How to Cook a Perfect Rump Roast

Rump Roast was standard Sunday Dinner  when our children were small. Roast, rice, gravy, white acre peas, creamed corn,  fruit salad and yeast rolls.  And it was all cooked before Sunday School. I’m no saint, but I love Sunday dinner and I would lose sleep to be able to come home to my Sunday Dinner.

Besides the fact it tastes absolutely fabulous, and aside from the fact it slices up beautifully…what I love about this roast is the leftovers. I never served them during the week. Oh, no. I carefully divide the portions up so for the next several Sundays my roast was already cooked and waiting for me. My family is all grown now with grandchildren and so leftovers are rare, but on occasion, I manage a few…. 🙂

Imagine my dismay when my favorite cooking magazine….an exclusive little publication…had nothing good to say  about my favorite rump roast in their reviews of  “cooking cheaper cuts of roast.” Or something along that line…and my dear little rump roast was completely thrown out the window…’too tough’, they said. ‘Impossible to slice.’ Right. No, actually that’s not right…

Oh, how people rave about a chuck roast, whose only requirement is that you be able to set the temperature on the oven and open a can of mushroom soup. And you can’t slice it…only serve it up in chunks. Really?  Come on people…really?

I’ll admit this roast takes patience and time, but it is so well worth the effort. And if you prefer to sleep a little longer on Sunday morning…cook it the day before…it will be fine.

I find that a 3.5 – 4 lb sized rump roast is best.

Also, the layer of fat on the bottom is very, very important to the flavor…so the more, the better.

The first thing you have to do is sear the meat in a little grease. I used bacon drippings yesterday and it was perfect. On medium heat, brown all sides, saving the fat side last. Really do some browning on this,  making sure all sides are dark brown…but be careful not to burn. Make sure it ends up with the fat side, down.

After it is browned,  add about 2 cups water. Lower the heat to a very slow simmer.  Cook slowly and continue to reduce liquid until there is only the gooey part on the bottom left, being careful not to burn. Add water before it gets that dry.  Add more water and allow to cook down again. The fat makes the best ‘caramelized’ gooey on the bottom of the pan and that is what will make the best gravy, ever!  Cook for about 3 hours or so, until fork tender.

Actually, the name of the result of browning the meat is called milliard, not caramelization…. according to my research, it is the same type reaction, though, with proteins,  rather than sugar.  It is explained here in detail.

I understand these are not proper descriptive terms… but, I’m at a loss here…. I must call it as I see it…gooey. Really good gooey.

Remove the roast to a cutting board and allow to cool.  Drain the fat, carefully,  from the top …but be careful to keep as much gooey in the bottom of the pan as possible.  Place pot of drippings on stove and turn up heat to med high. Brown a little more if needed…but again, do not burn.

Mix 3 cups of water and 3 Tablespoons of cornstarch until dissolved. Add the cornstarch and water mixture to pan and  cook  until thickened. Salt and pepper are the only seasonings I use on this roast. Ever. Use them generously on the roast before searing and also in the gravy at the end, to taste.

After the roast has rested awhile, slice very thinly with an electric knife. Serve with gravy. Enjoy!

I do wish I could mail my last night’s leftovers to the little publication I love, …..but alas, I’m afraid it would perish before it reached Vermont.