Mark's mom's magical vegetarian-curing pot roast
It's a legend in my family. It's the sweet & sour pot roast that cured my cousin Rob of years of vegetarianism, thanks to its irresistible aroma, not to mention skip-the-knife tenderness and mouthwatering taste. It's also a staggeringly simple recipe.
Large beef brisket
Large white onion, sliced
1 cup tomato ketchup
1 can Campbell's condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste.
Place the brisket in your Crock-Pot and add the other ingredients on top. You can trim away excess fat from the brisket, but don't take it all away. Don't mix the condensed soup with water; just put it in the crock out of the can.
Set your Crock-Pot on low and cook for several hours. You can turn the brisket once or twice to mix up the ingredients a little.
About an hour before dinnertime, remove the brisket to a cutting board, stir the remaining contents of the Crock-Pot, and add chunks of potatoes. Slice the beef across the grain of the meat and return it to the crock. (It may fall apart rather than slice tidily. Worse things can happen.) If you will be getting home right before dinnertime, you can cook the potatoes in boiling water or in the microwave and just add them to the sauce for the last few minutes, and you can get away with leaving the sliced roast in the sauce for just a few minutes, too, but it will be better if the potatoes and beef get to absorb the sauce for a bit.
Serve with roasted broccoli, crusty bread, and a glass of red wine.
If you have trouble finding brisket, ask your butcher. It's very common and readily available in some areas, and less so in others. You can also make this with other cuts of meat, but don't go for anything too fancy or lean. Stew cubes also work, but the result certainly looks different.
Large beef brisket
Large white onion, sliced
1 cup tomato ketchup
1 can Campbell's condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste.
Place the brisket in your Crock-Pot and add the other ingredients on top. You can trim away excess fat from the brisket, but don't take it all away. Don't mix the condensed soup with water; just put it in the crock out of the can.
Set your Crock-Pot on low and cook for several hours. You can turn the brisket once or twice to mix up the ingredients a little.
About an hour before dinnertime, remove the brisket to a cutting board, stir the remaining contents of the Crock-Pot, and add chunks of potatoes. Slice the beef across the grain of the meat and return it to the crock. (It may fall apart rather than slice tidily. Worse things can happen.) If you will be getting home right before dinnertime, you can cook the potatoes in boiling water or in the microwave and just add them to the sauce for the last few minutes, and you can get away with leaving the sliced roast in the sauce for just a few minutes, too, but it will be better if the potatoes and beef get to absorb the sauce for a bit.
Serve with roasted broccoli, crusty bread, and a glass of red wine.
If you have trouble finding brisket, ask your butcher. It's very common and readily available in some areas, and less so in others. You can also make this with other cuts of meat, but don't go for anything too fancy or lean. Stew cubes also work, but the result certainly looks different.