Don't Rush a Roast

A loin tip roast was on our menu for the week.  I have proof that you can give a really good cook a mediocre piece of meat and they can make it good, then you can give a mediocre cook (or a rushed one) a really great high quality cut of meat and it can be ruined!  Often we blame the poor outcome of meat on the quality of the meat rather than our cooking ability or mess ups.  So, this is my confession today that I take full responsibility for this roast being dry, it is not the roast's fault!

We still ate it and it had good flavor, we just had to keep it soaked in lots of juice to keep it somewhat moist.

What I did wrong:
1. I forgot to take the roast out the day before to let thaw in the refrigerator overnight.  So, I took it out in the morning and soaked in lukewarm water.  This is an acceptable way to thaw meat as long as you put the meat in plastic freezer bag so no water gets to the meat, but I wouldn't recommend this method for a roast, they really need a longer chilled thawing time.  Since I was working from home instead of the office this day I though all would be okay and mentally planned to put the roast in around noon.  Well... roasts take much longer to thaw than other cuts of beef, and I know this but ignored my knowledge in the morning.  So without the roast being ready for the oven, I rushed off to lunch with a wonderful mentor of mine thinking I'd swing back by the house before my appointment with my midwife.  But, in my excitement to go see my midwife and hear my baby's heartbeat, I forgot to do that after we finished lunch.
2. I cooked it too fast!
When I returned back home at 3:30 and finally got to the roast, seasoned it, browned it and got it ready for the oven, it was after 4:00.  I cooked the roast at 250 degrees for 2.5 hours.  Way too hot and fast for a roast!  Let me point out, I have eaten many roasts cooked this way and they all too often are cooked this fast in our busy society.  I think we have gotten a little too use to mediocre food because of this.  This method will give you an edible dinner but not a great one.  So, if you want a great roast instead of a simply edible roast, I encourage you to try cooking one slow and low!
3. I should have abandoned my menu and just cooked the next day's meal and saved the roast for another day!  Because I really don't like mediocrity when it comes to food.

If you're roast is continually coming out dry you are likely cooking it too hot and too fast, or not keeping enough liquid in the roasting dish while cooking it.  I've discovered that even the low heat setting on my crock pot cooks a roast to hot, and I've learned every crock pot is different, so yours may do the job fine.

The master meat cooker in our house, Matthew, says 5-6 hours in about 150 degrees.  We recently came across another method from http://www.lgbeef.com/grassfed-beef-roast-recipe
Place beef in roasting pan, uncovered and put in 375 degree oven for 1 hour.

Turn oven off, but DO NOT open the oven door.
For RARE roast beef:
25 minutes before serving time turn oven to 300 degrees
For MEDIUM roast beef:
30 minutes before serving time turn oven to 300 degrees
For MEDIUM WELL DONE roast beef:
35 minutes before serving time turn oven to 300 degrees.
That's all - don't peek!

This recipe leaves you to wonder, how long you leave it in (Matthew and I are making the assumption of about 6 hours) and do you cover the roast with water (My assumption is yes, cover with water at least 1/2 way. Without water it'll dry out no matter how slow and low you're cooking in the oven).

I'm going to try both of these methods within the next few weeks and I'll let you know which method works best.  But don't wait for me to report back, go ahead and give it a shot and let me know!