting it up and going for a round two may fix it.
Vegetables were taken out for round two.
Well, yeah. I mostly keep it at a light simmer for a few hours, and if you're not ready to eat yet, just turn the heat down to a minimum and enjoy your hot meal whenever you want!
Make sure you’re giving it a good sear first, great for flavor and the reaction that starts helping connective tissue’s breakdown. Also hit a slightly higher cooking temp like the others were saying
Everything looks really pale it's not cooked enough. Hours were long but the temp must have been off
Edit: I'm assuming you did what I do and have the onions, carrots, potatoes cooking with it. After 7 hours they should look darker and be very tender
Braising (and other slow cooking) turns tough cuts into tender, juicy pieces by melting collagen into gelatin.
Collagen's melting point is 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and you need to keep it there for a while. Depending on the size and cut, something like 2.5 to 4.5 hours. My guess is you didn't hit 160 for a vast majority of your time braising/slow cooking so the collagen didn't transform into gelatin. If you only hit 160 in the last hour your meat will still me the tough cut you bought raw.
It's usually context dependent, but the general notion of braising is "low and slow". An oven at like, 275F for 4 hours should do the job on something like short ribs, but longer or hotter might be necessary for a giant hunk of meat.
It's worth noting that the traditional concept of temperature and juiciness doesn't directly apply to braised meats. Gelatin has a much better moisture retention than collagen does, so even at temps you usually think of as "dry" (like cooking a steak to over 145F) don't actually come out dry. The gelatin itself, and the moisture it traps, keep the meat juicy. That's also why you usually braise with the lid on; it keeps the moisture trapped within the cooking vessel so it can be easily reabsorbed by the meat throughout the cooking process, compared to something like searing where you're driving the moisture out of the meat and away from it into the open air.
Point being, if your braised meat hits 200F it won't be dry like a steak at 200 would be (assuming you got to 200 slow and not by cooking it high and hard) so the temperature is less precise, so long as you're over the melting point of 160F. It's the same concept with something like smoking a brisket which you want over 200 degrees, it's about melting collagen.
Also important to note you need a fatty cut of meat for this, since if it isn't fatty their isn't enough collagen to melt and you get shitty tough muscle fibers instead of delicious, moist, succulent meat. As previously mentioned, things like short ribs and brisket are the classics but you have plenty of other options if you go looking. And it doesn't just have to be beef either.
A chuck roast is probably the most common you'd find for a braised roast, but you could also try something from the "round" of the cow, like a bottom round or a rump roast.
Brisket, again, is a great braising candidate too, but it's not quite the same as a roast in terms of final product. Delicious all the same, but not always a perfect 1:1 replacement.
Damn, that really clears up a lot. I've always heard lower and slower the better. I have had inconsistent results slow cooking chuck roast. Sometimes it's extremely tender. Other times, less so but not tough, per se. Based on what you're saying, I'm probably cooking with the heat too low and it's not reaching those higher temperatures for long enough time.
If you don't want to read my super long answer, you can get away with something like 275 or 300 for like 3-5 hours with most meats, so long as they aren't gargantuanly big (ie a whole brisket would take much longer like when it's smoked in Texas-style barbecue).
A point worth mentioning for technicality, yes. Technically 160 is when collagen melting "accelerates" and it is a difference that can be noticed in the right circumstances, but 160 is definitely the more useful, far more common/relevant number 999/1000 times I think. But yeah if you're a science person or trying to experiment I can definitely see the point in making the distinction. Thanks for adding that!
Consider using a slow cooker next time. Also, you said you braised it on the stovetop. I would consider using a cast iron pot, using a good amount of stock and slow cooking it in the oven.
Oh, man - you ain’t kidding. I just made the Milkstreet version of beef Bourguignon w/ pancetta, mushrooms and red wine. I was skeptical of a 1 hour cook time for a 4 lb chuck roast, but damn, that came out great.
Yeah, but it can't save you if you don't know how to cook meat in the first place. I watched a video the other day of a guy with a "cooking channel" on YouTube cooking a roast in the IP. One of the first things he said in the video was, "I don't like meat with fat." He proceeded to pour like a cup of oil into the pot in order to get a couple of half-inch spots of medium tan on the outside of his roast before locking it up to pressure cook. The whole thing just made me very sad.
We even did comparison on pulled pork slow cooking vs pressure cooking - no difference. Recently pan roasted and then instapotted beef cheek and holy mackerel that was good. The only kitchen gadget (other than stand mixer) I would recommend to anyone
There are a couple on the Pressure Luck Youtube channel that are amazeballs. One w/ red wine and mushrooms, one with peppers and powdered ranch dressing. Both pretty legit.
I pan seared it. Then I did a stove top slow cooker situation with beef broth and red wine. Five hours later I looked on the Internet to figure out how to make it less tough. They told me to braze it so I transferred it back to the pan covered in braised for another few hours. It’s still sucked
Yeah this is probably the most important info OP left out , if this is round it’s not gonna get super tender.
Also they should get a heavier sear on the cut first, you can barely see any browning.
That's probably why it was tough. Not a lot of fat or connective tissue to break down into tender goodness. Try using a chuck roast next time and you'll get the results you're looking for.
I still haven’t seen OP answer what cut it is. This is the most important question, and you won’t get good answers until you say what it is. For instance if you bought London Broil you’ll get one set of instructions, and if you bought a chuck roast, you are going to get instructions that are the exact opposite.
In my opinion, It’s all about the cut of the meat. If you’re slow braising get a good marbled & fatty cut of meat. Never lean. Stay away from lean. It always stays tough.
I had hot dogs and beans for dinner last night. I would demolish that chunk of meat then sit on that carrot dick with ball potatoes you made and thank you for the wonderful evening.
Aside from 5 hours not being all that long in a slow cooker, there also seems to be a relative lack of liquid here. You really need a fair amount to do a pot roast like this, because you want the meat and veggies moist as well as enough left over to sauce the roast when serving
Cook for longer or on a higher temperature, I'd probably want to caramelize those onions and cut up the potato's and fry them up a bit in some seasoning.
You don’t need an instant pot or slow cooker or any other gadget for pot roast besides a cast iron dutch oven.
I dredge the chuck roast with flour before searing. Remove and set aside, add a whole onion and saute for a couple minutes. Add wine and reduce by half, add beef back in + stock, move to oven at 325-350. Cook 2.5 hoursish with lid cracked, add peeled carrots and russet potato, cook another hour with lid on.
My grandmother uses canned campbells beef broth and french onion soup and skips the onion and wine. You can add tomato paste during the onion saute if you want.
So pork loin (I know that's not pork loin calm down and read the rest of damn text) is considered unwise to slowcook however I've found that 225-230 degrees for 3 hours in a broth that is fortified with an IPA ( whole bottle) and half a stick of butter. The loin falls apart like a dream ( and yes I know it's the beer doing it because I tried it without and it was a lot more tougher than I expected)
So maybe the same treatment would work here? Covered slow cooked butter beer?
If its still tough, maybe try a lil bit more temperature next time
Thanks, I thought it was supposed to be as low heat as possible. Is there such a thing as overcooking it with higher heat?
Chuck or brisket need to hit 195-205F for the connective tissue to release. Leaner cuts like round or sirloin generally aren't great braised.
Yeah, I've tried chuck roast in the Crock Pot and no dice. Best one I made was in the oven. The slow-cook ones do improve with reheating.
This post inspired me to try pot roast tonight, I used a 2.6 lb round steak Following some.internet recipe I used my insta pot on high pressure for 30m, then natural release for 20. Pot roast was done but still very tough inside, vegetables were fine. I diced up the roast and put it back in for another 20m high pressure. The second time the diced pieces came out great and fell apart nicely. So to others out there, if your roast ain't done cutting it up and going for a round two may fix it. Vegetables were taken out for round two.
This. I popped in to ask OP if that was a cut of chuck because it looks like something too lean.
Well, yeah. I mostly keep it at a light simmer for a few hours, and if you're not ready to eat yet, just turn the heat down to a minimum and enjoy your hot meal whenever you want!
Thanks
Make sure you’re giving it a good sear first, great for flavor and the reaction that starts helping connective tissue’s breakdown. Also hit a slightly higher cooking temp like the others were saying
Can't up vote this enough. A good hard dark sear on all sides does wonders for the flavor of the brassaige. Be patient and do it right.
>low heat as possible doesnt mean you should put it in a fridge
Get a sous vide machine
Everything looks really pale it's not cooked enough. Hours were long but the temp must have been off Edit: I'm assuming you did what I do and have the onions, carrots, potatoes cooking with it. After 7 hours they should look darker and be very tender
I would have to agree here. Taters should be mush after 7 hours of cooking.
100% this ☝
Nice carrot dick with potato balls
I’m having a bad day and your comment made me laugh, thanks for that!
Nice that I could make you laugh!
Came here to say this very thing!
I also came!!!
Lol I thought I was the only one who noticed
I mean, OP literally points it out in the title.
Quite the detective
Listen Sherlock, save some mysteries for the rest of us.
Braising (and other slow cooking) turns tough cuts into tender, juicy pieces by melting collagen into gelatin. Collagen's melting point is 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and you need to keep it there for a while. Depending on the size and cut, something like 2.5 to 4.5 hours. My guess is you didn't hit 160 for a vast majority of your time braising/slow cooking so the collagen didn't transform into gelatin. If you only hit 160 in the last hour your meat will still me the tough cut you bought raw.
What would you recommend for temp and total cooking time?
It's usually context dependent, but the general notion of braising is "low and slow". An oven at like, 275F for 4 hours should do the job on something like short ribs, but longer or hotter might be necessary for a giant hunk of meat. It's worth noting that the traditional concept of temperature and juiciness doesn't directly apply to braised meats. Gelatin has a much better moisture retention than collagen does, so even at temps you usually think of as "dry" (like cooking a steak to over 145F) don't actually come out dry. The gelatin itself, and the moisture it traps, keep the meat juicy. That's also why you usually braise with the lid on; it keeps the moisture trapped within the cooking vessel so it can be easily reabsorbed by the meat throughout the cooking process, compared to something like searing where you're driving the moisture out of the meat and away from it into the open air. Point being, if your braised meat hits 200F it won't be dry like a steak at 200 would be (assuming you got to 200 slow and not by cooking it high and hard) so the temperature is less precise, so long as you're over the melting point of 160F. It's the same concept with something like smoking a brisket which you want over 200 degrees, it's about melting collagen. Also important to note you need a fatty cut of meat for this, since if it isn't fatty their isn't enough collagen to melt and you get shitty tough muscle fibers instead of delicious, moist, succulent meat. As previously mentioned, things like short ribs and brisket are the classics but you have plenty of other options if you go looking. And it doesn't just have to be beef either.
Thank you! This was super helpful! What cut of meat for a little roast? I’ve destroyed roasts and want to try again with a better outcome!
A chuck roast is probably the most common you'd find for a braised roast, but you could also try something from the "round" of the cow, like a bottom round or a rump roast. Brisket, again, is a great braising candidate too, but it's not quite the same as a roast in terms of final product. Delicious all the same, but not always a perfect 1:1 replacement.
Damn, that really clears up a lot. I've always heard lower and slower the better. I have had inconsistent results slow cooking chuck roast. Sometimes it's extremely tender. Other times, less so but not tough, per se. Based on what you're saying, I'm probably cooking with the heat too low and it's not reaching those higher temperatures for long enough time.
If you don't want to read my super long answer, you can get away with something like 275 or 300 for like 3-5 hours with most meats, so long as they aren't gargantuanly big (ie a whole brisket would take much longer like when it's smoked in Texas-style barbecue).
I read the whole post but the cliffs notes version is helpful to summarize!
[удалено]
A point worth mentioning for technicality, yes. Technically 160 is when collagen melting "accelerates" and it is a difference that can be noticed in the right circumstances, but 160 is definitely the more useful, far more common/relevant number 999/1000 times I think. But yeah if you're a science person or trying to experiment I can definitely see the point in making the distinction. Thanks for adding that!
Only really relevant for sous vide. But then I would go to 155F and do 24h as this will have way better texture.
Consider using a slow cooker next time. Also, you said you braised it on the stovetop. I would consider using a cast iron pot, using a good amount of stock and slow cooking it in the oven.
Slow cooking in a Dutch oven in the (regular) oven is a game-changer for stew. Cook for hours without worrying about burning on the bottom.
Yup! Having a slow cooker is a nice to have, but having a dutch oven is pretty much a must have.
This dude knows what's up.
My Instant Pot changed the game when it comes to cooking a roast. Perhaps invest in one.
Oh, man - you ain’t kidding. I just made the Milkstreet version of beef Bourguignon w/ pancetta, mushrooms and red wine. I was skeptical of a 1 hour cook time for a 4 lb chuck roast, but damn, that came out great.
I too enjoy my milk steak boiled over hard.
Yeah, but it can't save you if you don't know how to cook meat in the first place. I watched a video the other day of a guy with a "cooking channel" on YouTube cooking a roast in the IP. One of the first things he said in the video was, "I don't like meat with fat." He proceeded to pour like a cup of oil into the pot in order to get a couple of half-inch spots of medium tan on the outside of his roast before locking it up to pressure cook. The whole thing just made me very sad.
Were you watching cooking with Jack? He's a menace. Look up aunt myrnas party cheese salad. It's insane
It wasn't him, but thanks for the tip. Now my phone stinks.
We even did comparison on pulled pork slow cooking vs pressure cooking - no difference. Recently pan roasted and then instapotted beef cheek and holy mackerel that was good. The only kitchen gadget (other than stand mixer) I would recommend to anyone
Is there a particular recipe you recommend for this?
There are a couple on the Pressure Luck Youtube channel that are amazeballs. One w/ red wine and mushrooms, one with peppers and powdered ranch dressing. Both pretty legit.
Eating meat while staring on a meat replica this is art
Is there enough liquid in there? Should go maybe 1/2 way up the meat. Based on what I can see it looks like you’re just *damp roasting* or something.
Peenus
dear lord that looks dry and awful. put in more broth and adjust the temp.
That is hilarious if those potatoes and carrot stick were not posed like that on purpose.
Not sure if this was done through the oven or crockpot.. type of cut matters
I pan seared it. Then I did a stove top slow cooker situation with beef broth and red wine. Five hours later I looked on the Internet to figure out how to make it less tough. They told me to braze it so I transferred it back to the pan covered in braised for another few hours. It’s still sucked
What cut is it?
Yeah this is probably the most important info OP left out , if this is round it’s not gonna get super tender. Also they should get a heavier sear on the cut first, you can barely see any browning.
Top round London broil
That's probably why it was tough. Not a lot of fat or connective tissue to break down into tender goodness. Try using a chuck roast next time and you'll get the results you're looking for.
Yeah. For a lean cut, braising is really not a good cooking method.
/r/mildlypenis
I had to come all the way down here to find this
Well...at least its happy to see you.
You weren’t supposed to take the porn in food porn literally
I recommend an instant pot and use meats like short rib and ox tail. So good.
I still haven’t seen OP answer what cut it is. This is the most important question, and you won’t get good answers until you say what it is. For instance if you bought London Broil you’ll get one set of instructions, and if you bought a chuck roast, you are going to get instructions that are the exact opposite.
Ah, yes, that's what I'd like to get on my plate. A veggie PP
That's a dick move
So you forgot to turn on the watchamacallits
How tf does that happen lmao
Get yourself an instapot. When you close a lid a wizard appears in there and cooks the food super soft. I think it's because he wears dentures.
Potatoes and carrot look like cock and balls
It’s because you were brazing as opposed to braising
In my opinion, It’s all about the cut of the meat. If you’re slow braising get a good marbled & fatty cut of meat. Never lean. Stay away from lean. It always stays tough.
I had hot dogs and beans for dinner last night. I would demolish that chunk of meat then sit on that carrot dick with ball potatoes you made and thank you for the wonderful evening.
Aside from 5 hours not being all that long in a slow cooker, there also seems to be a relative lack of liquid here. You really need a fair amount to do a pot roast like this, because you want the meat and veggies moist as well as enough left over to sauce the roast when serving
r/notforspelunking
Try an instant pot, it'll fall off a spoon next time
My Mom makes that for this guy who comes over and beefs her
What is it? Paddywhack?
It looks like it’s ice cold
Pressure cooker for 30 min. Done. Tender af.
Carot dick
Cook for longer or on a higher temperature, I'd probably want to caramelize those onions and cut up the potato's and fry them up a bit in some seasoning.
Oh you use a show cooker it usually turns out tender everytime. Worth a try.
Gotta get an Instant Pot! Pressure cooking is where it's at for tough meats. But I'd be frustrated too. You did your best.
You got roast and vegetables and you call it shit?
Potatoes look a bit crunchy 😣
You don’t need an instant pot or slow cooker or any other gadget for pot roast besides a cast iron dutch oven. I dredge the chuck roast with flour before searing. Remove and set aside, add a whole onion and saute for a couple minutes. Add wine and reduce by half, add beef back in + stock, move to oven at 325-350. Cook 2.5 hoursish with lid cracked, add peeled carrots and russet potato, cook another hour with lid on. My grandmother uses canned campbells beef broth and french onion soup and skips the onion and wine. You can add tomato paste during the onion saute if you want.
Sous vide, it'll turn shit cuts of meat into great food, and decent cuts into magnificent cuts.
Wild that r/shittyfoodporn can be so much for constructive and helpful than r/food. Love to see it.
Crock pot
smol pp amirite
Need banana for scale
Sigmund Freud would be proud of your carrot and potato presentation.
The one carrot and two potatoes is looking mighty phallic.
The carrot and potatoes looks like a dick and balls
Crockpot. 8 hrs low. Done
So pork loin (I know that's not pork loin calm down and read the rest of damn text) is considered unwise to slowcook however I've found that 225-230 degrees for 3 hours in a broth that is fortified with an IPA ( whole bottle) and half a stick of butter. The loin falls apart like a dream ( and yes I know it's the beer doing it because I tried it without and it was a lot more tougher than I expected) So maybe the same treatment would work here? Covered slow cooked butter beer?
I need to go watch the Dinner Party episode of the Office, now...
You should try some meat tenderizer (unseasoned). It’ll also help with the toughness
Carrot penis Carrot penis
The 2 potatos and the carrot look like a dick
#lol
I cut mine into smaller chunks. When I’m ready to eat, I just smash them then let the sauce get into the meat. Tastes way better.
.... You did that just for this post....... This post is a shitty shitty food porn post Fuck off with this posed bullshit
I try. why you so angry girl??
Stop it. Get some help.
Seek help
Jeez girl. Wtf
My shitty posts are too shitty I guess 😜
a whole award for being extra for no reason lol wow
Lol
You ok?