After 9 hours on low, it’s tough like a cheap steak Second time it’s happened
After 9 hours on low, it’s tough like a cheap steak Second time it’s happened
by jackmalo
21 Comments
OneLeggedPigeon
I feel 9 hours is overkill and I think there may be too much liquid.
dbg667
What kind of cut was it?
Ublind
Depending on the cut, it could still be undercooked after 9h on low. Meat with a lot of connective tissue needs to be way over the common “food safe” temperature to get tender
sirdonksalot3
Too much liquid…
CubedMeatAtrocity
With a big cut like this I’d cook it in medium or high for the first 3-4 hours and then switch it to low. Your low may be too “low” to break down the connective tissue.
CantaloupeCamper
OP appears to be a bot that never responds to their posts.
Lots of these accounts lately.
Helpful_Camel_7341
Crockpots suck. Get a Dutch oven and you screw it up even if you tried. I’ve had London broil out of my Dutch oven and it was super tender. I haven’t used my crockpot since I bought my Dutch oven
Rook_James_Bitch
I have your answer.
Because I’ve been through this several times and I found the solution.
What you need to do is find the nastiest, gnarliest hunk of fatty meat you can find. Whatever cut of meat looks horrible, that’s the one you want to use.
When you use a chunk of meat that has a ton of fat in it that fat breaks down slowly and dissipates from the meat, leaving it tasting lean and flavorful and the fat melts into liquid that you can scoop up and use in a gravy.
Do not use lean cuts of meat because there is zero fat to break down. You get a chewy nasty tasting meat.
Spring_Fling_Queen
Vinegar and citrus juice (think lime or lemon) helps break down the collagen and makes it more tender. Most roast recipes call for one or both.
t3xtur3s
I would sear all sides first – about 2 mins per side. Browning on all sides first helps to seal in moisture. Then cover with broth in pot only 1/2”. 6 hours low. God speed.
Narrow-Height9477
It could be undercooked.
But, to me, it looks dry. I think it’s OVERcooked.
If you think it’s undercooked, give it more time.
If you think it’s overcooked and you can’t eat it, I’d either save it for stew or turn it into a pate with some olive oil and a food processor.
Equal-Artichoke4581
OP, I dont know how well the lid seals the pot. In my experience what worked for me and cut down my cook time to fork tender meat was to use aluminum foil and cover the mouth of the pot before placing the lid. Make sure to create a nice seal, doesn’t need to be 100%. Anyway this worked for me after having tried different cuts and cooking them for long periods but never really getting the juicy tender meat I see others post here.
Orwoantee
Brisket is the cut you want. It’ll be juicy and tasty as with low slow heat
Sure_Comfort_7031
First piece of advice: Ignore the time, cook until DONE, not until time. You might not be done, even at 9 hours. Cook until you’re at about 200 deg.
Second piece of advice: Ignore the temp, and cook until it’s DONE. I’ve had stuff done at 195 and stuff not done until 205. Fork shred is the test.
Long of the short – it ain’t done, and there’s more important things to use to check that it’s done instead of the time.
adepttius
why slow cooked? we just had cheap cut (1kg, lots of connective tissues, lots of fat) today but it was pressure cooked for soup – melts it like butter.
mcc062
Im asking. Shouldn’t it be seared first. And left whole?
eyelinerandink
Did you open the lid during the process? I never ever ever open the lid for roasts or hams, etc. That’s usually the culprit esp when there’s so much liquid like here.
Also, the only way I ever do a roast in the crock pot anymore is a Mississippi Roast. Look it up. It’s pretty much foolproof. All other roasts pale in comparison.
nonnydingdong23
Pressure cooker. Watch some videos. So awesome! Consistent results in one hour cook time vs 8-10 hours.
Greennit0
I’ve had similar experiences… for one, never take off the lid during cooking on low. Take it off and the cooking time will extend several hours because it takes ages to get back up to temperature.
I also start the first hour on high now, otherwise you might run into similar situation.
ItchyCredit
Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat. It may not be reaching the level you think. If it’s too low, check the broth to see what temp it has reached. You could have a defective crockpot.
BastardBoi95
There is too much liquid in there. You want to slow cook it with minimal liquid. It will make its own juice.
You are basically boiling it with all that liquid which might be the problem.
21 Comments
I feel 9 hours is overkill and I think there may be too much liquid.
What kind of cut was it?
Depending on the cut, it could still be undercooked after 9h on low. Meat with a lot of connective tissue needs to be way over the common “food safe” temperature to get tender
Too much liquid…
With a big cut like this I’d cook it in medium or high for the first 3-4 hours and then switch it to low. Your low may be too “low” to break down the connective tissue.
OP appears to be a bot that never responds to their posts.
Lots of these accounts lately.
Crockpots suck.
Get a Dutch oven and you screw it up even if you tried.
I’ve had London broil out of my Dutch oven and it was super tender.
I haven’t used my crockpot since I bought my Dutch oven
I have your answer.
Because I’ve been through this several times and I found the solution.
What you need to do is find the nastiest, gnarliest hunk of fatty meat you can find. Whatever cut of meat looks horrible, that’s the one you want to use.
When you use a chunk of meat that has a ton of fat in it that fat breaks down slowly and dissipates from the meat, leaving it tasting lean and flavorful and the fat melts into liquid that you can scoop up and use in a gravy.
Do not use lean cuts of meat because there is zero fat to break down. You get a chewy nasty tasting meat.
Vinegar and citrus juice (think lime or lemon) helps break down the collagen and makes it more tender. Most roast recipes call for one or both.
I would sear all sides first – about 2 mins per side. Browning on all sides first helps to seal in moisture. Then cover with broth in pot only 1/2”. 6 hours low. God speed.
It could be undercooked.
But, to me, it looks dry. I think it’s OVERcooked.
If you think it’s undercooked, give it more time.
If you think it’s overcooked and you can’t eat it, I’d either save it for stew or turn it into a pate with some olive oil and a food processor.
OP, I dont know how well the lid seals the pot. In my experience what worked for me and cut down my cook time to fork tender meat was to use aluminum foil and cover the mouth of the pot before placing the lid. Make sure to create a nice seal, doesn’t need to be 100%. Anyway this worked for me after having tried different cuts and cooking them for long periods but never really getting the juicy tender meat I see others post here.
Brisket is the cut you want. It’ll be juicy and tasty as with low slow heat
First piece of advice: Ignore the time, cook until DONE, not until time. You might not be done, even at 9 hours. Cook until you’re at about 200 deg.
Second piece of advice: Ignore the temp, and cook until it’s DONE. I’ve had stuff done at 195 and stuff not done until 205. Fork shred is the test.
Long of the short – it ain’t done, and there’s more important things to use to check that it’s done instead of the time.
why slow cooked? we just had cheap cut (1kg, lots of connective tissues, lots of fat) today but it was pressure cooked for soup – melts it like butter.
Im asking. Shouldn’t it be seared first. And left whole?
Did you open the lid during the process? I never ever ever open the lid for roasts or hams, etc. That’s usually the culprit esp when there’s so much liquid like here.
Also, the only way I ever do a roast in the crock pot anymore is a Mississippi Roast. Look it up. It’s pretty much foolproof. All other roasts pale in comparison.
Pressure cooker. Watch some videos. So awesome! Consistent results in one hour cook time vs 8-10 hours.
I’ve had similar experiences… for one, never take off the lid during cooking on low. Take it off and the cooking time will extend several hours because it takes ages to get back up to temperature.
I also start the first hour on high now, otherwise you might run into similar situation.
Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat. It may not be reaching the level you think. If it’s too low, check the broth to see what temp it has reached. You could have a defective crockpot.
There is too much liquid in there. You want to slow cook it with minimal liquid. It will make its own juice.
You are basically boiling it with all that liquid which might be the problem.