Great-Grandma Jones’ Pot Roast
Florence Rilma Edwards Jones is my great grandma. She passed away when I was 17 years old. I have lots of memories with Grandma Jones. I remember her home perms in the kitchen, she was always in a dress, she loved to wear beautiful crochet shawls, she gave big, tight hugs, she loved to read tabloid magazines, her favorite days were when she had her family all around her, and she was an amazing cook. She had no formal training. She just knew that to make good food you had to cook on high (there were several almost kitchen fires…) and add more salt. Oh and butter.
Her Pot Roast recipe stands out the most to me. I can remember eating pot roast at Grandma Flo’s house (her daughter) for Sunday dinner when I was just a wee thing. I remember looking forward to Sunday dinner at our house when Dad started cooking pot roast. I love that I can see a recipe and think about three generations of my family that have used this recipe and added our own little twist to it.
Great-Grandma Jones’ Pot Roast
2+ lb chuck roast
salt
3 tbls canola oil
1 can of beef consomme
4-5 yukon gold potatoes
2 carrotts
1-2 sweet onions
Step 1 heat oven proof pan with a lid on the stove. Add canola oil once the pan is hot.
Step 2 cover the roast on all sides with salt. I like to use a salt grinder and himalayan pink salt. My Dad uses morton salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. I think he even throws a little onion powder in from time to time.
Step 3 sear the roast on all sides. This helps to seal in the moisture so your roast isn’t dry and also adds alots of flavor.
Okay so I like to use my big dutch oven and slow cook this in the oven. You can cook it in a slow cooker. I’ve had people say that they can’t tell a difference when I have done a taste test, but I guess I’m too tradional to use a slow cooker. If you choose to use a slow cooker, then this is the step in which you would move the roast into it.
Step 4 add one can of beef consomme and then fill that can with water and add it as well. I don’t always have beef consomme on hand. If that is the case, Kitchen Basics Beef Stock is awesome! I just use about half a box of it and don’t add water if I am using it instead of beef consomme.
Step 5 put the lid on the pan and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 2 hours.
Step 6 reduce the heat to 225 degrees F and bake for 3 to 4 more hours. This is also a great time to check to make sure your roast has enough liquid. You can either add water, more beef stock, or even another can of beef consomme. I like to see the liquid about halfway up the roast.
Step 7 if you want to add vegetables, put them in with the roast when you have about an hour left. I usually add the vegetables because Troy likes them and I think it adds great flavor to the gravy I make out of the juices. My Dad and Flo added the veggies when there was two hours left to bake the roast. I like my vegetables to be a bit firmer so I do less. If you like your veggies soft, do two hours.
I love to make a ton of gravy and mashed potatoes to go along with this. My dad loves to have green beans with it too. Using leftover pot roast to make french dips or stroganoff is also delish! The recipe does call for a chuck roast and while that is the best cut to use, I have made pot roast using blade roast, shoulder roast, top round roast, rump roast…you get the idea. Don’t be afraid to experiment and add your own twist to this wonderful family recipe.