Epic Fail: Pat's Roast Beef Sandwiches

I said that I love to cook, but I never claimed to actually be good at it.  If you want to remove this blog from your google reader this very moment, I won't hold it against you.  :)


It doesn't happen that often...I would say once a month or so...but occasionally I strike out.  Tonight's failure was especially bad because I have made this recipe at least a dozen times that it turned out perfectly.  The goal is a virtually prep-free, melt-in-your-mouth, delicious Italian roast beef sandwich.  But tonight I wound up with a tough hunk of roast and mushy veggies.  I wound up putting mayo on our rolls, thinly slicing up the (tough) meat, and telling Nick to "think of it as a steak sandwich."  He loved it.  I told you he was the perfect test audience.  :)


I think the problem was my slow cooker.  It's new, and this was the first meal I cooked in it.  (I left my old trusty crock pot -- with the broken handle from a party where I brought cheese dip -- in the USA because it can't handle the 220 European voltage.)  I used low heat when I probably should have used high.  This new guy is on my list until I figure out how to cook with him.


The problem could also have been the cut of beef.  My instructions from Joe (Pat's dad) were to use "the cheapest roast you can find."  I did that.  I bought a 3-pound round roast for $5.  I trimmed it of any visible fat and stuck it in the pot.  But for future references, the best cuts of beef for a slow cooker recipe are from the chuck: anything that says shank, shoulder, round, or rump should do the trick.


Oh yeah.  You're probably wondering (if you don't know them already) who Joe and Pat are.  Pat is the friend Nick and I share.  Pat was Nick's fraternity brother, roommate, and groomsman.  Pat was also my study-abroad companion and second-favorite male at our university (Nick was, and is, #1).  During our first year of marriage, Pat lived in the apartment across the hall from us.  We saw him at least three nights a week, and we loved every minute of it.  During that time, he invited us over for dinner one night and served us these amazing sandwiches.  Since we left Tulsa, Pat has come to visit us twice in Maryland and once in England.  Pat hasn't been to Germany (yet) because until May he was busy getting his Master's degree at Penn.  Pat is the best friend you could ever ask for.  We love him dearly.

PAT'S ROAST BEEF SANDWICHES

• 1 very cheap 3-pound roast
• 1 package Italian dressing mix
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 onions, sliced into strips
• 2 green peppers, sliced into strips
• hamburger buns
• mayo

Trim roast of any visible fat.  Place roast a crock pot, cover with water and Italian seasoning.  Turn heat to high and simmer for at least 8 hours before serving.  About 1 hour before you serve, add onions and peppers to liquid.  Minutes before serving, use two forks to shred beef into "pulled pork" consistency.  Top each hamburger bun with a heaping pile of beef, onions, peppers, and a dollop of mayo.  Let the juice run down your chin as you eat.  :)

Whose idea was it to add photos to this blog??  Mine??  Noooo....