really tender pot roast for radiation patient
My stepfather is two months past having major surgery for cancer, and now he's having radiation done on his lung stem. So he feels rotten, his tastebuds are nearly all killed from the day long dose of surgery anesthesia, and now his throat is starting to hurt from the highly targeted radiation. He's lost 9 pounds in a week. And suddenly, he has a craving for pot roast!!! This is his first major craving since surgery and unfortunately, it's starting to get difficult for him to eat. I'm going to visit he and my mother in their temporary housing, and my mother requested a REALLY tender pot roast for him.
Help me make this lovely man a meltingly tender pot roast, please. I'd really, really appreciate your tips.
Vetter
Feb 04, 2008 03:11PM
do you have a pressure cooker? the tenderest stuff I ever ate was cooked in a pressure cooker. They are not too hard to use and you can get a serviceable inexpensive one fairly easily from a department or hardware store.
Permalink | Reply
This is exactly what I was going to suggest. There are pricy ones out there, and while I'm sure they're great, I bought a 6 qt stainless steel Presto for around 40. Just did a sirloin tip roast in it yesterday and it was tender, tender, tender.
Good of you to do it, they will both appreciate it so much!
Permalink | Reply
When cooking beef in a pressure cooker, let the pressure drop gradually. Lorna Sass claims a fast pressure release can toughen the fibers.
But I think you can get just as tender pot roast by a conventional braise. To get the meat tender choose it with care. Alton Brown recommends the 7-bone part of the chuck roast. Different parts of the chuck roast have different textures. One portion is sometimes separated out and sold as the flatiron steak. If you can identify this in the pot roast, reserve it for the special guest. And remember to cut the meat across the grain. Long cooking separates the meat fibers, but long fibers can still be chewy.
Speaking of Alton, his foil wrapped version of pot roast works quite well.
For flavoring I'd lean toward something sweet with just a bit of tartness (tomato or balsamic vinegar). Raisins and prunes are a good source of sweetness for pot roast.
paulj
Permalink | Reply
Count me in, in the pressure cooker camp. You might even consider using beef short ribs. The extra fat would not hurt him and it might make it easier to swallow. Once you go to pressure cookers there is no turning back to slow cookers.
Permalink | Reply
I'm really sorry for you and your SF. I'm not sure you can do a real, albeit tender pot roast. You may have to pressure cook (as cb says) or crock pot. And you may have to cube the meat so that the fibers won't be too long if the cooking technique results in breaking down the meat structure.
Permalink | Reply
I think all these are wonderful suggestions. My mom had cancer last year and I cooked for her like crazy. So I thought I'd pass on a protein-packed dessert to try after your delicious roast (hope you don't mind the unsolicited recommendation!). It's called Moo-less Chocolate pie and is from Alton Brown. Here's the link:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/my_re...
I know tofu pie sounds gross, but you have to try it-- it really is yummy, cool and smooth, and very, very chocolaty. I just made some for my best friend's father-in-law who is going through chemo-- he was skeptical but ended up loving it. It would also go down easy. I hope you all have a wonderful meal and that the rest of his treatment goes well.
Permalink | Reply
i would suggest a crock pot. i have cooked roasts which fairly disintegrate when broken into with a spoon in the crock pot. havent tried pressure cooking yet, but why would i when the crock pot delivers each time. i would give it a try and keep the seasoning fairly mild, since he may not appreciate stronger tastes. better to add seasoning as needed like 'mix ins'. my cousin had oral cancer and does mix ins in his food now. so we keep all meals for him mild since he cannot tolerate spice or strong seasonings. best of luck !
Permalink | Reply
I always have the best results from long, slow cooking. 8-10 hours on low in the crock pot, braising liquid of your choice---can't go wrong. Plus, it's an easy transport/reheat for temp housing. Just plug it in and you're ready to go....
Permalink | Reply
I would just say, to perhaps go easy on any acidic component, since his mouth may be a bit sore from mucositis related to radiation.
I would also put in lots of potatoes, carrots, onions, etc and let those get meltingly tender too.. so even if the meat is a little difficult for him, he can enjoy the rich meaty-flavored veggies.
Permalink | Reply
My stepdad had cancer at the base of his tongue and had chemo and targeted radiation. He got mucositis so severe that they ended up putting in a NG tube in order for him to get nutrition because he could no longer swallow even water without severe pain. He lost a total of 35 pounds in 7 weeks. He had to feed himself through a syringe with liquid nutrition from his nose to his stomach. Luckily he is cancer free today.
If it is starting to hurt when he eats, I would make the pot roast but only serve the broth to him, chilled. Unfortunately no matter how tender the pot roast is, it will still hurt too much to swallow it. Sadly, I only know this from personal experience. My mom would make all these yummy creamy, full of calorie soups, but he couldn't eat any of it. Promise him you'll make him the pot roast as soon as he is done with radiation. I wish you the best.
Permalink | Reply
I'm afraid I would have to agree that it may be hard for him to enjoy the meat, and maybe not even the broth. But the broth will be the best bet, and it may help float down a few small pieces of meat and veg. But you never know, sometimes when I had lost my sense of taste and had mouth sores, every once in a while I could enjoy eating small amounts of something, and I never easily predicted what that would be.
The important thing: He has a craving for something. It's a start! Desire is the first step to enjoyment. And anything made with love is going to help at least some. It is going to mean a lot to him, so don't worry about how it will turn out. Just make it, and he'll know you care, even if he can't eat it with full gusto. Best wishes in your family's fight, I'll be rooting for him and your whole family. May days of simple but wonderful family meals, where everyone is eating and enjoying, be just around the corner for all of you.
Permalink | Reply
Remember that although the meat might be "meltingly tender" it may still be dry if you overcook it. Meat will dry out even when braised in liquid, as the cooking forces moisture out of the cells. Think about how the braising liquid picks up flavor -- from the liquid in the meat.
So make sure you cut against the grain and cut the meat into small pieces.
Permalink | Reply
That dryness is more of a problem with a lean cut like bottom round, and much less so with chuck. Shank is even better.
paulj
Permalink | Reply
Dryness is a problem in ANY cut of meat that is cooked for too long. That's all I am saying.
People think longer cooking time will make something more "tender," which is true because it's basically disintegrating, but it will also make it drier.
Some cuts, like bottom round, dry out faster, but at some point any meat gets dry when overcooked.
Permalink | Reply
That is not true... most European style pot roasts end up dry because they use wine based broths... in the Mexican versions you use simple Moles / Calidillos that have some magically strange alchemy that turn out extremely moist pieces of meat... no matter how long they are cooked. One of the juiciest pieces of meat I have ever eaten was a 12+ hour Pit Roasted Lamb (Barbacoa) in the town of Texcoco.
Permalink | Reply
Sorry, but it is true.
Overcooking dries out meat.
Permalink | Reply
Sure overcooking dries out meat... but in the right environment... meat can be cooked long enough to fall apart just by staring at it too intensely. With I am saying is the people who are used to cooking with Euro techniques have the wrong impression because they work with wine based broths that tend to really dry out meat (for some biochemical reason which I don't comprehend).
Permalink | Reply
Yes for sure wine dries it out.
But pot roast is one thing that people tend to cook to death in an effort to make it "tender." They end up making it tender but dry, because they braise it for too long.
Permalink | Reply
Well try the Mexican method... its fairly forgiving.
Permalink | Reply
Asados are the Mexican/Spanish version of Pot Roast... and are always spoon tender... and as a matter of fact I am cooking one as we speak. I will post a full recipe later today... but basically... you make a Tomato and/or Chile based caldillo (today's version is Tomato & Anchos which aren't very spicy)...
> Blacken Tomatoes & Garlic
> Toast Anchos & hydrate in luke warm water for 30 mintues
> Puree in a blender with herbs & spices (today its Mexican Oregano, Black Pepper, Allspice, Cumin, Coconut Vinegar, Concentrated Beef Broth).... add water, salt as needed to blend.
> Sear with a tbs of oil or lard for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens and changes color
> Sear a Flank steak or Chuck Roast... add the caldillo, chopped carrots & celery, whole onions, bring to a boil, then reduce flame & simmer
> After 60 minutes begin adding other vegetables to desired doneness... i will add Nopal pads & Green Beans... wait 30 minutes than add other veggies for about 10 to 15 minutes.
> Remove the Flank, let it rest then cut it WITH the grain into strips then for your stepfather (or my baby)... cut into chunks ACROSS the grain... you will be able smash it into paste with the back of a spoon (its so tender)
I promise the taste will be fantastic... and it will be tender enough. However... for even more tender results use Oxtails instead of flank or chuck.
Permalink | Reply
One of my friends underwent radiation treatment, he didn't eat for months, he was fed through a tube, and for years he was not able to eat any spicy foods. One of his cravings in the hospital was pizza and beer, I brought it to him, he took a sip of the beer and took a bite of the pizza and spit it out.
I would cook a very mild (no spices) pot roast and puree some of it, bring both whole and puree to him. Depending on how much radiation he has had, his mucus membranes may be raw, my friend didn't even want water.
Permalink | Reply
May I suggest making BEEF TONGUE. Cook it over three hours, maybe four. Then you can peel it and trim it and cut it into pieces if you need to disguise it's origins, and you can put in in a pot roast gravy--- it will taste just like extremely tender pot roast.
Permalink | Reply
I had radiation 3 years ago for cancer (fine now). I, too, loved pot roast with gravy. I use a chuck roast, Swanson beef broth, sliced onions and McCormick's Instant Meat Marinade for cooking the roast. The meat marinade calls for a little vinegar that I routinely increase to 1/4 cup. Brown the roast in a Dutch oven. Then add the broth, onions and Marinade. Cover and place in a preheated 325 degree oven. According to CI, a pot roast will be meltingly tender if you cook the roast for an additional hour after the temperature of the roast reaches 180 degrees. During the last hour of cooking, I add carrots and cubed potatoes.
I make a milk gravy with the pan juices, butter, flour and milk. This gravy is really tasty and good on plain white bread. It is easy on the throat. Potatoes and carrots can be mashed and covered with the gravy also.
Best wishes to you and your stepfather and good luck with your pot roast.
Pam
Permalink | Reply
Thank you all SO MUCH. I truly appreciate you taking the time to help me. I'll be sure to aim for low-acidity, great broth, proper carving, and I found a really nice piece of meat today. And if nothing else, I know that other people got through this. That helps too.
Permalink | Reply
GOOD LUCK!!!!!
Permalink | Reply