any advice for cooking a large roast?

Dawn said:

The roast was donated by non-cooking friends for a potluck this week. I
said I'd cook it. It's huge. I'm not even sure how many pounds this is.
It's labelled "rump roast" and measures about 8 or 9 inches square,
being 5" thick at one end and 3" at the other. Any suggestions for
cooking times? I've never done a roast this large before and I'm
concerned about either cooking it too long and having it dry out (esp
that thinner end) or not getting it cooked enough before dinner (7pm
Thursday)

Dawn

Do you have, or can you borrow, an electric roaster? They don't dry out
roasts like cooking in an oven can do. (and they don't make a soggy
mess like a crockpot)

Bob

zxcvbob said:

Dawn wrote:

Do you have, or can you borrow, an electric roaster? They don't dry out
roasts like cooking in an oven can do. (and they don't make a soggy
mess like a crockpot)

Nope, just got the electric oven. What's the difference between that and
a roaster that it makes the results better?

Dawn

"Dawn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The roast was donated by non-cooking friends for a potluck this week. I
said I'd cook it. It's huge. I'm not even sure how many pounds this is.
It's labelled "rump roast" and measures about 8 or 9 inches square, being
5" thick at one end and 3" at the other. Any suggestions for cooking
times? I've never done a roast this large before and I'm concerned about
either cooking it too long and having it dry out (esp that thinner end) or
not getting it cooked enough before dinner (7pm Thursday)

Dawn

http://www.ochef.com/461.htm

No matter what kind of instructions you read, you should still own a meat
thermometer. And, don't forget that you might have a copy of "Joy of
Cooking" collecting dust somewhere in the house. 🙂

"Dawn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The roast was donated by non-cooking friends for a potluck this week. I
said I'd cook it. It's huge. I'm not even sure how many pounds this is.
It's labelled "rump roast" and measures about 8 or 9 inches square, being
5" thick at one end and 3" at the other. Any suggestions for cooking
times? I've never done a roast this large before and I'm concerned about
either cooking it too long and having it dry out (esp that thinner end) or
not getting it cooked enough before dinner (7pm Thursday)

Dawn

Another nice recipe- notice the use of the liquid:

RUMP ROAST BROOKS

a 4- to 5-pound boneless beef rump roast
10 garlic cloves, quartered
5 medium onions, halved
6 cups water
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup vegetable shortening

Season roast with salt and pepper. Press garlic all over roast and wrap well
in plastic wrap. Chill roast at least 12 hours and up 10 1 day.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Let roast stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

While roast is standing, in a large saucepan simmer onions in water,
covered, until tender, about 20 minutes. Pour mixture through a large sieve
into a bowl, pressing on solids, and reserve onion broth.

Unwrap roast and discard garlic. Dredge toast completely with 1/3 cup flour,
shaking off any excess flour. In a large Dutch oven heat shortening over
moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown roast on all sides.
Add 1/2 cup reserved onion broth and braise, covered, in oven, turning roast
every 40 minutes, 2 hours. Add 2 cups onion broth and braise, covered, 45
minutes to 1 hour more, or until roast is very tender.

Transfer roast to a cutting board, reserving braising liquid in Dutch oven,
and let stand, covered loosely, while making gravy. In a small bowl stir
together with a fork remaining 2 tablespoons flour and 1/3 cup onion broth
until smooth. Bring reserved braising liquid to a boil and add flour mixture
in a stream, stirring until smooth. Simmer gravy until thickened, adding
enough onion broth to thin to desired consistency.

Serve rump roast with gravy.

Serves 8.

Gourmet
Sugar & Spice; Shirley Brooks Laseter
January 1997

Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc. All rights reserved.

Dawn said:

The roast was donated by non-cooking friends for a potluck this week. I
said I'd cook it. It's huge. I'm not even sure how many pounds this is.
It's labelled "rump roast" and measures about 8 or 9 inches square,
being 5" thick at one end and 3" at the other. Any suggestions for
cooking times? I've never done a roast this large before and I'm
concerned about either cooking it too long and having it dry out (esp
that thinner end) or not getting it cooked enough before dinner (7pm
Thursday)

Do you have any way of weighing it? It's big enough that it would
probably register on a bathroom scale. Set it on wax paper or
something similar on the scale.

Quoted message said:

From your description, I'd say it would take quite a few hours to cook.

It should make a nice pot roast, though. If you have a crockpot big
enough to hold it, I'd cook it with a little liquid in a crockpot all
day. If not, brown it in oil, then braise it in a dutch oven or
covered roaster. You'll just have to check it periodically to see when
it gets to the stage of being fork tender.

Sorry if that's not much help.

Pat

Doug Kanter said:

http://www.ochef.com/461.htm

No matter what kind of instructions you read, you should still own a meat
thermometer. And, don't forget that you might have a copy of "Joy of
Cooking" collecting dust somewhere in the house. 🙂

Thanks for the link. The directions there say I can just cook it to
desired temperature, is that right? I do have a meat thermometer,
actually, one of those all purpose digital probe ones, which I can use.
The other recipe you posted says to "cook until tender", which implies
to me that it needs to cook a lot longer after reaching internal
temperature, for the meat to get soft. Is 3 hours enough time? When I do
a smaller roast it takes 4-5 hours to get to a tender stage.

Dawn

"Dawn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Doug Kanter said:

http://www.ochef.com/461.htm

No matter what kind of instructions you read, you should still own a meat
thermometer. And, don't forget that you might have a copy of "Joy of
Cooking" collecting dust somewhere in the house. 🙂

Thanks for the link. The directions there say I can just cook it to
desired temperature, is that right? I do have a meat thermometer,
actually, one of those all purpose digital probe ones, which I can use.
The other recipe you posted says to "cook until tender", which implies to
me that it needs to cook a lot longer after reaching internal temperature,
for the meat to get soft. Is 3 hours enough time? When I do a smaller
roast it takes 4-5 hours to get to a tender stage.

Dawn

It's not that much of a science, Dawn. Base it on the meat thermometer. And,
in case neither of those recipes mentioned it, take the meat off the heat
when the temp is a few degrees shy of the target. Due to residual heat
within the roast, it'll actually keep cooking when it's out of the oven or
pot.

Dawn said:

The roast was donated by non-cooking friends for a potluck this week. I
said I'd cook it. It's huge. I'm not even sure how many pounds this is.
It's labelled "rump roast" and measures about 8 or 9 inches square,
being 5" thick at one end and 3" at the other. Any suggestions for
cooking times? I've never done a roast this large before and I'm
concerned about either cooking it too long and having it dry out (esp
that thinner end) or not getting it cooked enough before dinner (7pm
Thursday)

Dawn

Why not just cut it in half and cook two smaller roasts?

Rusty

Doug Kanter said:

It's not that much of a science, Dawn. Base it on the meat thermometer. And,
in case neither of those recipes mentioned it, take the meat off the heat
when the temp is a few degrees shy of the target. Due to residual heat
within the roast, it'll actually keep cooking when it's out of the oven or
pot.

Ok, thanks. I think what I'll do is start it early tomorrow, watch the
thermometer, and just fork it until it's tender. Pot roast doesn't
suffer from sitting a while if it finishes early.

Dawn

"Dawn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Doug Kanter said:

It's not that much of a science, Dawn. Base it on the meat thermometer.
And, in case neither of those recipes mentioned it, take the meat off the
heat when the temp is a few degrees shy of the target. Due to residual
heat within the roast, it'll actually keep cooking when it's out of the
oven or pot.

Ok, thanks. I think what I'll do is start it early tomorrow, watch the
thermometer, and just fork it until it's tender. Pot roast doesn't suffer
from sitting a while if it finishes early.

Dawn

If the middle's a little too rare, you can always simmer some slices in
juice to finish them off.

"Cryambers" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dawn said:

The roast was donated by non-cooking friends for a potluck this week. I
said I'd cook it. It's huge. I'm not even sure how many pounds this is.
It's labelled "rump roast" and measures about 8 or 9 inches square,
being 5" thick at one end and 3" at the other. Any suggestions for
cooking times? I've never done a roast this large before and I'm
concerned about either cooking it too long and having it dry out (esp
that thinner end) or not getting it cooked enough before dinner (7pm
Thursday)

Do you have any way of weighing it? It's big enough that it would
probably register on a bathroom scale. Set it on wax paper or
something similar on the scale.

Quoted message said:

From your description, I'd say it would take quite a few hours to cook.

It should make a nice pot roast, though. If you have a crockpot big
enough to hold it, I'd cook it with a little liquid in a crockpot all
day. If not, brown it in oil, then braise it in a dutch oven or
covered roaster. You'll just have to check it periodically to see when
it gets to the stage of being fork tender.

Sorry if that's not much help.

Pat

To determine the weight (if you don't have a kitchen scale) is to hold the
roast while on the bathroom scale. Put the roast down somewhere and weigh
just yourself - the difference is the weight of the roast. More accurate
than putting just the roast on the scale.

Dora

limey said:

Quoted message said:

Do you have any way of weighing it? It's big enough that it would
probably register on a bathroom scale. Set it on wax paper or
something similar on the scale.

Quoted message said:

From your description, I'd say it would take quite a few hours to cook.

It should make a nice pot roast, though.

Quoted message said:

To determine the weight (if you don't have a kitchen scale) is to hold the
roast while on the bathroom scale. Put the roast down somewhere and weigh
just yourself - the difference is the weight of the roast. More accurate
than putting just the roast on the scale.

We do not have a scale of any kind. I'm guessing it's about 5-6 pounds,
because it is 2 or maybe 3 times larger than the ~2lb roasts I normally
get.

Dawn

Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great (and sometimes not
so great) words of knowledge:

Quoted message said:

The roast was donated by non-cooking friends for a potluck this week. I
said I'd cook it. It's huge. I'm not even sure how many pounds this is.
It's labelled "rump roast" and measures about 8 or 9 inches square,
being 5" thick at one end and 3" at the other. Any suggestions for
cooking times? I've never done a roast this large before and I'm
concerned about either cooking it too long and having it dry out (esp
that thinner end) or not getting it cooked enough before dinner (7pm
Thursday)

Dawn

I use the "Alton Brown Method" for roasts and have not had a bad one yet.

Wrap the roast loosely in a towel and put back in the fridge. Change
the towel daily for 3 days.

Coat the roast with some olive oil (or Canola or Crisco OIL). I also
roll the roast in a mix of kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Put the roast on a rack in a pan.

Cover with aluminum foil - make sure the foil is crimped against the pan.

Put the roast in a 200 degree oven. That is correct, 200 degrees. Cook
until the desired internal temperature is reached (160 for medium ). I
suggest pulling the roast out 10 degrees before the desired internal
temperature is reached to allow for the temperature rise while resting
and putting the crust on it. Remember, the internal temp is going to
rise about 5 - 7 degrees while it is resting. After the roast is cooked
to your level of doneness, put the oven broiler on at 500 degrees. When
the oven is up to temp, put the roast back in for about 5 - 8 minutes to
get a nice crust on it.

It is going to take about 2 times as long as cooking at 350, however,
the roast is going to come out moist and tender. The 200 degree temp
disolves the tough connective fibers without overcooking the roast. I
use a remote read thermometer - the probe goes in the meat and a cord
goes to an external readout so you can see the temperature without
having to open the oven door and loose the heat.

BIG roasts are why I LOVE summer here in the land of Oz!

Do you, perchance, own a weber? (kettle bbq)
I crank up my weber to the hottest it will go (usally about 30 heat
beads each side)
and when the coals are red hot, plonk a whole rump (smeared liberally
with wholegrain mustard) in, cover the bbq and walk away.
For a whole rump (around 4-5Kg) it usually takes around 3-4 hours.
Seriously, I won't do large roasts by any other means.
The end result is moist, tender, beautifully crusty on the outside -
and fan-bloody-tastic for sandwiches for the tribe for at least 4 days.
Unless we are descended on by the ravening hoardes of
neighbours/friends, who get wind of what's cooking!
One of the main tips though is to allow the meat to stand, after
cooking, well covered in foil and off the heat, for at least 30-40
minutes.

Just my 2¢ worth of advice.

cheers,
LadyJane
--
"Never trust a skinny cook!"

"LadyJane" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
BIG roasts are why I LOVE summer here in the land of Oz!

Do you, perchance, own a weber? (kettle bbq)
I crank up my weber to the hottest it will go (usally about 30 heat
beads each side)
and when the coals are red hot, plonk a whole rump (smeared liberally
with wholegrain mustard) in, cover the bbq and walk away.
For a whole rump (around 4-5Kg) it usually takes around 3-4 hours.
Seriously, I won't do large roasts by any other means.
The end result is moist, tender, beautifully crusty on the outside -
and fan-bloody-tastic for sandwiches for the tribe for at least 4 days.
Unless we are descended on by the ravening hoardes of
neighbours/friends, who get wind of what's cooking!
One of the main tips though is to allow the meat to stand, after
cooking, well covered in foil and off the heat, for at least 30-40
minutes.

Just my 2¢ worth of advice.

cheers,
LadyJane
--
"Never trust a skinny cook!"

What are "heat beads"?

Sorry Doug,
I assumed that the little charcoal bbq fuel thingys were called Heat
Beads all over... obviously they aren't.

To describe - small black charcoal 'pillows' (about 2' x 2' x 1"😉 used
in non-wood burning or gas barbecues - such as Weber's, hibachi etc

What are they called in your neck of the woods?

cheers,

LadyJane
--
"Never trust a skinny cook!"

"Dawn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The roast was donated by non-cooking friends for a potluck this week. I
said I'd cook it. It's huge. I'm not even sure how many pounds this is.
It's labelled "rump roast" and measures about 8 or 9 inches square, being
5" thick at one end and 3" at the other. Any suggestions for cooking
times? I've never done a roast this large before and I'm concerned about
either cooking it too long and having it dry out (esp that thinner end) or
not getting it cooked enough before dinner (7pm Thursday)
Dawn

Bring the roast up to room temperature before cooking it. The problem of
overdone on the outside and rare on the inside is less. The cooking time is
more related to the diameter of the roast than to its weight. Roasting or
braising is more related to the time it takes to start at the outside, and
work heat to the inside, or center of the roast. The length of the roast in
theory at least, doesn't affect roasting time as much.

Braise the roast. Baste frequently, and turn the roast 90 degrees every
thirty minutes. Brown the roast thoroughly before braising, either in salt
pork fat, bacon fat, or any other. Don't use olive oil. It breaks down.

If I were doing this I would follow a recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon,
but not cutting the meat up into pieces. I would lard the meat if I had the
energy with pork lardons, or strips of bacon fat, as in a daube of beef.
Braise in a nice fruity red wine. When you are resting the meat at the end,
make your sauce.
Serve with vegetables of choice.

I'm beginning to starve writing this. Boeuf Bourguignon is one of our very
favorite dishes. Easy to make. Traditionally this is served with an
expensive bottle of burgundy. In the US it's very good with a petit shariz,
with its abundant fruit and good value.
The best to you and dining friends.
Kent

Afterthought: There are many great recipes for this dish. This is very
typical.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/104754

"LadyJane" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Sorry Doug,
I assumed that the little charcoal bbq fuel thingys were called Heat
Beads all over... obviously they aren't.

To describe - small black charcoal 'pillows' (about 2' x 2' x 1"😉 used
in non-wood burning or gas barbecues - such as Weber's, hibachi etc

What are they called in your neck of the woods?

cheers,

LadyJane

They're called charcoal briquettes here, but if I see an opportunity to use
the term "heat beads", to confuse someone, I'll certainly do so. :-)

On Wed 05 Apr 2006 02:54:20p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it LadyJane?

Quoted message said:

Sorry Doug,
I assumed that the little charcoal bbq fuel thingys were called Heat
Beads all over... obviously they aren't.

To describe - small black charcoal 'pillows' (about 2' x 2' x 1"😉 used
in non-wood burning or gas barbecues - such as Weber's, hibachi etc

What are they called in your neck of the woods?

cheers,

LadyJane

Charcoal briquettes.

--
Wayne Boatwright Õ¿Õ¬
________________________________________

Okay, okay, I take it back! UnScrew you!