How long to bake small red potatoes and baby carrots....

[Jerod Broussard]

I have 4 chuck roasts I just took out the Pit Barrel (I guess they are about medium with a great bark). Going to low and slow all night to allow them to make a good gravy with onions and bell peppers. Preacher in town.

How long should cook the potatoes and carrots that I add in with the roasts? I don't want them to sit in all that and turn to mush overnight. We usually don't care, but cooking for other folks, I like things to be more optimal.

[Huskee]

Since no one else has offered advice I'll jump in and say I've never timed them in this manner. I've just added them on an all day crock pot cook, and eaten them when it was dinner time. They seem to hold up well, for my tastes anyway. Carrots turn to mush but I accept that as part of that method I guess. If you like them more firm I would just delay adding them.

I'm sure Strat50, Ernest, Karon Adams and smarkley would have some more precise tips to learn both of us.

[Karon Adams]

I don't really have a lot to add to what has been said. a waxy pot can sit there for a LONG time before you lose cohesion, and all that time it is taking up flavor. the carrots are different, they will eventually go mush if cooked for a very long time. When doing something like corned beef, which we cook in a braise style in the slow cooker we don't put the veggies in ATALL. we wait until just before meal time. we take the veggie, raw, in a pot, dip out enough cooking juice to equal about a half inch in the pot (you're going to steam so keep it below the bottom level of the steamer) put in a steamer basket, drop in your veggies. I also take a chunk of the fat from the meat and put that on top of some of the veggies. and steams. all your cook flavors are infused into you veggies and your veggies are perfectly down when you want to eat in stead of controlling when you will eat.

[Jerod Broussard]

Thanks. I think I might add them about 5 hours before consuming.

[Ernest]

5 hours will be too long. What's the temp on the PBC?
You could always fish em out.
Red do well in braise but that's too long.

[Dewesq55]

Potatoes only need to cook about an hour if they are whole. Less if cut up. About the same for carrots.

[Strat50]

How long you cook these pots and carrots will depend on the cooking temp. If left whole, and the carrots are large chunks(recommended) try this. 350 for about an hour. 325 for an hour and a half. 300 for 2 hours. As you mentioned using red potatoes which are "waxy," they stand up to long cooks much better than russets would. If your meat is cooked the way you like, but the pots and carrots aren't, remove the meat and hold while you finish the veggies with a hotter method. My favorite way of doing this type of cook is to roast the veggies away from the meat, then, when they are cooked, combine and simmer with some of the drippings or stock. This way, everything will hold up well in a long cook. Even if the veggies are done early, just put 'em in the fridge till your ready to cook them the rest of the way. This will soften the crust you made on the skin(s) and release more flavor too. I hope this helps.

[Karon Adams]

The waxy pots are also FABULOUS in potato salad. Sam's has THE best potatoes for potato salad I have ever used. My mom & grandmother's potato salad is the great family secret recipe. no one we know who has tried has been able to duplicate it and it is ALWAYS a hit at every covered dish gathering. sometimes I think we are invited, not for ourselves but for our potato salad! The ones Sam's had were Yukon Gold or something like that. they were red on the outside and golden on the inside. the texture was the familiar red potato waxy smooth texture but with that beautiful color and a flavor to match, they are truly special. we have taken to keeping a bag on hand most of the time so we can make up potato salad whenever we like.

The russet style are still best for baking and for potato chips and fries but these reds are waxy. so they can take high temps and remain in a larger piece without breaking up. they'll do in soups & stews, anything wet or water based, where a russet would just dissolve. they are also very good at taking heat, then cooling for other applications, like potato salad.


That, and a few other family recipes are the reason I started thinking about doing cooking videos. both my girls live out of state, moved for college and decided to stay. we stay in contact via computers. I'm gathering my recipes and techniques to put online. originally for their use but I decided to put several on video for my girls and anyone else who wants them. There are many places to copy your recipes into personal recipe boxes. I encourage everyone to do this and give usernames and passwords to family members. This can preserve memories, recipes and allow family members to access the recipes at 3AM if needed without waking you!

[Strat50]

We use reds for pot salad at work. At home, I'm kind of partial to Yukon Gold too, as I love the texture and deep flavor. Yukons also make the best mashed pots in history, for my palate at least. The one's that are yellow fleshed with red skins are Bentjie type.These are killer too. We grow these quite a bit along with Yukons. In our climate, the Yukons bear well while the Bentjie doesn't yield as well. They are well worth the effort and space in our garden.
I would love to see you do some vids, as would many here. For my own brood, they just call in the middle of their cook if they need help, usually when I'm on the line and it's the dinner rush. lol

[Jerod Broussard]

Thanks guys. I got a better idea of what to do.

[DWCowles]

Well where is the pics of the chucks and taters?

[Jerod Broussard]

Sorry, cooking for other folks and in a rush to get it to the school in the warming oven in b/n services. Then back to cook the rice and bring that. Twasn't around when any of it was being consumed. Didn't even get to eat ours. It got ate while I was gone.

I tell ya, those chucks in the Pit Barrel looked like some big ol' ribeyes. I got them plenty dark, then took them to the oven for gravy and onion and bell pepper time.

[DWCowles]

Jerod Broussard How did the taters and carrots turn out

[Mitrakas]

I have done some really long (6+ hours) braises in the oven for bone in leg of lamb and add the potatoes, carrots, onioins, fennel, all the veggies for the entire cook, and the veggies cook perfectly and don't blow up. i think the reason is that the cooking temp of the braise is around 250-275 degrees. if you keep that temp low enough they cook slowly and hold their shape.

[Potkettleblack]

Man, you could have done the SV carrots like before, with a sugar in there to glaze em. Then waxy pots in with the chuck, and candy carrots over the top while plating for textural and flavor contrast and presentation.

But in JB I trust. It's gonna be good.

[Jerod Broussard]

Didn't have the Anova at the time.

[Potkettleblack]

Dammit. I fell for the thread necro again.