By Emily Woodbury
STAFF WRITER
Pot roast, or “Yankee pot roast” as we call it here in America, is a meal associated with frigid winter nights – for when a little extra “blubber” (let’s call it that, shall we?) from red meats and potatoes helps us keep warm in the cold days ahead.Â
A term for “browned meat” cooked with vegetables, pot roast first appeared in cookbooks in the late 19th century, but the method of cooking meat in liquid, known as braising, has been around since long before then. Traditionally, the meats used in pot roast come from parts of the animal that have been worked the hardest: the chuck, short ribs, brisket, lamb shank, and pork shoulder. These cuts are popular because they are rich in flavor and marbled with fats which will eventually convert to gelatin, creating a silky smooth sauce.Â
A good Yankee pot roast reminds us that patience is a virtue, and that simplicity can sometimes be all that’s needed for the juiciest of rewards.Â
Now that I’ve been patient, time for dinner! See you next week, RV chefs!
Here’s what Wolfe has to say:Â
One of my family’s favorite Fall recipes is a no-nonsense pot roast that I do in an electric pressure cooker. Stay with me … pressure in an RV isn’t over-complication. The pressure cooker is extra RV-friendly because it only needs to be run 1/8th as long as a crockpot to get the same results – important when running on a generator and not wanting/allowed to run it all day. Second, it doesn’t release ANY steam into the RV if you release it outside the door – so it doesn’t raise the inside humidity (always a problem in RVs). With RV fridge and storage being limited, instead of fridge-defrosting, I cook the meat right from frozen. The pressure cooker doesn’t care either way, just takes a little longer to reach pressure the first time. I get a 3-bowl meal and gravy from a single pot! Win! For leftovers: Dump everything back together into the pot, and thin the gravy into a great stew the next day. The meat is so tender it actually survives being microwave heated.
Serves 8 adults or 1 teenage boy.
One Pot Pot Roast
- 2 "good-sized" chuck roast "slabs"
- 5-6 large carrots
- 3 large onions
- 3-5 celery stalks ((by size))
- 6-8 potatoes ((by size))
- salt ((to taste))
- pepper ((to taste))
- garlic ((to taste))
- 1 bag gravy mix ((however much you desire))
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Place seasoned meat, celery stalks, one carrot, and one onion into cooker. Seal and cook at 2atm “high pressure” for 40 minutes. Those veggies were “sacrificial” for flavor and will turn to very tasty mush in the gravy
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Release pressure, add the rest of veggies and run again for 20 minutes at 2atm. These veggies cook more reasonably.
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Release pressure and serve meat, veggies, and potatoes in 3 serving bowls. I like my potatoes chunked, the kids mash them with gravy…
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Optionally run the remaining cooking juices through separator to de-grease, and then replace in cooker along with gravy mix and enough water to make the quantity of gravy you desire. Leave the lid off, and bring to boil in the pot, forming the gravy.
Enjoy! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Thanks for submitting, Wolfe! Â
Send your favorite RV recipes (with a photo if you have one!) to emily@rvtravel.com for a chance to be featured in our newsletter!Â
Hi Emily, I have a suggestion rather than a recipe. Are you familiar with Sous Vide cooking? If not, you should look into it. A Sous Vide cooker provides VERY precise temperature control of water. The food you’re cooking is either in a vacuum sealed bag or, a ziplock bag that has had the air squeezed out as the bag is sealed. Meat can be seasoned/browned before or after cooking (if desired). Because of the precise temperature control, it’s virtually impossible to overcook food using Sous Vide. I’ve left a roast beef in for 20+ HOURS and, the results were perfectly RARE roast beef (that was as tender as a pot roast!). Lots of different foods can be cooked by Sous Vide. I first learned of Sous Vide at an RV rally and, am REALLY glad I went to that cooking seminar!
Hi, John! Thank you for the suggestion! The Sous Vide cooker seems like a great idea for RVing chefs! I’ll look into this and try to find some recipes but in the meantime, if you have any favorite recipes using the Sous Vide cooker, please send them to me at emily (at) rvtravel.com. Thanks, John!
I have read warnings about ever cooking meat in a Ziploc bag. However maybe the Sous Vide system may allow it. I have never heard of them, but good thing to learn about.
I have had an electric pot which includes a pressure cooker and have yet to get around to using it. Sad right? I use stop top ones every day almost.
Just like I make it as taught by my mother and grandmothers, except I don’t think you need a gravy mix. There may be unhealthful ingredients in the mix, and its flavor may ruin your pot roast. I use a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of cornstarch or plain white flour made into a roux with some of the liquid from the pot. I hate adding anything processed to my meals, but this is at least minimal. (I use organic flour or cornstarch to mitigate its use a bit. . .)
Note there is a typo in the recipe. Celery “stocks” should be “stalks” in two places.
Hi, Sherry! Thank you for the advice on adding cornstarch or flour instead of the gravy mix. Maybe Wolfe will try this next time! And thank you for catching the spelling error in celery stalks – whoops! Fixed now. 🙂