Monday, July 16, 2007

Frugal Food: Roasts!

Seriously, you guys, I'm never buying roast beef from a deli counter again.

I made a roast last night! Roast beef from a deli counter or pre-packaged costs what, six bucks a pound? Roasting your own costs maybe half that. Last night, I bought a 4.1-lb. rump roast for less than $13, and after getting it home and doing a little internets research, discovered that although it sounds intimidating, cooking a roast is really, really easy. If you're not going to get fancy with rubs and marinades (which I wasn't about to), it goes like this: take roast out of packaging, whomp in baking pan fat side up (so it self-bastes), stud with garlic slivers, rub with olive oil and salt, stick in oven. Three hours or so of idleness later, you're done! The only downside is that you don't get thin, even slices off a roast unless you're a really brilliant carver, which I'm not. Still, I think the savings is worth it.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

It probably tastes better too!

English Major said...

It does! I couldn't say before, because I hadn't had lunch, but now I can!

gaga said...

Do you have a Farmer's Market close to you? In the grocery store a tiny bottle of stale spice costs an arm and a leg (like$4.00 US for some thyme). IN a FM you can get fresh - 8 times as much - for about 41 cents. When you have access to cheap spices like this I swear you will start rubbing youself in EVOO and rubbing them all over your body just to sit in the same room as the stove. Rosemary is so good with lamb as is oregano and basil. Thyme, basil and oregano with pork. Beer with beef. So good!

Anonymous said...

you could get one of those fancy deli cutting machines and have your own home deli...

just kidding =)

thisisbeth said...

My parents have a meat slicer; it wasn't all that expensive, but if you prefer thin slices, it might be something you consider investing in--with the money you save making your own roast, it could easily pay for itself. If you prefer thicker slices, then you'll get better with practice. :)

Anonymous said...

You should consider getting a slow cooker if you don't have one. A pot roast made in a slow cooker tastes amazing.

-Russ

Anonymous said...

My boyfriend (the meat eater does this!) He also precooks chicken slices to use for lunch sandwiches. This has the double benefit of us eating the same dinner together (i'm a vegematarian) and him getting to eat meat on a regular basis.

calgirlfinance said...

I love roasts! They're so easy to make. I often just rub salt and pepper on them.

Anonymous said...

Along with better taste, convenience, saving, I've also found that the slow cooking thing really ratchets up my creativity. Meat by itself doesn't have a lot of flavor, but with different spices, rubs, marinades, and other stuff, the same cut of meat has myriad possibilities.

You have inspired me for dinner tonight. Great post!