Gravy and the Rest

Apparently now that I have been successful at it, I’m going to be on a gravy kick.

Today I’m doing a roast beef in the oven, using the nice 3 1/3 lb top round angus I got on sale for an astonishing $1.99/lb yesterday.  Never cooked a roast beef before.  Certainly never made beef gravy.

I ended up making gravy modified to include a dollop of sour cream and a dash of dill.  Not a full on sour cream gravy, but elements of it.  The stuff tastes amazing, and tastes like it would go well matched with both the beef and baked potato topped with sour cream.

As for the beef, I went with my father’s method.  It was cooked completely plain, not even salt or pepper.  He could eat it happily, along with the baked potato and carrots.  I relied on the gravy to have any extraneous flavor people might want.  Plus I can experiment once I have the basic cooking down.  Like next time I’ll have to try not to fill the house with smoke.

We’ll see how it is shortly.  I have the beef out of the oven, tented with foil for 15 minutes, before I cut it and see if it’s done enough for me.  The potatoes are still cooking but were close.

Anyone have roast beef cooking advice?  Or beef gravy advice?

1. I always cook mine in a crock pot. Put a very little water, Potato, carrot, celery, and onion in the bottom of the crock pot with the water. Then set the roast on top of them. I usually rub the roast with salt, pepper, and most of the time I just cheat and add a packet of Lipton Beefy onion soup mix to it. I just sprinkle it around just before closing the lid.

   as for gravy Jackie is the gravy maker.  She makes awsome southern style thick gravy. I havn’t taken the time to learn how yet though.

   Thats the only way I have ever cooked a roast.
   On second though I think I have done one or 2 in the oven using those oven bags. I don’t think that really counts though..

   Posted by wayne  on  11/25  at  07:30 PM  from  Ohio

2. I’ve had a lotta compliments on my gravy, so I’m assuming it’s good. When I make a roast, I usually do it in the crockpot, too. I don’t use any water, but DO add maybe a cup of strong coffee. If you don’t make coffee, use a teaspoon or so of instant in a cup of water. Believe it or not, the end result has no coffee flavor...really. I always add salt, pepper or maybe a little seasoned salt like Lawry’s, a little garlic powder, a little onion powder and whatever else strikes my fancy at the time.

   I don’t like my potatoes and carrots mushy, so I add them a couple hours before we wanna eat, rather than starting them with the beef.

   After everything is done, I drain the broth into a sauce pan and add maybe another cup of water and maybe a little beef bullion, depending on the flavor. Bring it up to a boil and mix up some cornstarch in water until it’s about the consistency of Elmer’s glue. Stir in cornstarch/water until the broth starts to thicken. Keep stirring or you’ll get starchy lumps. I use this method with baked chicken and turkey, too.

   For white or “milk gravy” (like with fried chicken or pork chops..or sausage gravy and biscuits), I start with a roux...a little of the grease from whatever meat you’re cooking, a little flour, salt, pepper. Sprinkle the flour (maybe a couple tablespoons) into the hot grease (also maybe a couple tablespoons-worth) and stir until it’s mixed well. Slowly start adding your milk...keep stirring...until it begins to thicken. Turn the heat down a little and keep stirring until it’s the consistency you want.

   Good luck and keep experimenting...that’s half the fun of cooking.

   Posted by Pam  on  11/26  at  06:27 PM  from 

3. I’ve found that “chuck roast” is the best type to put in the crock pot.  (I actually have one in there as I’m typing this!) I usually add salt, pepper, garlic powder and a little onion - you need to brown each side of the meat in a skillet before putting it into the crock pot with a little water in it.  Then just leave it on high all day, 7 or 8 hours, and then eat, with or without gravey.

   Posted by Beth  on  11/28  at  01:43 PM  from 

4. Oh yeah, don’t forget the crock pot liners they’ve come out with - make cleaning up amazingly simple.

   Posted by Beth  on  11/28  at  01:45 PM  from 

5. throw it in the crock pot. add a whole pod of garlic (well, peel the cloves first, and just throw in the cloves). add two tsp onion salt and one tsp celery salt (or is it the other way around?). top it all off with a bottle of Liquid Smoke (small bottle, it’s about 3/4 cup). cook for about 4-5 hours. yum. oh! i’ll bet horseradish/ sour cream / dill sauce would go great with this.

   Posted by sarahk  on  12/02  at  09:55 PM  from  south of hell (Florida)
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