Favorite method for preparing a chuck roast

(thefeatherdustersllc) #1

I must confess, I am not incredibly knowledgeable about cooking meat. I was raised as a vegetarian and although I am no longer a vegetarian, I have never really delved into a lot of meat cooking. I just purchased an organic, grass-fed, two and a half pound chuck roast. What are your favorite things to do with it? Thank you in advance for all of your suggestions. :cow2:

#2

Smart buy! Itā€™s one if those cuts of meat that can be challenging (I.e. Need to cook for a while for it to become tender. But, when it releases itā€™s toughness, you get a very tasty, moist, beefy delicacy.

My favorite way is first, on the stove, searing all sides of the roast in a bit of lard (or bacon grease) in an enamel cast iron Dutch oven pot (like a Creuset). And then, before transferring the pot into the oven for the remainder of the cooking time, add the aromatic herbs and spices, like a few cloves sliced garlic, a couple stems chopped celery, a couple chopped carrots, a handful fresh chopped parsley, a stem of fresh rosemary. Add salt and pepper. You will also need some liquid. I prefer adding about 1/2 bottle red wine and about 1cup broth. For people who donā€™t like to cook with wine, just use same quantity as all broth instead. Put lid on the Dutch oven pot. Transfer to oven set at about 275 deg F, and let it cook for 2 hours. At two hours, poke roast with a fork. If it is still too firm, let it continue until fully tender (maybe another hour or soā€¦depends on size if meat and quality of meat, too.). When the roast is done (completely fork tender) you can turn down the heat of the oven (like 200 deg F) and keep roast warm until ready to serve.

It goes great served with cauli faux mashed potatoesā€¦and the gravy that it created during the roasting process is fantastic on the slices of roast and the mash.

Donā€™t let this roasting process intimidate you. Believe meā€¦after you have done it a couple of times, you will be astonished how easy it is and what a classy and extremely delicious roast you can make. A real crowd pleaser! And leftovers make the best lunches the next day.

(Sara) #3

I always need a helping hand with roasts so I have come to love my kitchen thermometer. It makes sure I get the meat/fish out in time for it to still be juicy (dry meat or fish is the worst!). If I have a cut of meat that is tougher I make it ā€œpulledā€ with a keto friendly sauce and lots of homemade coleslaw!

(Dustin Ewers) #4

The key to happiness on roasts is cooking those bad boys low and slow. That helps turn that icky connective tissue into tasty goodness. Thereā€™s no shortage of ways to make this happen, but Iā€™ll give you two that should help you the most. As mentioned above, make sure you sear your roast before or after the ā€œlow and slowā€ part. That gives you some nice crispy bits and adds a whole 'nother dimension of flavor.

As far as seasonings go, you canā€™t go wrong with basic kosher salt and pepper. After you master that one, try adding garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, and soy sauce (not all the same timeā€¦) to your salt and pepper.

Good: Crockpot

  1. Pat your roast dry and hit it with some salt and pepper
  2. Give that roast a good sear in a hot oiled pan.
  3. Drop that into a crockpot with some bone broth and / or butter. Make sure the meat is mostly covered or better.
  4. Cook on low for 8+ hours or high for ~4 hours.

Also Good: Pressure Cooker

  1. Pat your roast dry and hit it with some salt and pepper
  2. Give that roast a good sear in a hot oiled pan.
  3. Drop that into a pressure cooker with some bone broth and / or butter. Make sure you donā€™t overfill the cooker
  4. Cook for roughly an hour. Youā€™ll need to adjust the time to the size of your roast, but just look for a ā€œfork tenderā€ texture.

Better: Sous Vide

This technique has produced some of the most mind-blowingly good roasts Iā€™ve ever had.

  1. Take a roast and cover it with salt and pepper.

  2. Put that into a sous vide bag with some oil (a few tablespoons) and seal it up. I usually use avocado oil, but olive oil works just fine too. Seal it up.

With sous vide, you can normally just use a ziplock freezer bag, but for longer cooks, those tend to break down. Use a food saver or sous vide bag here.

  1. Cook that sous vide at 136 deg for 18-36 horus. The longer the better. Three days will turn your cheap chuck into something more like prime rib. You can also use it to make fake smoked brisket, which is amazingly good.

  2. Finish in the oven. Either 400 deg for 20-30 minutes or 300 deg for 60-90 min. This gives you that nice crust.

(Guardian of the bacon) #5

Whatever the heat source LOW & SLOW is my preferred method for roasts. Seared first than all day long at 275 = mouth watering goodness.

(suzanna) #6

Start with fattiest piece of roast you can buy. Sear on all sides in bacon fat in Dutch oven. Remove meat. Caramelize an onion in same fat. Put some chopped celery in pan and lay roast on top. Cover and bake 325 til falling apart, usually 2.5-3 hours. Remove lid and roast another 20 min til browned. Remove meat and purƩe the drippings and vege with Braun stick blender to make a nice sauce. (Use a little beef broth if necessary) Serve with sour cream and horseradish (real stuff without corn syrup!)
Slow cooker works great too. Just brown your roast at the end 20-30 min, gotta have crispy bits!

(thefeatherdustersllc) #7

Thank you SOOO much!! I canā€™t wait to go home and play! :bacon:

(thefeatherdustersllc) #8

Itā€™s quite clear that Iā€™m going to have to make more than one pot roast! LOL! Sounds so yummy, this is where patience must come in as I have to go shopping before I can begin cooking. Ha! :blue_car:

(thefeatherdustersllc) #9

I canā€™t wait to try this, thank you!

(Guardian of the bacon) #10

Howā€™d it turn out for you?

(thefeatherdustersllc) #11

Perfect timing!! I have just seared it in bacon grease and popped it in the crackpot. Now Iā€™m off to work. Iā€™ll let you know after dinner!! Smells GOOD in Here! Thanks! (:wink: