Joints of beef in the slow cooker

yogi100

I just cooked a small 2 pound joint of beef in my SC for 8 hours. It came out soft and crumbly but without much texture left nor did it taste quite like a roast from the oven. It hardened up in the fridge and makes splendid sandwiches but was disappointing as a dinner.

I put a small sliced onion in an inch of water with an Oxo cube to cook it in. Next time I'll try Donny Gal's dry suggestion.

nxdmsandkaskdjaqd

I have recently purchased a slow cooked which I have used to cook roast beef silverside joints. So I sear the meat first and cook the joint in a little oil for about 6 hours on low. During the cooking process I do have about a cup of juices from the meat left in the slow cooker. The meat falls apart when cooked, but is very dry when eaten.

Is this normal for a slow cooker when cooking a beef joint this way or am I doing something wrong?

Pooky

You need to cook it liquid in a slow cooker not oil.....add some stock/water/wine next time and it will be lovely and juicy.

nxdmsandkaskdjaqd

How much liquid would you propose a cup full or to cover the meat?

vgstar44

couple of cups of water is enough dont cover the joint as thats way too much. i pop in a stock cube too

sonastin

I put in enough water so that it is a few mm deep in the bottom of the SC - usually no more than 1cm if I'm going for a "roast" effect. The more water that you use, the more gravy you get out at the end (or the less water you need to top up the gravy anyway) but the less concentrated the "meatiness" of the gravy so more chance of needing to add a stock cube to flavour the gravy. Does that make sense?

Absinthe_2

You don't even need to sear the meat first, although fine, can put in as is. I usually just put 1/2 to 1 cup of red wine in the bottom (for joints, enough to cover the bottom by an inch or so), or water. I usually do mine on thick sliced onions.

I've never added oil, except perhaps a tablespoon of extra olive oil occasionally to pasta sauces, and a beef in red wine stew I make, and that's just to enhance the sauce.

pigpen

I never sear meat.. and I never add extra fluid when cooking

Naked flesh in the sc.. If you are finding it dry.. reduce the time you are cooking it for!

Mistral001

pigpen wrote: »

I never sear meat.. and I never add extra fluid when cooking

Naked flesh in the sc.. If you are finding it dry.. reduce the time you are cooking it for!

Meat takes less time to cook than most vegtables in a slow cooker which is the complete opposite of conventional cooking. I agree maybe a reduction in cooking time is needed.

heretolearn_2

I put in an inch or so of water with beef,but it's probably the cooking time. Don't forget that we usually roast it still pink in the middle, if yours is well done all the way through it is going to be on the dry side no matter where you've cooked it.