Can someone tell me how to cook a joint of meat - every time I try it turns out dry and horrible.?

Question

I got a slow cooker cos I heard they were good - but how long do you cook joints for? I cant find a book that gives simple recipies when using them. It would save me a lot of time when I restart uni (I got two very hungry kids!)

Any advice would be gratefully received

Answer 1

Sounds as if you are over cooking it.

Answer 2

Marinate it first! Also, I'm not sure a slow cooker is the way to go. Also, I'm not sure what you mean by a "joint" of meat. Are you making a roast? Then perhaps I also don't know what you mean by a "slow cooker." We had a fad for crock pots years ago, and a pot roast in a crock pot can be very good. But to me, a joint implies something with a bone in it, and that would make it too large for a crock pot.

Maybe this is newer technology, or maybe some country other than US. England, perhaps?

Anyway, if you marinate beef or pork or even lamb for a few hours before you cook it, it will be more tender and juicy, whatever method you are using. I have put My Steve's terrific recipe for Beef Marinade on my 360 page; follow the links. He used it for lamb, too. For pork, I like to use apple juice with considerable fresh garlic pressed to a pulp and juice.

Answer 3

An awful lot depends on what meat you are using. Meat isn't just '"meat". There's a big difference between pork and lamb and beef. There's a big difference between rib of beef and brisket.
It sounds to me that you've been using a cheap cut, like brisket (it often comes from supermarkets in a kind of net with a layer of fat stuck to the top to try to give it some moisture). If that's the stuff you've got, take the fat off and put a little of it in a heavy pan with a lid. Melt the fat and use it to fry the meat (that's called searing) until the meat gets to a dark brown, meaty colour. Take the meat out of the pan. Peel and chop onions, carrots, turnip, celery into big chunks and fry them in the meat juices with a touch of garlic. They must be in big chunky lumps. Now lay the meat on top of the veg. If you have some wine handy pour a couple of good glugs over it. Otherwise, use water and stock cube.Put the lid on the pan and put it on a high heat until the wine starts to bubble, then turn the heat down and simmer for a couple of hours. The vegetables will give up a lot of juice, the meat will too and you can thicken the gravy with a spoonful of Bisto at the end.

Answer 4

generally, go for 20 mins per pound of meat and add about 20 mins onto that at the end. It differs for each type of meat and type of joint but that is a good basis. If you wrap it in tin foil it will stay more moist. Dont have oven heat higher than 160. Meat on the bone cooks faster as the bone heats up and cooks from the inside out too.

Chickens are good to cook if you get them from the butcher as you get much more meat for your money than supermarket ones and there is usually a couple of meals to be had from a large one (i have 4 boys to feed).


I know she is prob not very fashionable, but this sort of basic belts and braces cooking is Delia Smith's speciality so maybe go look in one of her books for further info or more specific cooking times and temps.

Good luck and happy eating

Answer 5

well for a start you need to sear it first for a couple of minutes each side

then in the slow cooker pot add water so it comes half way to the meat
add a sliced onion and an oxo cube and cook on low for 8 hours and it will be wonderfull!

that is for beef anyhow!


the reason why your meat is going dry is because you are not adding water in the dish or you are not basting the meat with the juices or even not useing tin foil

Answer 6

put the joint in yr slow cooker and add enough instant gravy to cover joint. put slow cooker on high for about 10 mins to seal your meat then turn down to auto or low and leave for at least 4 hours. u can leave it in as long as you want but as the gravy will diminish you may need to baste it with the gravy to prevent it going hard on the top if you leave it over 4 hours. (this is based on a medium sized joint..add more time for a large one) xxx

Answer 7

Loosely wrap the joint in cooking foil, this will keep moisture in,season with salt and pepper. Add Fresh herbs and maybe a glass of wine to keep the joint moist. I like to put whole garlic cloves in mine...no need to peel, gives a subtle taste.Take the foil off 40 Min's before you take it out so any fat can crisp.

Answer 8

I do my roast in casserole with stock onions and carrots any any other veg say like turnip chopped some salt and pepper and just slow cook for few hours the meat is tender and i serve the vegetables that cooked with it and either make gravy with stock or spoon some out with the meat.
With pork I make up chicken stock add onions and some apple sauce and slow cook that until pork is tender .

Answer 9

30 minutes for each pound, and then 30 minutes over. For example if the joint is 2 pounds you need to cover it for 1 hour 30 minutes. Then when it's cooked, take it out of the oven to let it rest, before you carve it.

Answer 10

In the oven cook meat for 20mins a pound,and 20mins more, in the slow cooker put it in the night before

Answer 11

do it in the oven wrapped in tin foil, and then place some boiling water in the bottem of the tray, this keeps the moisture going, when water runs out just top up again, if you make sure there is still water in the tray when joint is cooked, add this to the gravy, yummmmmm