By CHRISTIE NORTHRUP
The Progress
The months from Memorial Day through Labor Day are more than just the summer season—they also represent reunion time! From high school to colleges and fraternities to families, reunions will be held around the country. And when you attend reunions, not only do you reconnect with loved ones and friends, you also have an opportunity to bring and feast on recipes old and new.
Dishes brought to reunions need to be simple, portable, and memorable. The Reunion Roast meets those requirements without heating up your kitchen. It also delivers an important message about lasting relationships.
Once you can smell the aroma of the meat, you’ll be ready to eat right away. But the secret to taking a tough cut of meat like a chuck roast or brisket is to cook it at a low temperature for a long time. Then, when you slice the meat, it will be so tender it will almost fall apart, ready to melt in your mouth.
Tender relationships, the kind that are honored and celebrated at reunions, take time to develop. Perhaps someone near and dear to you now was not a person you initially cared for until you slowly nurtured the friendship. One of my best friends, Ruthie, didn’t like me at all when we first met. I was her sales leader and she considered me to be pushy – like tough meat she didn’t want to eat!
Our friendship was warmed through our work association, and her apprehensive attitude towards me softened. We found we worked in similar ways and we also had some fun competition. Additionally, we were at the same stage of motherhood. Our commonalities, like a slow cooker, tenderized our relationship. Even though we now live hundreds of miles apart, we cherish our friendship and my sons and grandchildren call her Aunt Ruth.
Sometimes relationships, particularly marriages, start off with a period requiring adjustments by both parties. And this can lead to some tough, difficult times – comparable to those dry pinto beans. Eating a raw bean without cooking it in a sufficient amount of liquid for several hours would break your teeth.
Yet, when those hard beans are covered with a lot of water and seasonings, then slowly cooked, they soften and become unbelievably tasty. Once again, the flavor – and the relationships – emerge when a little heat is applied over time, a slow process that yields great rewards.
Before serving, slice the meat across the grain because the slices will be tender and stay in tact; as in “opposites attract.” When planning or attending events like reunions, the best and the worst can come out of people. Just remember that time and a little effort can cook up lasting relationships. Enjoy the roast, reunions, and your relationships!
Reunion Roast
4-5 pound beef chuck roast or brisket 3 cups dry pinto beans
1 4-oz. can chopped green chilies 1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin 2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon smoky salt seasoning, optional Water to cover roast
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8-oz. can of tomato sauce
Place roast on bottom of a large slow cooker. Pour pinto beans over the roast. Add green chilies, onions, cumin, and smoky salt together. Pour mixture over the roast and beans. Add enough water to completely cover the beans and roast. Place lid on the slow cooker and cook on low 2-3 hours so beans can begin to cook and soften. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce. Cook for another 8-10 hours or overnight. Check occasionally to ensure the beans stay covered in liquid. Add extra water as needed.
The recipe can also be cooked in an oven, placing the meat in a large roasting pan using the same instructions. Cook at 250° for 10-12 hours. Be sure the pan is covered tightly with a lid or aluminum foil.
After the meat is cooked, remove it from the pan and allow it to sit for 20 minutes before slicing. Not only will this prevent your hands from burning, this rest time allows the juices to soak back in to the meat. For best results, slice the meat against the grain.
If the bean mixture is not thick enough for your taste, add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste. Stir and heat until it’s well blended. Or, remove one cup of the beans and lightly mash. Then, stir the mashed beans back into the other beans until your desired consistency is reached.
This copyrighted recipe and message taught in Pair-A-Bowls are compliments of Christie Northrup, owner of Pair-A-Bowls.com.
