"Roast beef" ???

[Robert]

A guy in my hot rod car club posted on FB before Christmas pictures of a top round roast that he had cooked in the oven using the 500 degree method for prime rib. Proclaimed it to be fork tender and the next day he sliced the leftovers thin for sandwiches. I've been looking for a top round ever since, but none have turned up yet.


Back to the OP. Set aside 30 minutes for the story and have him define what he really wants. Sounds like he's by himself and needs the conversation.

 

[Maylar]

Google Mississippi pot roast, cook it in the slow cooker or the instant pot…..

Thanks for that. Looked it up and it definitely looks like something I need to try. I typically use a "roast beef " or "beef stew" seasoning packet, but this one uses ranch dressing and au jus gravy packets. And pepperoncini peppers. I can do that.

 

[cayenne]

From the south?

Usually for my FIL for Christmas dinner we do a prime rib. This year we've had to put it off to this coming weekend and he asked for "a beef roast with gravy instead of prime rib."


First of all, isn't prime rib basically just a beef roast? Anyway, I'm not sure exactly what he means and I don't feel like asking since that will entail a half hour story about this or that that he had as a kid when the dinosaurs roamed freely.

So, when someone mentions roast beef what comes to mind for you? Sliced, pulled, something else entirely? I suppose it depends on how it's served, but what cut comes to mind? Like pulled would be chuck probably.

In my mind, I'm thinking somewhat thick sliced, like a ham steak or something, but not as thick as a prime rib would be cut. Maybe a tritip roast, or a round roast of some kind. Cook it at home sous-vide, then take it to his place and sear it under the broiler.

Your thoughts?

What part of the US is he from?

I grew up in the south, lower to middle class.

And in our how, when you said "roast beef" you meant "pot roast". Where you sear off your meat and basically long braise it and make gravy from the cooking liquid.

Back when I grew up...brisket was the absolute cheapest cut of meat mom could get, so that's what we made pot roast from.

I never really had any form of "dry roasted" beef, till I grew up a bit, and my parents could afford to go out and take me with them to higher end restaurants.

It was there I discovered "Prime Rib", or at the very least...what a standing rib roast was.

I was an only child...and I hated traditional roasted/baked turkey....and complained about it.

When they asked what I wanted, I thought...and said "Prime Rib".

They had never cooked one...mom found a recipe and thus, our family Thanksgiving tradition was born.

To this day at my house on Thanksgiving, the ONLY turkey to be found is 101 Proof.


But this is my long way of saying he's likely meaning pot roast.....

I think it may be a southern thing. I had this discussion with a girl from the far NE I was going out with for awhile....she'd get mad when I referred to roast beef and she would assume dry roasted, when I meant pot roasted/braised with gravy.

It's kinda like down here in New Orleans. When you order a Roast Beef Po-Boy, it is braised beef, sliced or pulled apart with rich thick gravy made from the drippings.

HTH,

cayenne

 

[Demosthenes9]

I think it may be a southern thing. I had this discussion with a girl from the far NE I was going out with for awhile....she'd get mad when I referred to roast beef and she would assume dry roasted, when I meant pot roasted/braised with gravy.

It's kinda like down here in New Orleans. When you order a Roast Beef Po-Boy, it is braised beef, sliced or pulled apart with rich thick gravy made from the drippings.

HTH,

cayenne

Oddly, I'm just the opposite. I grew up in Georgia in the 70's and my mom was from Kentucky, a "Southern girl".

Pot roast was a pot roast and was made with a chuck roast. Roast beef was top round / bottom round / rump roast. Roast beef was sliced. Pot roast was pulled or shredded.

 

[PitRow]

What part of the US is he from?

He grew up in New York, spent a fair amount of time in Vegas, and has been in Oregon now for close to 45 years.

 

[PitRow]

So... I broke down and got the info from him. He asked for sliced roast beef, gravy, mashed potatoes and dinner rolls. Given this, what cut would you use? The local grocery has cross-rib roasts on BOGO, and that seems like a good candidate to me, but I don't know, I've never done anything in this style before.

 

[cayenne]

Southern...or Yankee?

Oddly, I'm just the opposite. I grew up in Georgia in the 70's and my mom was from Kentucky, a "Southern girl".

Pot roast was a pot roast and was made with a chuck roast. Roast beef was top round / bottom round / rump roast. Roast beef was sliced. Pot roast was pulled or shredded.

Hmm...My old college roommate at LSU use to tell me anyone born north of I-10 was a yankee.

His definitions might be a little more stringent than most.....haha.

According to him, the Mason Dixon line was the 3rd crawfish pond north of Bunkee.

Either way...even I was classified as a Yankee according to him.

OH, those were fun years.....the ones I can still remember...haha.

Ok...back to food.

 

[Demosthenes9]

Hmm...My old college roommate at LSU use to tell me anyone born north of I-10 was a yankee.

His definitions might be a little more stringent than most.....haha.

According to him, the Mason Dixon line was the 3rd crawfish pond north of Bunkee.

Either way...even I was classified as a Yankee according to him.

OH, those were fun years.....the ones I can still remember...haha.

Ok...back to food.

Well, folks in the South don't consider Louisianians to be Southerners. Those folks are a different breed.

:becky::becky::becky::becky::becky::becky::becky::becky::becky:

 

[Tal/IL]

So... I broke down and got the info from him. He asked for sliced roast beef, gravy, mashed potatoes and dinner rolls. Given this, what cut would you use? The local grocery has cross-rib roasts on BOGO, and that seems like a good candidate to me, but I don't know, I've never done anything in this style before.

If'n it was me, I'd get a nice chuck roast. Braise it with vegetables until fall-apart tender. Make creamy mashed potatoes separate with lots of dairy. Remove the veggies from the roasting pan and use the pan drippings to make some thick brown gravy.

 

[LYU370]

So... I broke down and got the info from him. He asked for sliced roast beef, gravy, mashed potatoes and dinner rolls. Given this, what cut would you use? The local grocery has cross-rib roasts on BOGO, and that seems like a good candidate to me, but I don't know, I've never done anything in this style before.

Cross rib roast should work fine. Any of the cheap roasts should work for your classic old school grandma's Sunday roast beef dinner. Using a chuck roast as other have mentioned will get you a delicious pot roast, but I'm pretty sure that's not what dad is asking for. Cook those cheap roasts low and slow and don't cook above medium.