The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Thinking Out Loud
by Natalie (Dowell) Schmitt
mnschmitt@jetup.net
FREEZER SPACE
Here is a silly question. Can you have too many freezers?
On a livestock farm, the answer is simple. No.
That was a question asked around the table at lunch with friends the other day. We all had multiple freezers ranging from two to five. I have four.
One friend said they give a freezer and meat as a wedding present to the children. What a great idea. Something they can use every day. I love practical gifts.
Now that I have cooked up the Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas ham, I have found more room in my freezer. I am finding cuts of venison and beef buried on the bottom. I love to cook up big roasts for a couple of meals and for leftovers. If I cannot find a roast, I will use a couple of packages of older, tougher steaks instead.
The crock pot and Dutch oven are my favorite ways to cook up these tougher cuts of meat. I have made a few observations about cooking dairy beef. Because it lacks marbling, the meat needs to cook slow and low.
Here are a couple of my favorite recipes for beef and pork roasts as well as JoAnn’s recipe for venison and hamburger burritos. Enjoy.
Burgundy Beef
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms, or canned drained mushrooms, 1/2 pound baby carrots, 1 medium green pepper, julienned, 1 boneless beef roast (2 1/2 pounds) or deboned steaks, 1 can condensed mushroom soup, undiluted, 1/4 cup Burgundy wine or any other red wine or beef broth, 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 envelope onion soup mix, 1/4 tsp. pepper, 2 to 3 Tbsp. cornstarch, 2 Tbsp. cold water, cooked wide egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine mushrooms, carrots and green pepper; place roast on top. In a large bowl, combine the soup, wine or broth, Worcestershire sauce, soup mix and pepper; pour over roast.
Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours for solid roast or less if using steak cuts. Transfer roast and vegetables to a serving platter; keep warm. Strain cooking juices and skim fat; place in a large saucepan.
Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into cooking juices.
Bring to a boil; cook and stir for two minutes or until thickened.
Serve gravy with beef, vegetables and noodles.
Roast Pork with Sweet Potatoes
5-pound pork loin or roast, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices, 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices, 1/3 cup light brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1 Tbsp. flour, 1/2 cup cranberry-apple juice, 1 cup beef broth.
Rub meat with salt and pepper. Place in a Dutch oven and cover.
Roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes per pound or until meat thermometer reaches 170 degrees. After about an hour, add sweet potatoes and white potatoes slices around the roast.
Mix brown sugar and spices and sprinkle over the potatoes. Pour juice over roast and potatoes; cover. Finish baking until meat is done and potatoes are soft.
Remove meat and potatoes from pan and place on platter. Keep warm. Pour juices in saucepan. Add flour to drippings. Cook over low heat for two minutes stirring constantly. Add beef broth. Cook until thickened.
Venison & Beef Burritos
Brown 2 pounds of hamburger. I use half venison ground burger. Add: 3 cups water, 1 pkg. taco seasoning, 1 pkg. pork gravy, 1 can black beans, 1 can refried beans. Cook until thickened a bit. Drain the gravy off from the meat mixture and set it aside.
Put desired amount of meat in a tortilla along with desired amount of cheddar cheese. Wrap up burritos and place in a baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees until hot (about 30 minutes).
You can top burritos with gravy, cheese, lettuce, chopped tomato, salsa, sour cream, etc. or you can keep it simple and wrap the burrito in aluminum foil and have it to go.