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A New England Pot Roast
Lay a round of beef in a deep pot; pour in a cupful of boiling water, add 2 slices of onion; cover, and cook slowly, allowing ten minutes to a pound. Now put it in a dripping-pan, rub with butter and flour, and let it brown in a hot oven. Strain the gravy left in the pan, season with salt, pepper, and a little kitchen bouquet, and thicken it with browned flour. Let it boil for one minute, then pour into a gravy-boat or around the beef.
A braise, not a roast: the beef cooks covered in a small amount of liquid on the stove, then goes into a hot oven only to take on color. The written timing is the one thing that needs rethinking.
- Ten minutes to a pound is not enoughRound is a lean, hard-working muscle, and it needs long, moist heat to convert its connective tissue to gelatin. Figure 3 to 4 hours at a bare simmer for a 4-5 lb piece, and judge doneness by a fork sliding out with no resistance rather than by the clock.
- "A round of beef"A full round is a whole hind leg, 40 lb or more, so the intent here is a cut from it: top round, bottom round, or the rump roast. Ask for a 4-5 lb boneless piece tied into an even shape.
- A cupful of waterOne cup is enough only in a heavy pot with a tight lid over very low heat. Check every 45 minutes and add hot water as needed so the pan never runs dry; the finished liquid should still be concentrated enough to make gravy.
- The hot ovenRead that as 425-450F, and use it for 15 to 20 minutes at most, purely to set the buttered, floured surface into a crust. Longer at that heat will dry out meat that has already finished cooking.
- Browned flourFlour toasted dry in a skillet or a low oven until it is the color of cinnamon. It thickens less powerfully than raw flour, so allow somewhat more -- half again as much is a reasonable starting point -- and it contributes much of the roast-beef color the gravy is expected to have, along with the kitchen bouquet.
- Kitchen bouquetA caramel-and-vegetable browning liquid, still sold in most supermarkets. A teaspoon is ample for this quantity of gravy; more turns it bitter and oddly sweet at once.
- Boiling one minuteFlour-thickened gravy needs at least two or three minutes at a simmer to lose its pasty taste, whether the flour was browned first or not. Strain again after thickening if you want it smooth.
- YieldA 4-5 lb piece serves eight to ten, and cold leftovers slice better the next day than the roast does warm.