"Dimitri" > wrote in message
...
> "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.
>

My mother always used soy sauce. I switchd to balsamic vinegar after trying
Alton Brown's recipe.