It's overcooked. Overcooking meat causes it to dry out, and as moisture is lost, the meat gets tougher and so harder to chew. It was cooked at too high a temperature. For soft and tender meat, it's always better to cook it low and slow than to heat it very quickly, which causes the protein in the meat to toughen.
We season meat with salt for more than just flavor — with tougher cuts, like choice steaks and roasts, it helps break down the proteins for a more tender texture. Instead of seasoning meat just before cooking, give it a generous coating of salt about an hour before you're ready to get started.
Does chuck roast get more tender the longer you cook it? It does! The secret to an incredible beef chuck roast recipe is to let it cook for long enough. I cook my chuck roast for 4 hours and 20 minutes, and by the time it's done it's fall-apart tender with soft carrots and potatoes all cooked in the same pot.
The key to cooking pot roast is cooking it low and slow. The meat should just fall apart, hence the name, and if it doesn't, you probably have not cooked it long enough. Also, I like to cook the potatoes separately, as they tend to be a little to mushy for my liking when you cook them with the roast.
Why is my pot roast still tough? It's because you haven't let the collagen break down. Extend the cook time, make sure there's enough liquid and keep an eye on the dish.
Cook It Slowly
This is certainly true when it comes to notoriously tough cuts of meat like beef brisket and pork shoulder. Cooking these cuts of meat slowly, either by braising, stewing or grill roasting, is the best way to get these tasty cuts of meat meltingly tender.
Low temperatue cooking is ideal for roasting the best cuts of meat which are lean and very tender. It is not the same as slow cooking, which is a method of cooking humbler cuts of meat with liquid to tenderise them.
Muscles also toughen with age, so a younger animal yields more tender meat. Additionally, overcooking meat, even meat that comes from the more tender muscles, can make it tough. That's because heat causes the proteins in the meat to firm up.
The Benefits of Cooking 'Slow-and-Low'
There are so many benefits to this cooking method. Not only does it make the meat far juicier and more tender but it also works with all kinds of meats. No matter your preference, this cooking method works well with whole cuts of pork, beef, lamb, and even veal.
If a steak hasn't been cooked long enough, it can become chewy or tough as there hasn't been enough time for the heat to fully penetrate and melt the fat and any connective tissue.
You should cover a beef roast with kitchen foil for at least part of the cooking time. This stops the roast beef from drying out too much during cooking.
At 160°F, connective tissue begins to liquefy. Proteins repel the water and constrict causing them to get closer together and grow stronger. This is what gives well-done meat it's tough and dry texture.
“If you're cooking meat, you'll know it's done when it is fork-tender, meaning you can cut into it easily with just a fork,” she says. When meat is overcooked, it will be “tough and dry,” while overcooked vegetables will be mushy.
Can you overcook a slow cooker pot roast? There is such a thing as an overcooked pot roast. If you've ever cut into a fork-tender roast and been surprised by chewy, woody bits of beef – you've got an overcooked roast on your hands.
Slow cooking beef helps to develop intense flavour and keeps the meat tender and succulent. It usually involves cooking your chosen cut of beef in a slow cooker or casserole dish over a low heat for a long period of time, with the meat submerged in liquid.
Yes, there are scientific reasons to back up the fact that slow cooked meat is better. Tenderness in meat comes from the melting of collagen – the connective tissue protein present in meat. When collagen melts, it turns into gelatin, a rich liquid that gives meat a lot of flavour as well as a silky texture.
We recommend a temperature of 195-200 °F / 90-93 °C for a tender and juicy roast.
All you need to do is continue cooking. Pot roasts are usually tough cuts, full of dense muscles and connective tissue. They need long, slow cooking to soften the muscles and melt the connective tissues into juicy, rich natural gelatin.
Roast for 12 mins per 450g/1lb (about 55 mins for a 2kg/4lb 8oz joint) for medium-rare, or 15 mins per 450g/1lb (about 1 hr 10 mins) for medium-well.
To cook rare, allow 15-20 minutes per 500g of meat. To cook medium allow 20-25 minutes per 500g of meat. To cook well done allow 25-30 minutes per 500g of meat. Use a leave-in meat thermometer for the perfect roast – try this one.
The acetic acid in vinegar breaks down meat fibres and makes them more tender and flavoursome. Method: Add a tablespoon of white vinegar to your cooking liquids or soak your meat in vinegar before you cook it.
2 hours is a very short time for this kind of dish. I tend to cook braised beef for anywhere between 4 and 6 hours to get it tender enough to fall apart. It takes time for the chemical reactions that you're after to take place. Give it at least another two hours, and it will be much better.
It's also important to season your beef first and then add plenty of beef broth or another liquid a recipe for slow cooked beef calls for. The meat will make a little of its own juices, but cooking it without liquid may dry out your beef long before it's even fully-cooked, making for a not-so-appetizing dinner.