Foodies BS Thread.

i once added a chopped apple to my slow cook wild boar roast, and it came out amazing.

 

fyi - when you braise, you're cooking in the juices (i mean in liquid)... nothing to lock in. and the searing part does not lock in the juices - that's an old wives tale (i used to believe it as well until I've seen it proved wrong by Alton Brown and Cooks Illustrated). The searing does create some flavor though... and to me is worth it.

 

Thanks for everyones advice! I'll probably try another chuck roast this weekend. I'll let you guys know how it turns out!

 

I made these 3 dishes over the past month or so.

1. Baked rigatoni with meatballs
2. Chicken, mushrooms and asparagus in a white cream sauce
3. Garlic shrimp pasta

I dont think any of them are my signature dishes, but they did turn out very good.

 

I don't know, my personal experience of working at Outback, there was a considerable difference in seared vs. not.

 

A few of my faves that I've done

Shrimp and scallop ceviche

Salmon poke

Prime rib roast

More ceviche

 

I looked up the article, interesting. I've never weighed the meats to see the difference, but interesting nonetheless.

Whatever the reason, for a good roast you must sear, the flavors are definitely brought out this way.

 

I'm talking about braised meats though... I guessing (I could be wrong) that you're probably talking about a different cooking method. And I probably should be more specific, as it was from Jamie Olivers article - it was for stews. He stated that there was no dicernable difference between stew made with seared meat and without. I still sear mine however...

 

Mmmmmmm, braised meat

 

Cool. No biggie, I did find an article about it and it brought up some great points. Obviously we worked on the grill mostly there. Either way, I love some well cooked meat!

 

x2

 

Hahahaha, roflmao

 

for the record..i cant stand slow cookers. well, i like them but my kitchen is tiny. i cannot spare the counterspace.

so, i do it better. i use a cast iron dutch oven. i do all my slow cooking in the oven. beans, stews, pot roast..EVERYTHING. the heat coming from all directions builds a better sauce. and i dont have to worry about stirring it occasionally to prevent the bottom from burning.

all of the cooking typically happens in 2.5 - 3 hours..so it is much faster than the 8 hour cycle of a slow cooker.

for all you slow cooker guys, use instant tapioca as your thickener. it can stand up to the long process and build you a nice viscous sauce. a roux would have broken a long time ago. one tablespoon of tapioca will thicken a stew beautifully.

 

actually, slow cookers work pretty much the same if you put them on high. you are right though about giving up the space. i do love my cast iron as well - nothing better to do a steak or burger on!

 

Okay I took some peoples advice from here and some recipes online and made a chuck pot roast on Sunday. It was only around 2. pounds since it was just for me and cooked it on low for about 4.5-5 hours. The recipe called for a 5 pounds chuck roast and to cook for 8-9 hours so I just split the time in half. Remember, I was looking for the meat to be able to cut with a fork. It came out pretty tender but still not as tender as I would have liked. Am I doing something wrong? I seared the meat on all sides before I put it in the crock pot as well. Any suggestions?

 

Got yah. Now after I cook for lets say 6 hours....should I set it to warm for like an hour before I serve it? Or just take it out as soon as the timer is done?

 

beef? i gotta disagree. sear it. the brown bits are flavor. imagine the flavor different between extremes. a pan seared steak, or a boiled one. believe me, searing creates flavor. it's called the Maillard effect or something.

once you're cooking slow and low..time is really not a major player. if the original recipe called for 8 hours for a 5lb roast, you cannot really assume a 4 hour cooking time for a 2.5lb roast. i agree with ryan..cook it longer. no shame in opening the pot to stab it with a fork. if the fork goes in easy, it is tender. very tender. you cant really overcook by slow cooking. not like the temp is gonna keep climbing. you get it to a certian temp and hold it there. trust me, you are not cooking it to rare or medium..it is cook all the way thru. dont worry or focus too much about the cooking time.

good luck. i just slow cooked some turkey drumsticks for 3 hours over the weekend. in a chily mole sauce. they were tender and not overcooked. 3 hours would destroy a breast filet in a skillet apples and oranges.

kudos to you for trying. a fireman that can cook is awesome. you guys rotate cooking duties?

 

Is it possible to overcook a roast on a low setting therefore making it go from tender back to hard if you cook it to long?

 

Yeah see, I have heard mixed reviews on searing. I have never done it before so I thought I would give it a shot. So yeah, I think next time I will cook it low n slow for another hour or so and see if it gets more tender.

Haha, yeah I love to cook but we arent a 24 hour station so I am always cooking at home for myself in my bachelor pad! I dont like to eat out to much cause so many things today are so unhealthy for you. And bottom line, I really enjoy cooking.

 

How much liquid did you use? Just keep trying, you'll get the hang of it. Most likely you didn't cook it long enough. Cooking is basically a lot of experimentation...