Hi.. Two nights ago my husband made bottom round roast medium rare.. He wants to know if braised will it soften and fall apart like pulled pork or short ribs?

5 Comments

mejesster December 5, 2010
Bottom round doesn't have enough connective tissue or fat for it to make a good cut for braising. It will sort of fall apart if cooked for long enough, but it's not ideal.
 
hardlikearmour December 5, 2010
For the meat to fall apart the collagen needs to dissolve. In order to dissolve the collagen the meat needs to have an internal temperature of about 200 F for about an hour. Braising will keep it from drying out.
 
amysarah December 4, 2010
Oops, forgot the tomatoes in the Stracotto I described above. Gotta have the tomatoes.
 
amysarah December 4, 2010
Timing depends on size of piece of meat you're braising - two hours may yield a pot roast, i.e., still intact enough to cut into slices; braised longer, it will fall apart. I usually use brisket for Grandma's pot roast, but chuck or round for stracotto, the Italian version - braised with red wine, beef broth, garlic, fresh rosemary and sometimes porcini. Cooked until it falls apart, served over polenta or papardelle - seriously one of my favorite things to eat.
 
nutcakes December 4, 2010
Yes it will. Use any combination of beef broth, wine, tomatoes as your braising liquid. Low and slow heat, covered, for a couple of hours.
 
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