A roast by any other name....

Among the cuisine jihads I have launched over the years, few elicit more confusion -- genuine confusion -- than the .... discussion over what "roast beef" means. Maybe the breakdown is geographic? Maybe it's subbornness?

Dunno.

But the question resurfaces with an email from a reader about a cut of meat she bought at the grocery. She took it home and did what a lot of people would do with a beef roast: She stuck it in a Crock-pot with a can of cream of mushroom soup and a packet of onion soup mix.

"I guess it was because it was on sale, but that was the driest pot roast I've ever had. I didn't think you could make a dry pot roast."

A follow-up conversation determined that she'd bought a round roast -- a large, rather thick cut of meat. It's about as far as you can get from a flat roast meant for braising in a pot with liquid and its own juices.

And therein lies the rub, or roast. Pot roast and roast beef are both fine dishes, but they aren't interchangable.

Roast beef, technically, would be a roast of beef meant to cook in the oven with no additional liquid. It's referred to as a dry-heat cooking method. Rib roasts, eye of round, prime rib are among the players on the dry team. They're naturally more tender, so they don't need the liquid to cook and soften them up. Indeed, trap one in a slow-cooker for 8 hours, and you'll have shoe leather.

Pot roast -- which uses cuts that include words like "chuck," "blade," "shoulder," or even "English" on their labels -- is prepared by braising the meat. Braising refers to cooking in a big pot or deep dish, covered, with liquid. They're cheaper, generally tougher, and the long, wet cooking time makes what would ordinarily be an "inferior" cut of meat perfectly suitable.

Know what you're buying. And if you MUST have your beef well done, skip the oven roast altogether and stick with your tried and true pot roast. It's silly to waste your money on a cut of beef that's not at its best when cooked well-done (that's another crusade.)

However, if you're in the mood for a proper Roast of Beef, well, then:

Herbed Beef Roast (pictured above)
1 beef round tip roast (3 to 4 pounds)
Seasoning:
1/2 up chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Vegetables:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound small red-skinned potatoes, halved
1/2 pound baby carrots
4 small onions, halved
2 medium zucchini, sliced (3/4-inch)

Heat oven to 325°F. Combine seasoning ingredients; press 1/2 onto beef roast. Combine remaining seasoning with vegetable ingredients in large bowl; toss.

Place roast on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is centered in thickest part of beef, not resting in fat. Do not add water or cover. Roast in 325°F oven 1-3/4 to 2 hours for medium rare; 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 hours for medium doneness. After 1/2 to 1 hour, place vegetables, except zucchini, on rack around roast.

THIS PART IS IMPORTANT: Remove roast when meat thermometer registers 140°F for medium rare; 155°F for medium. Transfer to board; tent with foil. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes. (Temperature will continue to rise about 5°F to reach 145°F for medium rare; 160°F for medium. See above comment on those who like "well done" roast beef.)

Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Add zucchini to vegetables on rack; roast 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Carve roast; serve with vegetables. Season with salt.

Garlic Rubbed Roast

1 boneless beef round rump roast or beef bottom round roast (3 to 4 pounds)
Salt and ground black pepper
Rub:
2 teaspoons garlic-pepper seasoning
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves, crushed
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, crushed
1 teaspoon dried parsley leaves, crushed

Heat oven to 325°F. Combine rub ingredients in small bowl; press evenly onto all surfaces of beef roast.

Place roast on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is centered in thickest part of beef, not resting in fat. Do not add water or cover. Roast in 325°F oven 1-1/2 to 2 hours for medium rare doneness.

AGAIN, this is imporatant: Remove roast when meat thermometer registers 135°F for medium rare. Transfer roast to carving board; tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes. (Temperature will continue to rise about 10°F to reach 145°F for medium rare.)

Carve roast into thin slices; season with salt and black pepper, as desired.