Melaney's French Dip

What cookin'?

 

My friend Melaney sent me this recipe last week.  I was already prepped for making BBQ short ribs in the slow cooker, so I set the recipe aside for this weekend.  I just got home from Wegmans and it's simmering now.  Within an hour my house is gonna smell soooo goood.

 

Here it is, exactly as she sent it to me.  I used top steak instead of chuck roast. 

2 cups water

½ cup soy sauce

4 whole peppercorns

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. garlic powder or one minced garlic clove

3 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of all fat.

Combine water, soy sauce, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme and garlic in a slow cooker, stirring until well blended. Place roast in crockpot and cover.

Cook on high for 5-6 hours or until beef is tender. Remove meat from broth and shred with a fork. Serve beef on rolls. Pour broth in small bowls for dipping. Good topped with Swiss cheese or sautéed onions, peppers or both.

Crockpot Bean soup a la Mark Bittman

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Perfect Pot Roast

Ingredients

1 onion, sliced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 (2 1/2 pound) boneless beef chuck roast

1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 package dry beef gravy mix

1 package ranch dressing mix

1 package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix

1/2 cup water, or as needed

5 whole peeled carrots (optional)

Directions

1.Spray the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray. Spread the onion slices out into the bottom of the cooker.

2.Spread the flour out onto a work surface. Sprinkle the chuck roast with salt and black pepper, and roll the roast in the flour to coat all sides. Using the edge of a small, sturdy plate, pound the flour into the meat. Place the floured roast into the cooker on top of the onions. Whisk together beef gravy mix, ranch dressing mix, and Italian dressing mix in a bowl, and whisk the mixes with water until smooth. Pour over the chuck roast. Distribute carrots around the meat.

3.Cover the cooker, set to Low, and cook until the roast is tender and the gravy has thickened, about 8 hours.

He-man Chili

So, I got this recipe from an internet forum and I can't name the person who posted it because he'd probably kill me. Especially since when I cooked it, I changed it.  First, his recipe, next, what I did with it.

His:

2 lbs Ground Venison
2 15 oz cans Diced Tomatoes
2 medium Onions, chopped
1 medium Green Pepper, chopped
4 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon ground Cumin
2 tablespoons Chili Powder
1 tablespoon Pepper Sauce (I likeTabasco Chipolte)
1 teaspoon Salt
1 bayleaf
1 finely minced Habanero
I'll usually use beef stock as my liquid, but water with a bit of bullion in it will suffice
Saute onions and garlic in a pan over medium heat. Add ground venison and brown. Add spices to mixture and transfer to crockpot. Place remaining ingredients in crockpot. Stir. Cook on low 8-10 hours, or high 4-6 hours. Enjoy!

Mine:
Hamburger not venison
Fire-roasted tomatoes
RED pepper.  I hate green pepper.  Blech.
No pepper sauce
No habanero
I didn't need any liquid at all.  I didn't drain the burger after I sauteed it all, though, and there was a lot of grease in it.
Crockpot was maybe 3 hours, tops.

It could have used some beans.  Heh.  It was very good and one of the few times I actually did freeze some leftovers - and ate them the following week, too.