The biggest problem I've found over the years that so many people have cooking a beef pot roast is the fact that the meat is always "tough" The vegetables taste great! But, the meat taste like you need a chain saw to cut it with, thus losing the beautiful flavor of the roast is totally lost. I realize that most professional cooks have their very own methods of making beef tender.
Unfortunately, I am NOT a professional cook, but this idea I use for making beef and or chicken tender seems to always work, which has been used since human beings have been cooking food.
Before I remarried, I lived in a small efficiency apartment that did NOT have an oven, but only a stove. After getting tired of eating "Fast Food" I decided it's time to learn how to cook for my every other visiting weekend 2 sons and myself!
CAUTION: "This smell is so magnificent, that your neighbors may even knock on your door and ask what you are cooking?" Your girl friend may even forget you and possibly think about the food she is smelling, and ask "When is it time to eat?" This smell of this pot roast is killing me! " I am ready to eat!"
Trying to make beef or chicken tender cooking on a stove top is sometimes difficult? A friend of mine told me "You've got to boil it first!" So, I bought me a 5 qt.non-stick pot and went to work experimenting, with beef and chicken!
Chicken always seemed to be easy. Boil it for about 45 minutes and then fry it in the pan. This works great for Bar-B-Que or Southern style fried chicken cooked and dipped with milk and flour. However, making beef tender is a little more complicated. (This recipe does NOT work with pork because it falls apart).
Here is my recipe for stove top BEEF pot roast:
You will need a 5 quart non-stick or stainless steel pot for cooking.
10-15 inch wooden spoon for stirring. (Metal utensils will scratch your pot).
4 lb. beef roast. Preferably the Boston Butt or Chuck Roast, which seems to be very tender. (Bottom round beef roast may take longer to boil because it is "tough").
2 lb. bag of peeled mini carrots, which you can purchase at any grocery store.
1 large family size can of whole potatoes. I personally like Del Monte the best.
1 large family size can of Cream of Mushroom soup. Preferably "Campbell's soup. Because of the excellent flavor.
1 Package of 2 ounce Lipton or Campbell's onion soup. (Cheaper brands like Kroger or Publix do NOT have the flavor).
Sliced onions are (Optional) which gives the pot roast a spicy taste.
1 Tablespoon of flour, which ironically adds a "sweet flavor" to the pot roast, but don't use too much.
1 Tablespoon of liquid "Crisco" vegetable oil.
Pinches of salt and pepper here and there while you are cooking.
Cooking instructions:
Place the 4 lb. beef roast on a cutting board and carefully cut into slices of 1-2 inches pieces and then put into the 5 qt. stove top cooking pot. Place the pot on the stove and add water until the pot fills up to about 3/4. Set your stove on high, and continuously "Boil" for approximately 2 hours. As the water boils, only common sense will tell you that need to add water, keeping the cooking pot to the 3/4 level constantly stirring from the middle bottom.
Please Note: You must keep stirring with the wooden spoon from the bottom of the pot during this entire cooking process, or the roast will BURN in the middle. Stick the wooden spoon in the middle of the pot and then stir. (Certain beefs take longer to tenderize because of their "toughness").
Fortunately, beef does not have that much fat as opposed to pork, so you can still use the water left over after boiling for approximately 2 hours. No draining is required and you have also retained your incredible juices of the meat.
Now, lower the stove top heat to a minimum and add your onion soup, cream of mushroom soup, 1 tablespoon full of "Crisco Oil", the tablespoon of flour, then continuously stir the ingredients from the bottom of the pot because of burning.
Simmer the stove top beef pot roast for about 1hour, and then add your peeled package carrots. Which should not take over (1) one hour to cook. Now slowly turn down down the heating process to a bare minimum and cover your pot and SLOWLY stir from the middle bottom of the pot, not to make your carrots tear apart. (Stirring too much at this time will cause carrot beef soup).
Slowly add your brand name can potatoes approximately about 30 minutes before the roast is done, simply because they are already cooked. By now, your stove top pot roast should have a brown look. Cooking times may vary because of your stove. If you have a stove that cooks all around and not from the center, this cooking process may only take 3-4 hours.