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It's my turn to cook. On the days I don't work, I like to cook.. because I like my food better!! LOL

So I am going through the freezer, and I find eight packages of chuck roast! You know how when you buy those meat packages from the butcher, you always seem to end up with three or four packages of chuck roast that you (at least Lilly and me) never know exactly what to do with.

So my first thought was to make taco's!! I love tacos.. but Lilly (thats my woman by the way...) does not share my enthusiasm for spicy food.. and she thinks I get a little to crazy with the ground cumin... So Taco's are probably out...

I was thinking about doing something in the crock-pot.. It's pretty hot today, so it would be nice to cook without heating up the house too much... Maybe toss the roast in the crock with some celery, onions, and carrots.. you know.. the usual thing with meat... but that sounds so boring.

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas to spice the dish up a bit?

Raymond

Oh, shredded beef tacos out of it! Either by cooking it in the oven about 2 hours, or crock pot for 6. Just go light on the seasonings.

I trick my husband every time-I cook up all the vegetables for a pot roast-he gets the plain meat, and the veggies. I walk in with my plate of shredded beef tacos. Ha!

Well, Captain, I think I am a bit like your wife..where my husband takes after you.

When I do my roast in the crockpot I put in a package of the Lipton Onion Soup mix. It seems to taste good. Maybe try some chopped jalapeno pepper...or banana peppers. Rick uses them sometimes when cooking something for me, and it adds a bit of bite without too much spiciness or hotness.

Both good ideas.. I have some canned Jalepeno's and some mild green chiles (canned) in the pantry.... but I just don't see Lilly being to pleased with tacos...

Looking in the fridge.. I have plenty of carrots, celery, yellow oinion, cabbage, button mushrooms, and fresh tomatoes.. packaged salad mix.. That's pretty much it for vegatables...

In the spice cabinet.. I have pretty much everything.. except mustard, and I seem to be out of curry powder... (Now how did that happen?) Plenty of dried basil, terragon, garlic, onion powder, chili powders (a nice variety) Oregano, etc...

There must be some way to kick this chuck roast up a notch!?

Raymond

spicy pot roast

Spicy Pot Roast Recipe

From Diana Rattray,

Pickling spices and cardamom seed make this spicy pot roast recipe unique.

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 pot roast, about 4 pounds

* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

* 3 cups water

* 1 cup vinegar

* 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

* 1/2 cup chopped onion

* 2 tablespoons mixed pickling spices

* 2 tablespoons cardamom seed

* 1/3 cup flour

* 1/3 cup cold water

PREPARATION:

Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Brown meat slowly on all sides. Pour off excess fat; add next 6 ingredients. Simmer, covered, 3 to 4 hours, or until meat is tender. Remove meat from pot and keep warm.

Strain broth and measure 4 cups. Stir together flour and cold water until smooth; add to measured stock. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Serve hot pot roast with the gravy

Serves 8.

and here

Spicy Pot Roast

8 servings

* 1 (3 to 4-pound) boneless beef bottom or top round or sirloin tip or chuck roast

* Flour as needed

* 2 tablespoons cooking oil (corn, canola, or safflower oil) (see note)

* 2 beef bouillon cubes, mashed

* 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

* 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

* 1 cup chopped peeled onion

* ½ cup water or as needed

* 1 teaspoon chili powder

* ½ to 1 teaspoon ground cumin

* ½ teaspoon celery seed

* Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

* ½ cup cold water

* Hot cooked rice as an accompaniment (optional)

* Sprigs of cilantro or parsley for garnish (optional)

* Dredge roast in flour, coating all sides lightly.

In a Dutch oven or large heavy pot, brown meat, all sides, in hot oil over moderate heat. Add beef bouillon cubes, garlic, tomato sauce, onion, ½ cup water, and seasonings. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer over low heat for 3 to 3 ½ hours or until meat is fork tender. Remove roast to a warm platter, cover, and keep warm.

Measure pan liquid; add water, if necessary, to measure 2½ cups; discard any extra liquid. In a 1-cup measure blend cold water into 1/4 cup flour until mixture is a smooth paste; blend flour mixture into reserved pan liquid. Cook, stirring constantly, over moderate heat until gravy is slightly thickened and bubbly hot. May strain gravy, if desired.

To serve, thinly slice meat across the grain. Arrange slices of pot roast on each plate and spoon a small amount of gravy over each serving. Garnish each serving with a sprig of cilantro or parsley, if desired. Pass any remaining gravy in a sauceboat. Accompany each serving with hot cooked rice if desired.

Note: May omit oil; liberally coat Dutch oven or pot with non-caloric vegetable cooking spray.

Variations:

* Add ½ cup finely snipped fresh cilantro leaves to pot with other ingredients.

* Add about several drops hot pepper sauce to pot with other ingredients.

* Add ½ ounce (square) unsweetened chocolate with other ingredients.

Crock Pot Instructions: Flour and brown meat as previously directed. Transfer meat to a crock pot; add remaining ingredients, except ½ cup cold water, 1/4 cup flour, garnish, and rice. Cover and cook over low setting for 5 to 6 hours or until meat is fork tender. Prepare gravy as previously directed.

Beth, I like your recipe. I think I will try it next time I do a roast.

I like her recipe too!! I think that I will give it a try.

Raymond

Cap'n: I have a friend born and bred in New Orleans who took me to a place called Mother's there. They make wonderful "Po Boys" out of what they called "debris" which in the beginning was the leftover bits from roasts and juices. Now, I gather they make them from straight from the roasts themselves. They apparently use roast serloin tip roasts but I find that any roast works as long as it has a little bit of fat. I just made some for the holiday. First roast at 325 in oven until rare (around a 3-4 lb. roast). Then put in crock pot with a 32 oz. container of beef broth, add to taste worcestershire sauce and same amount of A-1. Cook til the darn thing completely shreds. When ready to eat, serve on french bread and top with cole slaw (not too soupy) or just plain cabbage. This is a great sandwhich. P.S. If I have it wrong, anyone for N.O. please correct but it is my understandin that Po Boys are made up of many different sandwhiches, like muffulleta's, and have many ingredients like shrimp...what fun. Good luck Captain.

That sounds good too OP... Maybe we will have po' boy sandwiches tomorrow night.. for tonight I think it's the spicy pot roast (the second one) that we are going to have!!

I do have a question though.. Can I substitute celery salt or even celery in place of celery seed? I don't have any celery seed that I know of.

Raymond

I do not see why not Captain. But just be careful with celery salt if you are watching sodium intake.

By the way, now you have me wanting to go out and buy a roast...and we already spent our grocery budget plus some yesterday when we were shopping.

Raymond,

What time should Beth, Marie and I be over tonight?:)

We'll bring the red wine . . .

*getting out fork and knife*

I'm right behind the ladies..........................

*swings by Chonsi's house to pick her up*

I will bring the shrimp cocktail.

Who's Chuck and why are we going to roast him? Count me in, though!!! :yh_rotfl

Should be ready in about 3 more hours.. maybe four depending on how quickly the crock pot melts all the gelitin in the bone and reduces the fibers of that beef into fork tender mouth watering goodness!

I think the spices are right on.. and I was careful to only use 1/2 tsp of cumin.. so it should not be too terribly "cuminee.) (sp)

I'll let you know later how it tasted.

Raymond

(p.s) What time were you guys coming over with the wine?

Oh, this is sounding yummy Captain!:)

Can you fit in one more??? I'll bring a good aussie pav for dessert!!

Attached files

Ohh... you guys... (girls mostly, but you know what I mean!) That stuff was good right there!! I don't care who you are!!

After five hours, I picked the bones, and any large bits of fat out of it.. ( I love the fat.. but just not large chunks of it) and let it crock for another hour. I made up some long grained white rice.. cooked perfectly thanks to Alton Brown (He is the host of "Good Eats" on Food Network for all of you foreigners! :rolleyes: )

I had to take the meat out of the crock with a spaghetti ladle.. so it wouldn't break up to much on me... cooking it that long at a low temp. made it VERY tender...

I served it next to a bed of white rice with butter.. and a fresh garden salad with bleu cheese dressing... And if I do say so myself.. IT WAS GREAT!!

Elizabeth seemed pretty happy with the meal.. I'm not sure.. but I think she has been giving me that look that she gives me when she's feeling frisky!!

I highly recommend that recipe!!

Ther is enough left over that I think tomorrow for lunch.. po'boy sandwiches... oh yeah baby... good times!!



Raymond

Captain Ray wrote: I'm not sure.. but I think she has been giving me that look that she gives me when she's feeling frisky!!


well . . . didja get lucky??

What's for dinner tonight!:)

cherandbuster wrote: well . . . didja get lucky??


Luck? It's a skill.. and yes..



:-4

Raymond

chonsigirl wrote: What's for dinner tonight!:)


hey, Oh Captain, my captain...I am making boneless pork chops tonight. ANy suggestions??

Marie5656 wrote: hey, Oh Captain, my captain...I am making boneless pork chops tonight. ANy suggestions??


I love pork!! How thick are the chops? I saw an episode of Emirell Live a few weeks ago where he stuffed the pork chops with mushrooms, onions and breadcrumbs that looked really good! but the chops were like 3" thick..

Raymond

Captain Ray, when you have time, please clear you PM box.



*getting ready for seconds*

chonsigirl wrote: Captain Ray, when you have time, please clear you PM box.



*getting ready for seconds*


umm ok.. I did that.. but it says I have two messages stored.. I don't know where I stored them..

Raymond