[Sca-cooks] Chuck vs Bottom Round

[Barbara Benson]

Thanks Everyone!

Y'all are making me fell much better about buying the round.

>  Cubes or multi-serving, roast-like chunks?

I am cooking in 4 lb roasts (just like the recipe says). It is a beef
roast recipe translated from Scapp by Helewyse. Here is my
interpretation of the recipe:

Single Recipe, serves 12:
4 lbs	Chuck Roast
2 t	Salt
2 t	Fennel, Ground
1 t	Pepper, Ground
1 clove	Garlic, Chopped
1 stick	Rosemary
3	Onions, Sliced
3/4 C	Grape Juice
2 T	Vinegar, Red Wine

Rub roast with chopped garlic and then also with combination of salt,
pepper and fennel. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and allow to sit a
minimum of 4 hours. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice
onions thickly and place in the bottom of a roasting pan, combine
grape juice and vinegar and pour over onions. Insert stick of rosemary
into roast and place roast on onions. Cover tightly in foil and cook
for 2 – 2 1/2 hours. Reduce sauce for service, seasoning to taste.

I made it at my parents house and it was tasty. Then I packed it up
and brought it back to my house and it sat in the fridge for several
days until my husband got home. I skimmed the congealed fat off of the
top and reheated it for an hour in a 300 degree oven, then reduced the
sauce.

It was even more delicious after sitting. When we ate it fresh out of
the oven the fennel flavor dominated everything, but after sitting all
of the flavors melded together and it was just tasty. I plan on
serving it with sops because the onion and juice sauce is really
yummy.

I plan on cooking it when we get to the site on Friday Evening and
then reheating it before service on Saturday.

Should I add more liquid to make sure that the round doesn't dry out?
After what Master A said about connective tissue I am thinking I
should keep the chuck, possibly cook it separately, but then combine
all of the juices so that the juice has a more unctuous mouth feel.

I was planning on serving it to the tables as big chunks because that
will maintain temp better, and it looks cooler. The long cooking
method should make it tender enough that carving is not a problem. Or
possibly I will have the servers carve it at the table.

With the above cooking method, is there anything I should watch out
for or that will make a big difference using round?

Thanks again, this feast is coming on really fast!

--
Serena