# Chuck Roast Disappointment--What Went Wrong?



## maddy (Oct 30, 2010)

This weekend I tried making pot roast for the first time. I used a "bone in chuck roast" that was part of a grass-finished half that I bought last year and have kept well wrapped in the freezer. I cooked all day in a crock pot (a few hours on high, then the rest of the time on low), together with seasonings and the usual vegetables.

The flavor was just fine, but the meat did not fall cleanly off the bone, as the recipe suggested it would. There was fat and gristle throughout, requiring carving up into small bits. It was hard to find a piece of meat that did not have a lot of fat and gristle that had to be cut out.

Is this typical of chuck roast? What went wrong?


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

It should have shredded/pulled apart with just a fork after that long a cooking time. Chuck is a fattier cut and there is "connective tissue" between the muscles, but usually it's very tender after a long cooking process. 

I cook chuck roast (or arm roast) on the stove as pot roast, using mostly red wine for the braising liquid.


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## bigjon (Oct 2, 2013)

really really bad old tough cow.


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## mzgarden (Mar 16, 2012)

Have to agree with bigjohn - doesn't sound like the problem was with the cooking method. Sounds like the problem was with the meat itself.


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## 358156hp (Jan 19, 2015)

You didn't do anything wrong maddy. Like bigjon said, it was just a tough old cow. You really can't predict how good some cuts of meat will come out. You did your part.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Some things in the crockpot just need more heat or more time for the magic to happen. 

Try another piece with a rounded teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper...with a good medium high sizzle to pick up the sizzle and splatter in the pressure cooker without the top until you really good some good color. Shoe polish type color. Don't rush it. It is not burning and should not smell like it is burning. The high walls of the cooker help keep the stove top walls and ceiling clean. 

Heat up a little oil in the cooker while you are rubbing the roast with the salt and pepper.

When you get the color you want, add a cup of water or the amount of water called for with your cooker directions. Put the top on and let the water heat up to let some steam out a little. Put the pressure weight on(10 lbs) at medium high heat. Start the timer when the weight jiggles. Lower the heat to medium so that the weight doesn't jiggle constantly. 

Check your beef chart for how long. Clean the stove knobs while you're waiting. When the time runs out, run the cold tap water over the cooker until the cooker pressure is equalized. Remove the weight with a fork or hot pad and check out the beef. It should be perfect.


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## sniper69 (Sep 23, 2007)

I've noticed some crock pots seem to be "hotter" than others. If doing again in the crockpot, maybe leave on high longer before switching to low to finish it. Plus if using vegetables, I usually only put the onions in at the beginning, and any other vegetables in at a later time.

Or as Bret had mentioned - there is the pressure cooker that will make it tender.

I really like doing chuck roast on the stove, in a covered pot. I salt and pepper, brown both sides, then add the onions and fluid I'm using. Let it come to a boil, cover and turn down the temp so it is kept at a slow simmer. Just check every so often in case any more fluid is needed, and then at intervals to check tenderness. When it is done a fork should shred the meat apart easily. I do a similar method (but add different spices) to make a shredded burrito meat using chuck roast. That is always popular. 

Let us know how your next chuck roast does for you, and if it is more tender, etc.


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## bacon (Nov 9, 2014)

I agree with Sniper. It sounds like it needs to cook hotter and longer. I don't care how tough and old that cow was--with enough liquid simmering for 8 hours, the meat should be tender. Try it in a dutch oven on the stovetop until it boils and let it simmer, covered, forever.


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## werb2008 (Feb 5, 2015)

I don't want to sound like a chef here,but I never had a bad chuck roast!


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## tessadiane (Jul 13, 2014)

Adding some vinegar (balsamic/red wine) , while cooking, will help break down connective tissue.


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## Txsteader (Aug 22, 2005)

maddy said:


> This weekend I tried making pot roast for the first time. I used a "bone in chuck roast" that was part of a grass-finished half that I bought last year and have kept well wrapped in the freezer. I cooked all day in a crock pot (a few hours on high, then the rest of the time on low), together with seasonings and the usual vegetables.


I don't mean to sound insulting (or dumb) but you didn't mention adding any liquid to the pot. Could that be the problem? Chuck is best braised in water, broth or wine which helps break down most of the fat and create that fall-off-the-bone tenderness.


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## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

I just did one in the oven at 275 degrees.

Put in casserole dish. 1/4 inch of water (beef broth is better) spread one packet of onion soup mix on top and some canned mushrooms.
Cooked about 2 hours, added some carrots and turnips (normally potatoes) and cooked another 1.5 to 2 hours. Checked it and the temp was over 200....

Took it out and was very good tender but a little stringy which is normal for a chuck roast.

This was a good cut of chuck. Some cuts don't turn out as well. A good bone in cut is seven bone cut. Look for it.


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

We got a grass fed cow a couple of years ago, 100% grass fed and grass finished. We'd enjoyed steaks that were so exquisitely flavorful and tender, I couldn't imagine a single bite ever being anything but delicious.

Until my father, who has visited my house exactly three times since 1983, decided to bring his wife and sister to visit.

I've been a scratch cook for a LONG time. I know how to do it. The roast was wonderfully fragrant, and having spent all day in the crock pot, I was certain it would be awesome. But when we stuck the serving fork into the meat, it stuck there like we'd stabbed a truck tire. I was astonished! The veggies weren't the falling apart deliciousness that I was expecting, either. Well it was done, so we pried it onto plates and ate it anyway, chewing forever. 

My aunt very kindly asked, "How did you make the delicious sauce?" I burst out laughing and said "THIS IS TERRIBLE."

I was stymied, and a bit embarrassed. Some weeks later I threw a chicken in the same crockpot, and for crying out loud it came out like a rubber dog toy. I realized that I hadn't used that crock pot for anything else other than those two dishes, it was one that I'd found half price during the post-Thanksgiving sales. It was the crockpot! 

I threw that stupid piece of malfunctioning junk away. Haven't had a bad roast before or since.

Just sayin,' because life deals us some freak stuff sometimes.


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## Goats Galore (Aug 28, 2012)

Somewhere the soul of an old cow is laughing. I always use a slow cooker and just a splash of wine as a tenderizer along with garlic, Tabasco splash, and 1/2 cup of a good or homemade beef bouillion. Cook 6 hours and voila. Since we don't like mushy onion, pitch in thin slices for the last hour or two.


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## countryfied2011 (Jul 5, 2011)

I have been cooking chuck roast in a dutch oven, roasting pan, in a pot on the stove and a slow cooker forever...occasionally I will get one that doesnt turn out as good as it should...like chewing it forever. OTOH, I think frozen food doesnt cook as good as thawed and it will not come out as tender imho.


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## haunted (Jul 24, 2011)

You might try cooking the next one the old fashioned way. Take a cast iron skillet and melt a little fat in it, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Bacon grease is best. Sear the meat on all sides until it is white. Cover with sliced onions. Cover the pan as tight as you can. If the pan doesn't have a lid, cover tightly with foil. Put in a 350 degree oven for about 2 hours. Should be very tender. Roast cooked this way only needs a little salt sprinkled on it, if that.
I can't help you with gristle situation. That was just a poor cut of roast that probably should have been ground into hamburger instead. Hopefully the next roast will be better quality.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Some pot roast suggestions. I deep brown my roast in a heavy skillet before putting it into the crock pot. That gives you better gravy.

Then potatoes and some onion go into the bottom of the crock pot. The roast is next, and on top go the carrots, celery, more onion, and spices. Then the potatoes get covered in water, up to the bottom of the roast.

I cook chuck roast on high the entire day and it gets more than 8 hours to make it fall apart.

So, I guess that you didn't cook long enough or high enough temperature.

Crock pot can't cure fat in the meat or gristle in the meat. That's a problem with the piece of meat, although, good quality chuck roast should have a lot of fat in the meat.


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## preparing (Aug 4, 2011)

I was never able to get a chuck roast to finish fork tender like it should. That is until I discovered the wonders of a pressure cooker! I love it. It is able to turn even old beef into lovely a supper .


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## SquonkHunter (Feb 24, 2008)

*Saturday/Sunday roast:* Our usual method here is to add a can of low sodium broth and any seasonings desired then cook it in the oven covered at a moderate temp until done. Let it cool and refrigerate overnight. Next morning (Sunday) reheat in oven slowly and uncovered to give it a bit of crust. Works like a charm every time. :thumb:


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

An organic chemistry once explained the secret to tender meat!

He said that protein molecules are curved. If a raw protein molecule is cooked at a high temp it curdles and then it will NEVER relax and the meat will be tough. 

However, if a raw protein molecule is cooked at a LOW heat, it will relax and no longer be curved. and the meat will be tender. What is more, if the meat is cooked at a low temp at first the meat can be finished on high and I will STILL be tender! Finishing it on high will just cook it faster *IF* the meat was cooked for long enough on low!

In other words, first cook the meat at a temp that only has a very few bubbles for a while, and then you can boil it on high. My pot roast has been fork tender since that lecture.


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## Just Little Me (Aug 9, 2007)

For a good tender fall off the bone roast, it needs a nice long cook in the oven, ya can check it ever so often to see if it needs longer. I put mine on around noon, start on higher temp, then turn down to about 300 for the last half.


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## DaveNay (Nov 25, 2012)

Sometimes the simplest is the best.

This is literally just beef, beer and onions. Brown the beef in olive oil, remove beef and add a half dozen sliced onions. Cook until well caramelized. Add beef back to pot and pour in one can of Guinness beer. Cover and put in oven at 300-350 for 90 minutes.


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## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

I usually do chuck in the crockpot, start frozen around 7:30/8 am, on low, and it is done & tender by 4 pm. The chuck I start that is fresh will still be tough. 

So since the method doesn't seem to matter, I too, blame the cow!


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## sandj81 (Apr 10, 2014)

Sear all sides of roast , carrots and onions, put in Dutch oven. Add beef stock red wine salt pepper thyme and any other seasonings you may enjoy. Cover and put in 250 oven for about 2 1/2 - 3 hrs. If it's not falling apart cook longer  delish every time !


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

I might be a bit strange, but the fat of the chuck roast is what I love the best! 

For cooking, I do as others suggest - sear in a hot frying pan first and brown all sides well and then place in a covered casserole dish with maybe a tablespoon of water (or wine) and cook at low temps. I also like to put some fresh garlic and a few pats of butter over the top when cooking.

Maybe instead of plain old Chuck Roast, you ended up with _Chuck Norris_ Roasts - those are the toughest you can find


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