0

I started my pot roast on low at 6:30a... I just realized the lid was askew, just a bit. I have cranked it up to high...with it be done by 6:30p It is not a big roast...maybe 2-3 lbs.

paparazzo
  • 6,390
  • 2
  • 21
  • 42
Hopeless Cook
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • Do you have a meat thermometer? How done is 'done' to you? (rare-med-well) once it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F it is 'well done'...It may be 'good' well before that point. – Cos Callis Jan 22 '18 at 20:36
  • 2
    @CosCallis You don't put something in a crock pot for 12 hours and expect it to ever be rare... it's a completely different style of cooking. The long, slow cooking process gives tough connective tissue the time to break down... – Catija Jan 22 '18 at 20:44
  • 2
    @Catija, incapable of directly answering OPs question "Will(with) it be done by 6:30" I thought it more constructive to address an underlying question, "How do I tell if it is done?" (with a bit of "What is 'done'?" on the side) Perhaps then OP would not feel so 'Hopeless'. – Cos Callis Jan 22 '18 at 20:58
  • 2
    @CosCallis The point here is that pot roast is usually a low-and-slow cut, especially if it's something that's being cooked for 12 hours in a slow cooker. You don't cook it to rare/med/well, you cook it until it's broken down enough to be tender, so it's not just a matter of internal temperature. – Cascabel Jan 22 '18 at 23:21

2 Answers2

5

We don't know from your question how long it was on low with the lid askew (we don't know your time zone) so it's hard to say for sure.

But usually a small crack on the lid isn't going to really really drastically reduce the temperature. You're in a better position to tell than we are:

  • If it was still bubbling and steamy inside, even with the lid offset, then you're probably fine. Maybe it took a little longer to come up to temperature and will be done slightly less quickly, but it's unlikely to be a disaster.

  • If it wasn't, then you have to worry about food safety too: if it was like that for more than 4 hours, it may have been in the danger zone (under 140F) for that long, and thus be unsafe.

Cascabel
  • 58,065
  • 24
  • 178
  • 319
2

Done is not the most important question.

Did the roast spend more than 4 hours under 140 F is a food safety issue?

paparazzo
  • 6,390
  • 2
  • 21
  • 42