Hello everyone! New poster, so I hope it’s okay to ask for advice here.
My grandma makes the most AMAZING slow roasted carrots, so when she asked if I had any special requests for Thanksgiving, of course I asked for her carrots. It slipped my mind that she has only made carrots with beef pot roasts before, so she said I’d have to help her make them since we’re having turkey. No problem! But I’d like a little advice from anyone who may have cooked carrots like this before or just have more cooking expertise.
She usually adds the carrots into the same pot with the pot roast toward the end of cooking, when there’s sufficient beef broth/juices in the pot for the carrots to soak in. I plan to ask her specifically what spices she uses as well, but my main question is how to reproduce this cooking method on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. We won’t have space in the oven due to the Turkey. My thought was to buy beef broth or use beef bouillon cubes with water, plus salt and pepper to taste, and any seasonings she normally uses.
I know that no matter what I do, it won’t be exactly the same, but I’m trying to get as close as possible with the circumstances. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!!
am not sure why you want beefy carrots with turkey?
are you making gravy? will you have any stock or drippings ahead of when the turkey is finishing? do you have chicken stock on-hand to use?
if it must be beef then you will need both stock and drippings as well.
you can use those for roasting the carrots, slowly, ahead, and then just reheat or run under the broiler while the turkey is resting. don't bother with a slow-cooker.
If tender, beefy carrots that are not mushy is the goal, it should be easy. Start with beef broth and your chosen seasonings. Put 3 cups of broth and seasonings in a skillet and bring to a boil. Add a pound to a pound and a half of carrots in a single layer and cover the carrots with a drop lid, cartouche, or otoshibuta. Cover the skillet with a lid (leave the drop lid/cartouche/otoshibuta in place). Turn off the heat and let the skillet stand for 20 minutes. Remove the lid (still keeping the drop lid in place) and turn the heat to high. Bring to a simmer, and reduce the heat to maintain the simmer for 45 minutes or until almost all the water has evaporated. Add a tablespoon of butter and stir gently to coat the carrots.
You would think that such a long cooking time would leave you with a beefy orange mush, but the long braise at low temperature converts pectins in the carrots to be more heat stable, so they'll cook through but not be mushy.
ETA - Credit where credit is due: I stole this cooking method from Cook's Illustrated, Jan/Feb 2015.
Maybe try this recipe with beef stock instead of chicken broth: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/b....
It's made in the oven, but you can make them a day earlier and they'll be fine.
You can make a cheat beef stock at home by sautéing onions, celery, carrots and garlic, then adding some ground beef, and then several cups of water once the beef is well-browned. Cook for about half an hour, then, when the water looks rich and brown, strain out the solids (you can use them later for chili or taco filling or pasta sauce), and use the liquid as your broth. If your grandmother uses tomato in her pot roast, chop some tomatoes up into the ground beef before adding the water (or add a bit of mild jarred salsa, which will have a deeper, slower-cooked flavor). You'll want to make this a few days before the carrots, so you can chill it and take the fat off the top.
You could also just put whole carrots, some onions and whole cloves of garlic under the rack in the roasting pan when you make the turkey. They won't be braised quite like the pot roast carrots, but they'll be delicious.
As Ninrn mentioned, put the carrots in the roasting pan with the turkey.
I don't love cooked carrots but Marcella Hazan's braised dish is out-of-this-world. You could make them a day or two before, then gently reheat in a skillet for serving. You'll have to scroll for the recipe.
http://www.seasonalchef.com/roots.htm...
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