Pot Roast and Gravy for 8 people

Pot Roast                                                           Time: 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

• Chuck roast 2 1/2 - 4 1/2  lbs ( a large bone or lots of fat requires the high side of the range)
• Flour 1/2 cup
• Salt 1/2 teaspoon
• Pepper 1/8 teaspoon
• Shortening 3 Tablespoons
• Carrots 8 medium
• Onions 8 small
• Potatoes 8 medium
• Water 2+ cups

1. Place shortening in Dutch Oven and place over coals to heat

2. Mix flour, salt, and pepper together in a bag or bowl.  Place meat in flour mixture.

3. Press flour mixture into meat.  Use your hands.

4.  When Dutch oven is hot, put meat in and brown thouroughly to seal juices in.  This should be a hard dark brown.

4. When the meat is browned, place a rack in the oven, place the meat on the rack and then WITH UTMOST CAUTION, pour 2 cups of water into the oven.  (THE WATER WILL CAUSE THE GREASE TO SPLATTER POSSIBLY CAUSING BURNS.  Add water fast along side of pan and use the lid as a shield to protect your face)

5. Put the lid on and put oven over fire to heat liquid.  As soon as the liquid starts to simmer, remove a few coals from under  the oven and maintain the simmer.  (Simmer means the water is just about to boil, but is not doing it much)

6. Check the roast in 30 minutes.  If the water is almost gone, or it is boiling hard (lots of very big bubbles popping all the time) the coals are too hot.  Reduce the heat and add more water to pot.  If their is no water movement, the temperature is too cool.

7. Check every 20 or 30 minutes to make sure the water is simmering.

8. One hour before you anticipate eating, prepare the vegetables and put them in the oven.  Add water if the it is almost gone.  Maintain simmer.

9. Keep checking every 20-30 minutes.  The meat and vegetables will be done when the vegetables are fork tender.  (Fork will easily go into the vegetables)

GRAVY

• Drippings in the pan from the meat
• Water
• Flour
• Salt
• Pepper

1. Remove meat to platter for resting and then carving

2. Put enough water into pan to bring the drippings to approximately 2 cups.  Bring to boil.

3. Put 4 Tablespoons cool/cold water into small bowl.

4. Slowly add 4 Tablespoons of flour to cool water, stirring as you do to form a smooth paste.

5. Once the drippings are boiling, remove from fire and slowly stir in the flour paste.  Put back on fire and cook slowly for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

(steps 3 and 4 are very important for making gravy without lumps)

Taken from Camp Cookery for Small Groups, BSA 1986 printing, pg 26-27