Two Great Beef Recipes for Days You Can't Barbecue

Cook while you are gone French dip sandwiches

3 lb rump roast or round roast

½ cup soy sauce

1 T worstercerstershire sauce

1 beef bouillon cube

1 bay leaf

1 t dried thyme

3-4 peppercorns

1 t garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.  Add water to almost cover meat.  Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours.  See photos below for some inspiration.

When done, remove from cooker and shred with forks.  It will fall apart.  Place shredded meat in serving bowl and spoon some of the juice in the crock-pot over the meat.  Load up some buns or good crusty rolls with the meat and serve little bowls of the jus on the side.  Garnish as you see fit.  Sauteed peppers and onions are good, cilantro, crema, pickled onions, ranch dressing, etc. are all good or you can eat them naked (the sandwiches, I mean, but who am I to tell you what to do in the privacy of your own home).

This is so simple a college student with a B average can make it.  It is great game day food. Plus, it makes the house smell good all day, too.  Enjoy!

You can make these instead of brisket on those sad days when your smoker is in a snowbank. 

Classic Beef Pot Roast

• 1 boneless arm, shoulder or chuck roast, 3-3 ½ lb, trimmed of excess fat
• 1 t olive oil
• 1 t kosher salt
• ¼ t freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups coarsely chopped white or yellow onion
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (14 ounce) can fat-free, reduced sodium beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 T worchestershister sauce
• 2 lb red potatoes cut into fourths
• 8 ounces mushroom caps or small portabella mushrooms, halved
• 8-12 ounces fresh green beans, tipped and cut in halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper.  Brown roast on all sides by cooking 2-3 minutes per side.

Remove roast from pan.  Add onion and garlic and sauté until onions are soft, about 8 minutes.  Return browned roast to pan.  Add red wine, thyme, beef broth, bay leaf, worst sauce and tomato paste.  Bring contents to a simmer.  Sprinkle flour over contents and stir in, then cover pot and place in oven.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1½ hours.

Add carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and green beans.  Cover and bake another hour until potatoes are tender.  Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs.  Enjoy.

This is a classic recipe and really good.  The beef will be fork tender and taste like beef ought to taste.  It makes its own gravy.  This is really simple, not a lot of cooking technique required and not much clean up.  If you have not had a good roast for a while, give this a try.  You will not be disappointed.