I love roast. I remember as a girl driving home from church and walking into the house filled with the aroma of a pot roast that had been slow cooking all morning. Whenever I smell that fragrance it always takes me back. I guess that’s why they call it comfort food.
When we received our box of Honeytown Meats and it included a rump roast, all I could think about was recreating that wonderful experience. Well, not only did we enjoy a roast like when I was a child, but we were able to get two other meals from it!
What roasting meat achieves
According to Wikipedia, almost every culture has some sort of recipe that includes the roasting of meat. Because I lack any real culinary knowledge, I didn’t realize the purpose of roasting was to create a tender piece of meat from even the toughest cuts. I guess, too, that the roast which includes carrots and potatoes is known as a Yankee Pot Roast. All I know is that I call it delicious!
Just like my mom when it comes to roasts
But first the roast. As my mother used to do, I decided to add carrots, celery and potatoes in the slow cooker with the rump roast. I love, love, love cooked carrots! Therefore, I made sure to add plenty to the pan.
At the bottom I sprinkled in a bit of beef base with a quarter cup of water. I placed the roast in the pan and then put the carrots, potatoes and celery around it. I seasoned it liberally with salt, pepper and a garlic herb mix. Then, I let the slow cooker do its thing.
About six hours later, the house was filled with that delicious smell and, just like Pavlov’s dogs, it made my mouth water. I could hardly wait to taste the roast.
My husband, Bobby, and I had discussed the way to cook the roast. He had wanted to cook it more like a roast beef you would get from a deli for sandwiches. But, because I’m spoiled, he let me do it the way I wanted. In the end, we were both glad I did!
Roasts from Honeytown Meats are so tender
The meat was so tender. It basically fell apart into delectable ribbons of juicy beef. Because I had put the beef base and water in the pan, it gave us a really flavorful au jus. Bobby then used our fat separator to get to the concentrated broth. He added it to a saucepan and a packet of powdered beef gravy mix. Let me just tell you, everything together was better than Mom’s! It was so good.
The leftover rump roast provided us with three different kinds of meals
After dinner, we had plenty of vegetables and roast leftover. This is another great thing about cooking a roast — you typically have some left after your meal.
1. A traditional roast dinner
The first meal the rump roast provided was the traditional roast dinner with the carrots, potatoes and celery.
2. French dip sandwiches
When we pulled out the roast for lunch a couple of days later, Bobby had bought a package of sub rolls. That’s when we decided to take our roast and make it into French dip sandwiches.
I poured the roast and gravy mixture into a pan to heat up. Because French dip sandwiches come with a side of au jus for dipping, I decided to make a lazy man’s au jus. Again, grabbing my trusty beef base, I added a couple of tablespoons to a cup of water and brought it to a boil. It was just enough to split between Bobby and me.
Before I met Bobby, I don’t think I ever had a French dip sandwich. Since being married to him for over 25 years, I have had them several times. While I enjoy the sandwich, it is typical that once I start eating the sandwich and dipping it into the au jus, I have to finish it. It’s not the neatest sandwich to eat! We cut the sandwich in half, and it allowed the experience to last a bit longer than usual.
The meat and gravy mixture in the sub roll would have been perfect by itself. Add the au jus for dipping, and it was off the charts. All the flavors melded together to provide me with the deep, richness that a good roast can provide. But this was only our second meal with the roast!
3. A beef stroganoff knock-off
Believe it or not, we still had some roast leftover after our sandwiches. It wasn’t a crazy amount, but it was just enough to allow me to throw it together to make a beef stroganoff of sorts.
Instead of egg noodles, I used spaghetti that we had cooked already and was in the fridge. I heated up the spaghetti and beef in the microwave.
While they were heating up, I put the rest of the gravy into a skillet. I added some water to thin it out. Thinking I had added too much water, I then created a slurry with cornstarch and water to thicken it up. After the beef and spaghetti were heated, I put them in the skillet and tossed everything together. Finally I added a good half cup of sour cream to everything and simmered it for about 5 minutes. (Remember, everything was already cooked and heated through.)
You will never hear me complain about a casserole. I enjoy them almost as much as I enjoy beef. So when it’s a beef casserole, I’m in nirvana! I will freely and gladly admit that Bobby is a much better cook than I am. But, I will have to say, this casserole was pretty good. I’m not sure that Bobby could have made it better. But it all started with the rump roast from Honeytown Meats.
You can see that there is much versatility when it comes to rump roasts. Whether it’s for a Sunday afternoon dinner, sandwiches in front of the TV or the comfort of a casserole, using a beef roast can make any meal terrific.
My basic traditional roast recipe
I like making my roasts in a slower cooker. Here is how I do it:
- Take a 2.5-3 pound roast and season it with salt, pepper and garlic
- Place it in a slow cooker on medium-high heat
- Cut up about three potatoes, four carrots and five stalks of celery and place them in the slow cooker
- Add a couple Tablespoons of beef base and quarter cup of water to the slow cooker
- Cook for about six hours
Order a Honeytown Meats curated box of beef and enjoy a couple roasts
When you order a Honeytown Meats curated beef box, you will receive two roasts in it, along with three steaks, two packs of ground beef, and two packs of beef patties.
Whether it is a chuck blade roast (we used it to make a Mississippi Roast), a sirloin tip roast, or a rump roast, you can roast them all following my basic roast recipe.
Taste for yourself what a Honeytown Meats curated box of beef is all about.
