On Fri, 25 Jan 2013 23:30:05 -0800, "Paul M. Cook" >
wrote:

>
>"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.

Try ginger beer.