"Judy Haffner" > wrote in message
...
>
> Is it just me, or doesn't pot roast taste as good as it use to? I
> haven't bothered to prepare one for a long time, because the last couple
> were "stringy" and not as tender or tasty as I like them to be. I have
> done them in the Crock Pot, in my large electric skillet and in the
> oven, but don't think it makes any difference.

The stringy comes from the cut of meat and length of time cooking. Most
people will use a chuck roast, 7 bone, blade cut or a boneless chuck. The
problem with these cuts (although I use them frequently) is they are cut
cross grain and when the fibers break down you are left with muscle strands.

If you want to aviod the srtingyness try a shoulder clod or even some of the
sirloin or round chunks of cow.

The cooking methodology of braising (cooking in liquid) will yield pretty
much the same results.


As far as flavor is concerned please Google "pot roast" and read what
Wikipedia has to say. IMHO the browning is absolutely critical to the
flavor. As a flavor enhancer I will often pot the roast on a bed of
Mirepoix and 99% of the time add a few dashes of a "Umami" rich liquid like
soy or Worcestershire.

Best of luck

Dimitri