Annie’s Pot Roast

Sunday afternoons were traditionally known for pot roast throughout my childhood. I suppose this was because a pot roast could be put into the oven (or crock-pot) in the early Sunday morning hours, then taken out when we got home from church, ready to eat.

I now make pot roast whenever the mood strikes me. I know that once made, I will be able to use it for much more than just one meal. So does my family. Once they see the roast on the table, they know that they will soon be having sandwiches for lunch and stew for a future supper (This stew will be a future blog post).

A pot roast can be prepared almost anywhere. I even prepared pot roast for 25 hungry men while we were missionaries in Russia. No one except JP believed me when I told them of my plan. They saw no way for me to pull off pot roast for that many people, using the extremely limited resources at hand in the tiny village where we were located. However, it worked. The pot roast turned out lovely. And, for those hungry Americans, it was a little taste of home, brought to them in the form of meat, carrots and potatoes.

Annie’s Pot Roast

• Place roast (beef, pork, venison, or your choice of meat) into a pot that has a lid. If you do not have a lidded pot, you may use tinfoil. I use my 6-quart cast-iron enamel pot. Roast may be fresh, thawed, or frozen.
• Pour ¼ cup of vinegar over roast, making sure to cover roast completely. The vinegar will begin to break down the enzymes in the meat, leaving you with a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness to your roast. Trust me on this. Please.
• Shake on the following spices, making sure to completely cover the roast:
• Garlic powder
• Onion salt
• Montreal steak seasoning
• Dehydrated onions

• Place desired amount of washed, whole potatoes around roast in pot.
• Place desired amount of washed, whole carrots on top of roast in pot. (I never peel my potatoes or carrots for this meal since most of the nutrient value is in the peel.)
• Fill pot with water until it is three inches from the top.
• Place lid on pot.
• Place in oven at 250 degrees for at least 5 hours. I usually go longer, sometimes up to 8 or 9 hours, depending on how tender I want my roast. During the last hour, increase the heat of the oven to 350 degrees. (Note: The meat must be cooked slowly, at a very low heat in order to get the optimum tenderness.)
• Remove pot from oven.
• Place potatoes and carrots in respective bowls.
• Place roast on platter.
• Allow roast to rest for at least 10 minutes.
• Roast may be separated with forks if desired. The meat will literally fall apart.
• Serve.

And there you have it. Very easy. Very yummy. Stay tuned for Annie’s gravy recipe in a future post!

As Henry David Thoreau said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”

~Annie