Slow cooked pulled beef with dry rub bbq

4 - 5 pound chuck roast
3 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 TBS salt
1 TBS black pepper
Combine dry ingredients and sprinkle liberally over all sides of the chuck roast, patting down to stick.
Place seasoned roast into crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours.
When cooked, remove from juices (reserving juices) and place roast on a cutting board or other plate and using two forks, pull the meat apart (shred). Place shredded beef back into the crockpot in the reserved juices. Serve on buns.

Patty Melts

It doesn't get much better than this...

1 pound turkey bacon
Fry until nice and crisp, remove from skillet and drain on paper towels, set aside until ready to use.

1 medium onion
2 TBS olive oil
Slice the onion into thin slices, sauté (in the skillet used to fry the bacon) with the olive oil for about 7 minutes or until caramelized. Remove from skillet to a bowl and set aside until ready to build the sandwiches.

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 or 4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Mix all together and form into oblong or round patties, your choice. Fry in a skillet (same used to sauté onions) until desired doneness, I like mine well done. Makes 8 good sized patties.

16 slices of your favorite bread*
butter or margarine spread
mayonnaise
Provolone cheese, swiss cheese, or any of your favorite cheese slices*
Start assembling your Patty Melts.
Butter one side of the bread (grill side) and spread mayo on the other side (goodie side)
Place one slice of cheese, burger patty, onions, another slice of cheese and top with another slice of bread that has been buttered on the grill side and mayo spread on the inside.
Grill in a pan until cheese is melted and the bread is nicely toasted. Enjoy!

 

Oops, I didn't take a picture of the same sandwich... :)

 

 

This is the first sandwich, sans the onions for my son...

 

 

 

 

 

*I used provolone and swiss cheese slices, wheat and marble rye bread.

 



CHUCK n (riga)Toni in Vodka Sauce

Vodka Sauce
2 TBS EV Olive Oil
1 Cup chopped onion
1/2 Cup chopped carrot
1/2 Cup chopped celery
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 Cup vodka
1 - 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (plain or with basil)
1 - 29 ounce can tomato sauce
1 1/2 Cups beef broth
1 TBS chopped fresh basil
1 Cup heavy cream

In a large pot heat the extra virgin olive oil. Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery until tender, about 8 minutes (do not let burn). Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for one minute more. Carefully pour in the vodka (especially if cooking over an open flame!) and cook so it reduces by about half for 5 minutes. Add the canned crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and beef broth and let simmer for 45 to 50 minutes. After it has simmered, add the basil and let cook for a minute before adding the heavy cream. Bring the temp up to a simmering bubble before serving with your favorite pasta.
Makes about 8-9 cups of sauce.

Drunken Chuck n Toni in Vodka Sauce
1/2 recipe of Vodka Sauce
2 TBS EV Olive oil
2 - 3 pound chuck roast, sliced thinly
S & P
1 16 ounce box Rigatoni pasta, cooked and drained
Add the extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet. Heat to medium and brown the sliced chuck until no longer pink, season with the salt and pepper. Add the cooked beef and cooked pasta to the vodka sauce.

Drunken Chuck

Drunken Chuck n Toni

Shredded Taco Meat

1 - 4 to 5 pound chuck roast
1 tsp. taco seasoning (I make my own)
1 tsp. onion soup mix (I make my own)
Season both sides of the roast with the seasoning and onion mix, 1/2 tsp. per side of each. Grease the inside of a crock pot or spray with cooking spray and place the seasoned roast inside. Cook on low 6 - 8 hours. When cooked, remove roast from crock pot and shred with two forks. Serve on warm tortillas, hard taco shells, or make taquitos:
Heat about 1/2" of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Dip a corn tortilla in the hot oil, turn over about 3 seconds per side. Place on a plate or baking sheet covered with paper towels to drain and cool prior to handling. Do not discard the oil, leave heating to use to fry the taquitos.
For each corn tortilla, place about 2 TBS of the shredded meat toward the top of the tortilla and roll up. Place on a baking sheet until all are rolled up and ready to cook. With the seam side down, carefully place in the hot oil for a few seconds, turn and cook the other side for a few more seconds, remove to a paper towel lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat until all are cooked. Top with guacamole, sour cream and fresh Pico de Gallo.

Beef and Peppers

I've made this recipe many times over the years, it's a favorite at our house. Actually we used to call it "Pepper Steak", but since I used a beef arm roast for this recipe, "steak" just didn't seem appropriate. Feel free to use your favorite cut of meat and call it what you want! I hope you enjoy it too!

Beef and Peppers
Round steak, sirloin steak or beef roast
1 cup sliced onion
1 cup any color bell peppers, sliced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 packages brown gravy mix
2 cups water
2 cups Cooked rice

Heat a large skillet over medium high to high heat. Season the beef roast with salt and pepper and pan roast in 2 TBS olive or vegetable oil, (my roast was about 1 1/2 inches thick), sear each side for about 3 minutes per side and turn down heat to medium low, cover pan and continue to cook. If using steak, season and cut the meat into strips and pan fry until desired doneness. I pan roasted the meat for about an hour. Remove the roast from the skillet, when able to handle, slice it into thin strips. Add the onion, peppers and mushrooms to the skillet with the drippings, sauté until tender over medium heat.Sprinkle the gravy mixes over the veggies and stir until completely incorporated into the vegetables. Turn up the heat to medium high and add the water stirring to combine. Once the mixture is thick and bubbly, add the sliced beef. Continue to cook until beef has heated through. Now wasn't that easy!
Serve over cooked rice or noodles.  
 
 
 

Chuck roast cooked on the stove top

Chuck roast is typically a tough piece of meat and the best way to cook it is slow and long, like in the crock pot or covered in a low heat oven for 3 hours. I don't have that kind of time. I am a workin' gal and by the time I got off work, I gotta get a move on! Plus it's still hot out and who the hell wants to heat up the kitchen when it's already too hot!? Anyway, I've been cooking my roasts this way for years. The roast turns out juicy and tender. See what you think...

Chuck Roast on the stove top
1 - 2 to 5 pound chuck roast
Salt & Pepper
Dutch oven or other deep skillet with a lid
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

Liberally season all sides of the roast with the salt and pepper.

Heat the pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil.

When it's hot, add the roast. Brown each side until nice and brown, keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

When all sides are browned, turn the heat down to low and put a lid on it.

Let it pan roast for about 30 minutes, less if you like it rarer. Don't throw out the juices, this caramelized sauce (au jus) makes the BEST gravy EVER! Add a couple of cups of water, bring to a boil, add 1 to 2 TBS of corn starch to 1/4 cup of cold water and whisk into the au jus. Let cook for 1 minute until bubbly, reduce heat to low and serve over the roast. Season as needed.

Enjoy! We sure did!