The secret to a juicy roast

I have tried to make a juicy, oven baked, beef roast for years. Every time I try and make it, a delicious smell fills the house. I open the oven door and BAM! The roast is so dry it looks (and typically tastes) like beef jerky. Last week, though, I stumbled upon the perfect roast, completely by accident.

I was planning on making pork pulled barbeque. I made my rub, got out the tin foil, and discovered my pork had...changed colors, to put it nicely. I load up my son, head to the store, and discover that they must now be feeding pigs pure gold, because the price is ridiculous. Well, I didn't come down here for no reason. I grab a beef roast, and head to the checkout, convinced I can make something. It worked! I now present my unconventional roast recipe.

Ingredients:
1 average size beef roast
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, cut in half and lightly squished
1  1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Place your roast on a large enough sheet of tin foil to completely wrap it. Mix the sugar, salt, pepper, chili powder, and basil leaves in a small bowl. Using your hands, rub this mixture all over the roast, flipping over to be sure to get the bottom. Wrap the roast in a burrito style, pulling up the sides so the liquid can't drain out. Let cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. When it is close to being done, heat the vinegar to a boil in a saucepan. Add the garlic and reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook for 1 minute. Carefully remove the roast from the oven and open one end of the foil. Pour the vinegar mix in, lifting the roast slightly to allow for the vinegar to move all over. Place back in the oven and cook for an additional 2 hours. About 10 minutes before it is done, open the foil and put the oven on 300 degrees to brown the top nicely. Once finished, pour all the juice into a saucepan and reduce to make a homemade barbeque sauce.

Tips:
*I like using a boneless chuck roast for this recipe. Whatever you do, don't use London Broil. It's as tough as shoe leather, and I have never figured out how to make it tender.
*Please wash your hands after putting on the rub. I want you to enjoy the roast, not be throwing up everything you ate due to cross contamination.
*This recipe takes a long time because it's essentially barbeque. As my culinary icon, Alton Brown, would say, "Low and slow!" Low heat cooks slower, but makes the meat oh-so-tender and juicy.
*Yes, you do have to cook the vinegar on the stove first. Yes, your house will smell absolutely horrible. I don't suggest this meal when your husband's boss is coming over, but it's perfectly suitable for your mother-in-law, who never thinks your house is clean enough in the first place. Just kidding, Melissa.
*If you like your food salty, keep some extra salt on the table. This dish is not very salty, and on purpose. Salt draws the moisture OUT of meat, which would lead us right back to the whole tastes like jerky issue.
*As a side note (Ha! A pun!) sweet potatoes are excellent with this dish. Maybe someday I'll even give you my ridiculously easy recipe.

Good luck and good cooking!

Beef Stew

It's a cool, dreary, rainy day here in the south. It puts me in the mood for my beef stew! My husband absolutely loves this, being a very meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. The plus side to this dish is that it's a one pot recipe. Less dishes equals a better day, in my book.

Ingredients
1 medium sized beef chuck roast (or pre-cut stew beef, if you prefer)
2 large potatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp. flour
1 clove garlic, diced
3 to 4 cups water, depending on amount of meat used
olive oil
Soy sauce (optional)

Begin my cubing your meat (skip this step if using stew beef). Heat enough olive oil to easily coat the bottom of a large pot. Place meat in hot oil and lightly brown on all sides. You are NOT cooking the meat through yet, just creating flavor. Remove meat and set aside. Add diced garlic and onion. Cook around 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in flour and mix well. Put the meat back in and add enough water to cover the meat, plus 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil. Add carrots, celery, salt and pepper. Put lid on and boil for 30 minutes, occasionally adding water if needed. Add diced potatoes and cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

Tips
*Cut your meat against the grain. That means if the lines in the meat run from left to right, you cut up and down. It makes the meat more tender, which is crucial to stew.
*Be careful not to burn your garlic when you're cooking it. Burnt garlic tastes like you're licking a rubber tire.
*When I say mix your flour well, I mean it. If you cut corners on this step, your stew will be lumpy. Try and get the mix as smooth as you can, but don't worry if a few stray lumps get through. They will probably boil apart.
*Be sure to put a lid on while cooking. Lids trap evaporating water, meaning you'll have to add less water while cooking.
*Stew is thick, particularly when it cools. If you think your stew is too thin WHILE HOT, you can add a tablespoon of rice flour or cornstarch, both of which thicken soups up nicely. Whatever you do, do NOT add extra regular flour to a stew once it's cooking. The flour lumps up, and you essentially have flavorless, chewy dumplings.

Good luck and good cooking!