Pot roast — what am I doing wrong?

[Anonymous]

I always see people making these crock pot pot roasts where the meat looks the perfect medium rare, pulls apart effortlessly.

I’ve bought every cut of roast imaginable. I cook it according to multiple recipes online.

It’s always over cooked and never juicy. I have to cut it with a knife. How are people shredding these cuts of meat!

Help me. I want to make a nice Sunday roast. Help me pull this off! What cut of meat? What recipe? What am I doing wrong?

[Anonymous]

I didn’t know that medium rare pot roast could be pulled apart effortlessly. Huh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t know that medium rare pot roast could be pulled apart effortlessly. Huh.

The roasts in the pictures always look so perfectly pink in the center, I assumed this is what they were. Obviously I’m clueless. Can you help?

[Anonymous]

Pot roasts are never medium rare. Can you link to the recipe you used?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pot roasts are never medium rare. Can you link to the recipe you used?

I said I think I was mistaken. Just forget I said that. As I said, I’m clueless. The roasts looked brown on the outside yet slightly punk inside and juicy. Every time I follow the directions perfectly and mine are grey brown, not juicy, and so tough. I’m obviously doing something wrong. But what?

Do you have a tried and true recipe you can share?

[Anonymous]

Pot roast needs to be cooked for a long time to get to the fall apart stage, it shouldn’t be medium rare. If it’s dry and tough then it probably needs more cooking liquid so that it braises rather than roasts. It should be cooked in a pot with a tight fitting lid or covered tightly with foil so that it doesn’t dry out. I haven’t used this particular recipe, but it explains the idea and applies to cuts of meat other than brisket as well.

https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/holiday-brisket/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pot roast needs to be cooked for a long time to get to the fall apart stage, it shouldn’t be medium rare. If it’s dry and tough then it probably needs more cooking liquid so that it braises rather than roasts. It should be cooked in a pot with a tight fitting lid or covered tightly with foil so that it doesn’t dry out. I haven’t used this particular recipe, but it explains the idea and applies to cuts of meat other than brisket as well.

https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/holiday-brisket/

Thank you so much for your helpful reply. This looks delicious. I think I’ll try this one!

[Anonymous]

Smitten Kitten's is good, but you need to make it the day before. It slices better if you rest it.

[Anonymous]

I think you are confusing pot roast with prime rib roast. Pot roast can be done in a crock pot but slow and over several hours. It isn’t pink- at all. Prime rib is seared on high heat on the stove then put in oven on low and only cooked until center is medium rare- still very pink.

[Anonymous]

I like this one:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/perfect-pot-roast-recipe-2118771

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you are confusing pot roast with prime rib roast. Pot roast can be done in a crock pot but slow and over several hours. It isn’t pink- at all. Prime rib is seared on high heat on the stove then put in oven on low and only cooked until center is medium rare- still very pink.

Agree with this comment.

Pot roast will fall apart, be tender and juicy as long as it cooks long enough and has water and seasoning to sit in its own broth. But it is brown.

Neither pot roast or prime rib roast should be tough.

[Anonymous]

OP I think you are perhaps mixing up pot roast and roast beef and I think you realize you may have had some confusion.

Pot roast may cook in a crockpot and be tender and falling apart but not pink, more like the meat in say beef stew. Roast beef maybe can be done in a crockpot but more traditional/likely in an oven, and will be pink in the middle for those who like it that way. It need not be prime rib (though it could be); I have also used eye of round for example for a less expensive one (served thinly cut).

I wonder which you are looking for - since you want pink I am guessing roast beef. We like this one for more everyday: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roast-beef-with-dijon-caper-sauce-351037/amp

[Anonymous]

OP, this is a totally foolproof pot roast recipe:
https://belleofthekitchen.com/mississippi-pot-roast/

But no, it won't be pink.

[Anonymous]

You need to cook it longer. It's not falling apart because it hasn't cooked long enough.

[Anonymous]

Pot Roast - Use chuck roast. That's what Cooks Illustrated recommends. Crockpot it. Maybe 10hrs on low.