OK. Folks, this old hermit has been feeding himself for about 25 years with the exception of quality roast beef; the potatos and gravy are prefected; and I am tired of paying 5 or 6 dollars for a 4 ounce portion at the local greasy spoons, even more in a high end place. So, how do you make quality roast beef? What cut of meat do you start with? Step by step please (but hurry, there is a 7 pound sirloin tip roast in the cooler)!

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), September 23, 2001

Answers

Stick it in a crockpot with about 1/2 cup water and a bouillen cube (sorry, I love crockpotted food, dh hates) It can still be frozen. Hi 6-8hrs if frozen, 4-5 if not, low 8-12 hrs if frozen, 6-8 if not. I turn my crockpot on hi for the first hour and then turn it lo as I leave for work.

-- Mitzi Giles (Egiles2@prodigy.net), September 23, 2001.

You reminded me of Grandma ! The best roast beef ever. Here goes I put garlic in my roast , you can rub it with salt and pepper to .Grandma puts it in a hot oven with no water to brown it good for a short time then adds a little water {this makes dark gravy}Don't burn it ! I then add an onion cut in half to the pan .Cook between 300-350 degrees til done to your liking.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), September 23, 2001.

Hey Mitch, looked at your subject and was almost out my door...invit'n myself over<> THEN noticed, ya ain't cooked it YET!?!? Ahhhh...give ya another chance, in the morning put your roast in the crock pot cover with water, slow cook it all day, season as ya like. I usually also ad my carrots to this (carrots first takes longer for'em to cook) and potatoes toward the end of cooking. I use a tad of salt but I realllly like "coarse" black pepper. Yummmy! I also fix cornbread with this too!

Gosh, now I gott'a go cook someth'en and it ain't roast tonight :(

Just simple, Debb LA/MS

-- Debb LA/MS (fly45@bellsouth.net), September 23, 2001.

I like to use the crockpot too, but I don't add any water. I brown beef first then put it in and cook it on low all day. When I take it out there's plenty of juice for gravy. We make turkey breast this way too but skip the browning. DebF

-- Deb Foster (DFoster987@aol.com), September 23, 2001.

Ack! Don't slow moist cook (ie. pot roast) a cut like sirloin tip!! Dry hot roast it in the oven for roast beef, check Betty Crocker for roasting timetables for rare, medium etc.. Save the chuck and arm cuts for the crockpot.

-- Susan (smtroxel@socket.net), September 23, 2001.

Susan is correct of course! Oven roasted dry, with the lid on with carrots and potatoes, then once done, skim the fat, but then add cold water or wine to the roaster on top of the stove to "deglaze" nothing more than just scraping all the good brown sludge and stickings down in to the then start of great gravy! But my favorite cut is the chuck, which I slow cook in the crock pot with Lipton Onion Soup mix and water, put it in the morning, at noon add carrots and small onions. The water makes excellent gravy afterwards. Same recipe but in the dutch oven, for the back of the wood stove, winters. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), September 23, 2001.

OK, Mitch, this is THE DEFINATIVE WAY to roast beef. Trust me on this. It comes from Cook Magazine, and they test how to do things six ways from Sunday before they tell you the best way. Cook it like the following and it is JUST like the meat in the deli case. I tried for years to roast beef well, and never could do it because I was using too high an oven temperature. Cook it at high temps and you get tough meat.

You will, however, need a meat thermometer. If you don't have one, get one. It's the difference between wonderfully cooked beef and shoe leather. And don't think, can't use a thermometer it's too fussy! All you do is stick the sucker in the meat. Nothing could be easier.

Heat oven to 250*F. Rinse exterior of meat and pat dry. Sprinkle with salth and freshly ground black pepper. Heat some olive oil in a Dutch oven on top of the stove and brown throughly on all sides. Place uncovered in oven and cook until internal temperature reaches 110*F. Increase oven temperature to 500*f and cook until internal temperature reads 130*F. Remove from oven and let sit for 20 minutes before carving.

The beef will be beautifully browned on the outside, and the interior will be pink (medium rare) and juicy!

Now, when do we eat? :)

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), September 23, 2001.

Ok., let's try this again; 1 What cut of meat do you purchase? 2 What do you look for in this cut of meat (heavy fat, no fat, trim the fat?) 3 No crock pot here, yes to the Dutch oven. 4 Maraide? 5. I like well done. 6. The above answers are all over the scale; is there no central standard? 7. I will buy a thermometer tomorrow. 8. All the other answers informes me to brown it and cook it slow. Too many wet or dry questions still exists. 8. Any garlic? 9. I have never had roast beef served with carrots or potatos; I am looking for the instructions for the beef that is served with gravy and mashed potatoes in restaurants; commonly called an open faced roast beef sandwich, or on the east coast: a hot shot.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), September 23, 2001.

Mitch~ Put a chuck or rump roast in the crock pot. Add a can of Golden Mushroom soup and one can of water. Cook on low for @ 8 hours. The roast is great and the left over gravy with roast makes a perfect base for veggie soup!

-- Kelly Balch (balch84@cox-internet.com), September 23, 2001.

Mitch:

1) The cut you said you had in the cooler, the 7 lb sirloin tip roast will work fine for what you want. 2) I don't like large streaks of fat through the meat but on the outside is ok. In this type of cut it should not be a problem. 3) A roasting pan like you would use with a turkey will be needed for your 7 lb (!) large roast. A small rack for the bottom of the pan would be helpful as well. 4)

-- Susan (smtroxel@socket.net), September 23, 2001.

Mitch:

1) The cut you said you had in the cooler, the 7 lb sirloin tip roast will work fine for what you want. 2) I don't like large streaks of fat through the meat but on the outside is ok. In this type of cut it should not be a problem. 3) A roasting pan like you would use with a turkey will be needed for your 7 lb (!) large roast. A small rack for the bottom of the pan would be helpful as well.

oops... I posted accidentaly too soon...let me continue..

4) No need to marinade. This is primo beef you've bought. 5) Well done may mean dry so figure on plenty of gravy. 6) Some folks are thinking of pot roast, also yummy but made with more fatty, tougher cuts of meat by slow, moist cooking. Roast beef like what you're after is made with cuts close to the backstrap or tenderloin of the animal and are tender and less fatty/gristly. For these use the method outlined by Jennifer which sounds spectacular! 7) A thermometer is necessary for roast beef. 8) For sirloin tip roast, dry roast it as specified in Jennifer's post. 9) Garlic is fine, rub it on the outside or roast whole along with. 10) Carrots and potatoes are optional.

I've gone on too long and have gotten very hungry for roast beef or pot roast! Good luck with your roast! Oh..let it rest a bit before carving or all your juices will run out.

-- Susan (smtroxel@socket.net), September 23, 2001.

Mitch,

I generally buy either a top round or bottom round roast. They're very flavorful if cooked right and are among the leaner roasts. I also sometimes use a chuck roast. Your sirlion tip roast should be wonderful. It's one of the best cuts of beef. Unfortunately a bit out of my price range though.

One of the most important things to look for when choosing a roast is marbleing (hope I spelled it right). Marbleing is the small streaks of white fat you can see on the inside of the roast. (Look at one of the cut ends.) You want to choose a roast that has a fair bit of marbleing as the marbleing is where the flavor really is.

I don't usually use a marinade on a roast. The type of roast you're looking for wouldn't be marinated either.

Jennifer's response was right on for the most part. A couple of things that are really important. Be generous with the salt and pepper when seasoning the roast. If there is a fat layer on the roast, put the fat side up after searing (browning on all sides). That way, the melting fat will baste the meat for you. you can remove the fat layer while carving. If there is no fat layer, don't worry about it.

When using your thermometer (be sure to get an "instant-read" type)be sure to get the end of the probe as close to the center of the roast as possible. The temperature for well done is 155 degrees.

Be sure to let the meat rest on a platter or cutting board for 20 minutes after cooking. There are 2 reasons for this. First, the meat will continue to cook a little bit after you remove it from the oven. That's why you take it out at 155 degrees instead of 160. Secondly and even more important, when meat is cooked, the proteins contract causing the meat juices to collect in the center of the cut. Resting allows those proteins to relax a little bit and redistributes the juices throughout the entire roast. If you slice the meat before you let it rest, the juices will run all over your cutting board and your meat will be drier than it should be.

One of the most important things is to slice the meat the right way. If you look carefully at your roast, you will notice which direction the grain runs in. Always, always slice the meat across the grain. Meat is always much more tender when sliced across the grain.

I hope this helps. I also hope I didn't make it sound more difficult than it is. It really isn't as hard as I might have made it sound. This is the way I was taught to roast meat while in cooking school. It really works well and is quite simple. If I can be of any more help, just let me know.

-- Murray in ME (lkdmfarm@megalink.net), September 23, 2001.

Hi Mitch We have a roast every week, I cook it just like my g'ma did and always have people that just pop in on Sunday! There is no secret to cooking lovely roasts and I have never used a thermometer. I have shared this with lots of young guys living alone or flatting for the first time and they find it easy.

Take a roasting dish add your roast, add a three lumps of lard or dripping about the size of a walnut, place in oven preheated to 150c have a can of beer, with a large spoon open the oven slowly (so you don't get steam burnt) spoon the fat over the roast (this keeps it moist) have another beer repeat spoon process for about 1.5hrs then turn the roast, and repeat spooning (quit with the beer when you feel like you should! spoon every 20-30mins) Stick a sharp knife into the centre of the roast - pull it out if the liquid that follows is clear your done if its red your not keep cooking and test in a different place every 15mins or so.

Potato - about two the size of a fist per person, peel, cut in half and into a pot with a little salt, boil for about 15-20mins stick with a knife if soft done if crunchy or hard keep going until soft. Drain and add a decent knob of butter and a little milk and mash keep adding milk a little at a time until you get the consisteny you like then use a fork to whip them so they are fluffy like the deli.

Gravy: the packet ones are good for beginners and tasty too. But if you want to make your own heres how. Take the roat out of the pan, poor most of the fat into a cup leave about 1/2cup in the bottom of the roasting dish. Turn on an element, in a cup put three tablespoons of flour and make a weake paste with warm water. boil the jug. Put the pan on the element until the fat is begining to sizzle, using a fish slice stir the fat while adding the flour paste it will thicken if too thick add boiled water until it is the consistency you like, add salt and pepper - vola gravy.

If you like herbs and spices you can make cuts in the roast and insert cloves of garlic or rub a sprig of rosemary over the roast before you put it in the pan. When the roast is cold it is likely to dry out. If you have leftovers simply use some fat from the cup to make more gravy and add slices of the meat to the gravy to warm this will moisten the meat up again and provide another meat (I call it second hand roast.) Good Luck

-- Jen in New Zealand (Heavenleigh2938@hotmail.com), September 24, 2001.

dear Mitch: For pot roasting (moist cooking) you want to use a cheaper cut of beef. I look for something a little marbled but not catty. For roasting the beef in an open pan in an oven I look for a better cut of meat with a teensy bit more fat. Since we don't much like potroast here is my sure fire method of making my husband's favorite Roti de Beouf (roast beef). We like ours rare to medium so just increase cooking time to suit you. A good cookbook (Canadian Living Cookbook) will tell you approximate cooking times. I marinate with worchestershire sauce(I don't measure but I am generous with it). Put the roast in a freezer bag and pour your marinade in and seal it. Turn it several time to coat and stick it in the fridge to marinate overnight or at least a couple hours, turning occassionally. Come cooking time I put the oven at 325, spray my roaster pan with Pam to make clean up easier , and put trimmed, washed stalks of celery in the bottom of the pan to make a rack. The roast sits on top of the celery and the leftover marinade in the bag gets poured on top. Then its into the oven for the required cooking time for that cut of meat. When its done, let it sit about 10 minutes before carving. This method ensures juicy meat that slices nicely (make sure you cut against the grain not with it) for sandwiches (hot or cold). Remove the meat and celery from the pan, deglaze pan with water or beef stock and make your gravy. Throwing some carrots in the pan with the meat makes for delicious roasted carrots.

-- Alison in NS (aproteau@istar.ca), September 24, 2001.

Hi there Mitch, you got alot of really good answers. Here's the way I do mine... first I use rump roast, I put a little bit of oil in a large enough pot to hold the roast, get the oil hot, I then lightly flour the meat and put the meat in the hot oil. I add salt and pepper and brown the meat on all sides really well. I then add enough water to the pan to cover the bottom of the pan, and using a fork inserted in the meat, "stir" the meat around to mix up the water and the brownings. (The amount of water added is about an inch or so). I then bring the water to a boil and then cover the pan and put the roast in a 350 degree oven. I cook it about 4 or 5 hours. We like it so it falls apart!!! :) Be sure and check the roast periodically, you might have to add a little more water while cooking. After this time, I then take the roast out, which leave the drippings in the pan. Take about 1 cup of water and add roughly 2 TBLS. of flour to the water. Mix it well so there are no lumps. Add this mixture to the drippings. After it comes to a boil and cooks a minute or so, I add a little more water. Roast gravy is not as thick as say, chicken gravy, so you want it a little thinner, but not too thin, because you'll delute the taste of it. I ususally don't add additional salt at this point. The salt I added at the beginning is usually enough, and I let those who want more, salt the gravy on their plates. Good luck, I hope your roast turn out terrific!

-- Annie (mistletoe@kconline.com), September 24, 2001.

Hi Mitch, Your sirlion tip roast or a rump roast is my favorite. I start by rubbing with pepper and browning on all sides in a little oil, I do this in a dutch oven, then I add a little water and put uncovered in the oven at about 275 or 300 degrees and cook until it has an internal temp of 150 , remove roast from pan add garlic powder onion powder. salt and pepper to liquid in pan, simmer and scrap pan, add a little more water if needed while this is boiling mix a tablespoon or so of corn starch in cold water and add to liquid, wallah gravy. Now peel some taters and boil, add milk and butter and mash or beat with electric mixer. Mitch your on your on from here on. Enjoy Sherry

-- sherry (chickadee259@yahoo.com), September 24, 2001.

Our favorite and you can use any type of roast - put the roast in a crockpot with a can of beer and a package of onion soup and let it cook all day. Makes great French Dips.

-- Dee (bdforce@theriver.com), September 24, 2001.

When I grew up, my Irish parents always had roast beef on Sunday, and this is their definitive way to do roast beef:

I'm not sure exactly what cut my mom got, but she always had the butcher "roll" it up and tie it with string, she always referred to it as a rolled roast beef. Remove the roast from the refrigerator at least 3 hours prior to cooking. Preheat the oven to 500-550 degrees. Place the roast, fat side up, on a rack in a shallow pan in the oven. Teduce the heat immediately to 350 and cook 18 minutes to the pound for medium rare.

That's it... and for glories sake, don't boil it!!! Let it rest for about 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve with gravy, mashed potatoes and yorkshire pudding... Now that's palatable orgasams in the making.

-- Willy Allen (willyallen2@yahoo.com), September 24, 2001.

Wow! I didn't realize there were so many 'definative' ways to cook roast! LOL. I just brown any type of roast in olive oil and garlic then plop it in the crock pot with some water. DH is finicky so I can't add the carrots and have to add either onion soup mix or creme of mushroom soup. Either way it's on high for the first hour starting around 9am and then on low 'til supper time. Falls apart, melts in your mouth, just like I like it:) Hope you find your right combo. I'm not a real meat eater, but this thread has me hungry!

-- Epona (crystalepona2000@yahoo.com), September 25, 2001.