Bangs McCoy

Play-dates and pot roast

January 26th, 2007

This morning we went down to Kristin’s house to play with Parker and Hannah. Parker and Rees had fun, but their age difference is still pretty clear. I think Parker gets frustrated that Rees doesn’t do a lot of interactive play with him. Rees is just learning how to play with other kids - not just near other kids. Rees was so excited about all the new toys that he was kind of in his own world. Becky was also there with Violet, and Ashley brought Olivia. We headed home at around 12:30 for the boys’ naps.

While Rees was eating lunch, I got started on a pot roast. We recently went in with Bryan’s parents and grandma on a beef cow in Cedaredge. Needless to say, our small chest freezer is packed with assorted cuts of beef (and we don’t even have all of our share yet). Earlier this week, Bryan got out a chuck and requested that I try to make a pot roast. It’s been in the fridge since then. I have tried pot roasts before in the crock-pot, with varying levels of success.

I got a cookbook a while back called American Classics. I think it is similar to the America’s Test Kitchen series. It has recipes for all the standard “American” dishes, with exhausting detail about the different variations they tried and the testers’ reactions to the variations. It also includes some scientific information about why one method or ingredient works better than another. There are also interesting product reviews, with the goal of telling you the best waffle iron, bacon, food mill, mayonnaise, etc.

I had looked at the pot roast recipe in this book several times, when my mom was trying to figure out the best recipe. I had never tried making an oven pot-roast myself. I followed the recipe in the book almost exactly. I didn’t have celery, which the recipe called for, so that was omitted. The recipe calls for a little sugar, but doesn’t specify which type, so I used brown. I used dried ground thyme (the recipe called for a fresh sprig).

The roast wasn’t completely thawed, so I guessed it would take about four hours. The book explains that in order for a roast to tenderize, it must reach at least 210 degrees, and hold that temperature for at least one hour. Near the end of the cooking time, I baked rolls and made mashed potatoes (I like mashed better than chunks cooked with the roast). The recipe included instructions for a red wine sauce, which I didn’t make because I ran out of time. I will try that next time.

It turned out great! I am really proud of my first oven pot-roast. Totally yummy! Bryan thought it was really good, though he wasn’t sure if it was the superior beef or the excellent preparation.

Entry Filed under: I cook, I do stuff