It’s the week after Memorial Day. Which means you can wear white without subjecting yourself to sartorial ridicule. And you’ve broken that long stretch after President’s Day with no 3 day weekends. And reasonable people start thinking summer! Grilling! Beach Volleyball! (apologies to my Australian readers. I have an admittedly northernhemispheric outlook here).
The weather in Los Angeles seems to have missed the memo. I know you non-Angelenos are quite confused, because this is Southern California, where it is 75 and sunny every blessed day. Daytime is lovely this time of year (or the daylight I can spy from my cubicle seems to be), but mornings and evenings are beset with the annual “May Gray” which will soon turn into “June Gloom”. It is foggy, cold and decidedly chilly.
Which is why pot roast is an eminently reasonable thing to cook this time of year, although it doesn’t scream summer. A nice warming hearty dish is just the thing to cut through the dreariness (or fog-shrouded mysterious noirishness, depending on your outlook) of dinnertime this time of year.
I will offer an additional disclaimer that I hope you know me well enough by now that you know this is not the type of recipe I typically espouse. Name brand ingredients are definitely not my thing, and these particular ones just reek of a certain type of “can of soup” semi-homemadishness that right thinking foodies despise. But, but …
This is a family recipe. It came from my grandmother (you can tell it’s from my family by the addition of liquor. What can I say? We’re WASPs. Liquid lunch isn’t just a saying) and it tastes good (if a wee bit salty. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. But I like salty, it has its place. A somewhat prominent place, if you ask me.) It’s easy, it’s quick, and, besides, I secretly love semi-arcane retrograde recipes that smack of a different era before anyone knew of the evils of high fructose corn syrup.
Just don’t tell Michael Pollan, OK?
Enough apologies. This is my grandmother’s recipe for pot roast, and you know what? It’s delicious.
- 1 2-3 lb. pot roast (chuck will do, but I like brisket best, and I usually make this when I find it on sale)
- 1 -2 c. carrots, cut into rounds
- 1 can Campbell's Golden Mushroom Soup (NOT Cream of Mushroom. And I wish I could say "Oh, it's so easy to make at home!" or "This is a substitute!" but nope. Golden Mushroom it is. Also, it needs to be condensed.).
- 1 package dried Onion Soup Mix (this can be any brand. Classic, is of course, Lipton's. And if you figure out how to make this at home from scratch, please let me know.)
- ¼ c. bourbon.
- Brown the meat on both sides in a hot skillet.
- Place the carrots in your crock pot. Put the browned meat on top of the carrots. Pour the soups over the meat, and kind of mush them together so they're all mixed.
- Turn your crockpot on, on low, cover, and let cook for 8-10 hours. (This can also be done in a 300 degree oven for 3 hours). In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the bourbon (optional).
- Take out the meat, slice against the grain (or try to, I end up always shredding mine), and serve with carrots and gravy, and a nice, not salty starch to sop up the extra gravy.
Great comfort food recipe. Even better since it came from your nana. Thanks for sharing.
I have one recipe that calls for a can of soup too, and I also hate to admit it. But it works, and nothing can be substituted for it. This is a double whammy with a can of soup and a packet of soup mix, but I trust you so I will try it. It’s raining and dreary in NYC today, so pot roast could be good for this weekend. Unless the sun comes out, and the temperature goes up to 80!
Lol, this weather is definitely calling for some warming foods and hey, if it’s good enough for grandma, then I guess it’s good for you too!
Looks so good! Can you substitute beef broth for the alcohol? I don’t do alcohol. 🙂
P.S. What does “WASPs” mean?
Memoria — You can omit the bourbon altogether — I have and it’s also good.
WASP – means white anglo-saxon protestants. It’s also a semi-pejorative term for those kinds of preppy northeasterners who summer on Martha’s Vineyard and drink at every occasion. (My family does not, in fact, summer on Martha’s vineyard, but we have the drinking down). A funny and tongue-in-cheek peek at WASPdom is Alexandra Wentworth’s WASP Cookbook http://www.amazon.com/Wasp-Cookbook-Alexandra-Wentworth/dp/0446912107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243710864&sr=8-1
This pot roast looks fabulous…perfect for the dreary N.Cal. nights, too. Seriously, why must it be cold during the summers in San Fran?! It’s really not fair. Anyway, bottom line: this pot roast looks awesome; totally comforting! Sorry I’ve been absent for the past week; I had a friend in town and couldn’t do much blogging!
Admittedly, it is 75 and sunny about 85% of the time here, which makes us leap at the opportunity to make pot roast when it’s chilly out. We mustn’t let our food snobbery interfere with family recipes. My grandpa’s recipe for ground beef tacos is hilariously inauthentic, and soooo delicious!
This looks beautiful and delicious. Perfect for a rainy day like today. I love the addition of bourbon.
I found you through Phoo-D, and I’m enjoying your humor and recipes. I have never been able to make a successful pot roast; mine are always dry. I’m going to try yours when the weather gets cool.
Will be following you with interest!
Simple but savour-y. I don’t think I could do it without potato as an ingredient. That’s what I’d be looking to get my starch from.
minus the bourbon this is my grandmothers recipe too! how funny! its so good!
This looks like a great beefy heaven.