Sunday Roast Beef

While growing up, my family had multitudinous great meals of every imaginable culture and taste. None were ever better though than what my mother put in the oven before heading off to Sunday school and church. The Sunday Roast of chuck roast, carrots and potatoes was always marvelous!

Earlier this week I saw in a Safeway ad that the store had Chuck Roast for $2.99 per pound and with their card it was only $1.99. I also had not yet used my new Lodge deep 12” Dutch oven. I saw the possibilities and headed for the store!

I browned both sides of the roast in the Dutch oven, salt and peppered the meat, sprinkled a package of Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix over the meat, added a couple cups of water, put on the lid and pushed the oven into the oven. After three hours the roast was done, but not tender. I let it cool and about 10:00 p.m. set the oven in a snow bank by my back door for the night, being certain it was cool enough not to crack and shatter.

The next afternoon after substitute teaching I brought it in and spooned off the grease that had solidified on top of the broth.

I added carrots and potatoes with some Lowry's seasoned salt, a little tomato paste and a tablespoon of sugar.

I made the degreased stock into gravy with a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in water and a heaping teaspoon of “Better Than Bullion.” 

Have you tried this product? It is really delicious; much better than Marmite, Kitchen Bouquet, or any combination of Worchester sauce, soy sauce, A1, etc.

I assure you that the roast is all the better served with what my dad called “Chili Sauce.” The back of dad's recipe card says Emma Foote. She was born in 1901 and was a first cousin of my paternal grandmother.

I generally grow the vegetables needed for for salsa and this recipe. That is about it for my gardening. When I have fresh tomatoes I make the recipe as the card says, but I’m not afraid to make a batch with canned diced tomatoes.

Chili Sauce

Recipe furnished by DutchOvenRanch.com

18 tomatoes, large diced, skins removed

2 cups of sugar

1 cup vinegar

2 onions, large diced

6 green peppers, diced

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp allspice

2 T salt

1 T powdered cloves

1 green pepper, diced

Wash the tomatoes and dip each into boiling water for a few seconds and the skins will be easy to peel. Boil down the tomatoes and onions. Cool a bit and then add vinegar, sugar, peppers and spices

Cook all ingredients on medium heat until well mixed and the vegetables have broken down. Stir often so not to burn.

I often can this in pint jars as gifts or quart jars using a water bath. Be sure to follow proper canning procedures. If you don’t can the sauce, it should be fine in the refrigerator for several weeks if you make only a small batch.