That Good Navy Chow

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Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
Yankee Pot Roast (yield, 100 portions)

42 pounds, beef boneless
3-3/4 quarts, onions, finely chopped
1-3/4 Tablespoons, pepper
3 quarts, diced carrots
3 quarts, tomatoes
8 ounces, beef fat
3/4 cups, salt
1 quart, beef stock

Cut beef into 6 to 8 pound pieces. Cook in fat until meat is browned on all sides, turning frequently. Add salt, pepper, stock, or water and onions. Let simmer in tightly covered kettle or bake in slow oven (300 degrees F) 3 hours or until tender. Turn meat 2 or 3 times while cooking. Add small amounts of liquid as needed. Remove from pans and slice across the grain in 1/8" slices.

Note:
1. Onions may be cooked in fat until browned, if desired.
2. Heavy utensils are best for cooking pot roasts.
3. Serve with brown gravy, if desired.
4. Add parsley, bay leaves, and thyme to pot roast.

Source: The Cookbook of the United States Navy, Revised 1944
 

Kya D

Active Member
I add spuds too. But I am a little scared cuz I don't think I could force myself to add 3/4 c of salt to anything, cept pickles and then I drain most of it off
 

Annette99

New Member
Oh my gosh your feeding the Navy. I also add celery. That's a whole lot of pot roast. Also have to have garlic bread with this. Use real butter and fresh minced garlic with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese..
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
I was never really favorably impressed with navy chow, but when I think of the guys on land that had cold C-rations it makes me pretty ashamed of complaining. They did start out with good ingredients, but they managed to make the food taste pretty blah. Looking at the recipe though, it should have tasted pretty good. I believe we would always have mashed potatoes when we had roast. They were made from dried potato powder though and since we had no milk, I am sure they were just made with water and probably some butter. Most the time though, we had hot food and a warm bed. There were a few exceptions, but not many. We rode through one typhoon that took us all the way up off the coast of Russia. The sea was so rough during that the cooks could not cook anything and we had cold cut sandwiches. We all complained, but we knew why there could be no hot food. It was so cold during that typhoon that the salt water froze on the ship and we couldn't move our guns. I never did get seasick, but I did get a little queezy during that one.
 

Bluewolf

New Member
shweeww scared me there for a minute!!! ;)

Thought maybe you had gone past the point of no return :rolleyes:

I can't remember one good thing about Navy chow...

Oh Wait yes I do..Breakfast!!! can't really screw up powdered eggs

in boot camp we had "15 minutes and 15 minutes only to eat that fine fine Navy chow" and by the second week I could no longer eat the food I got really sick and ended up on a "special diet" for the 3 months I was there

"A" School I don't think I ever ate at the galley as there were about 25 "eateries" right outside the main gate that was close to our barracks and
that delivered plus could get food at the "Exchange"

at my "Duty Station" there were grills in the courtyard and I had quite the array of "contriband" cooking implements so I could cook in my room

I remember the Slop truck that used to come to the squadrons used to get breakfast and lunch off one of those

I see one drivin around here every once in a while but I have never seen where it stops

I am not a fan of Pot Roast
 

gonepostal

New Member
MMmmmmmm-----love pot roast-----but not with tomatoes. I just brown up the meat with onions & garlic(dont think my Mom ever used garlic--but I have to!)----then add carrots, potatoes, & sometimes turnip. And a little water. Then put it in the oven till it's tender. MMMMmm!
Oh------sometimes I add a can of cream of mushroom soup to make gravy.
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
Crabber, that one made me laugh. I hope my "Tin Can Sailor" newsletter has that as a regular feature as I would like to post those recipes here. I'm with Sailor though on navy chow, but like I say, I have to remember the dogfaces that didn't have it so good. We were far enough at sea to stay out of Russian waters or there would have been a serious problem. There were submarines patrolling in the areas where we were though and we got into a bunch of mines that were being laid by one of them on a different date. They were floating mines though and we used small arms fire to sink them. The officers got to do the shooting though, so it took a lot more ammo than necessary. Just a little sarcasm there, ya know.

I haven't used tomatoes in my roast either, but I will today when I make Swiss steak.
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
I mentioned "dogfaces" in the previous post. There are terms among military people that can be offensive, but oftimes are also a show of respect and comeraderie. I had to go to the market this afternoon to pick up a couple of small items for dinner this evening and I saw a fellow that I knew. My daughter and grandson had also gone to the market and they called out to me when they saw me. I was talking with them and then I saw a fellow of slight build that I have known for some time. He was regular army and put in about 30 years. Anyway, I stopped my conversation with Fiona and Alec and yelled out to him, "Hey, dogface!" He stopped and turned toward me and smiled, but what I didn't see was a young lady that was also passing and Fiona said she probably thought I was talking to her until I walked over to see Jim. But I walked over and told Jim I had something for him. I took out one of those little cards that Curbie sent to me and he read it then tried to give it back to me. I told him I already had one.
 

tonya

New Member
armed forces

i am a little late on this thread but i felt compelled to let randy, wolfie and all other service men(and ladies too) how much i appreciate their efforts on our behalf...i'm sure crappy food was one of the least of their trials...my MOTH was in the marines and he still eats like he only has 15 minutes...dinner is here on the plate one minute and gone the next...just a little thought of good will towards our troops present and past bless them all!
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
We thank you for that. I have another recipe upstairs I need to post on here now. They do publish a new recipe in each issue of my newsletter from the "Tin Can Sailors" Association.

But, Tonya, you can tell your husband for us that he also has our gratitude and respect.
 

tonya

New Member
will do randy...his dad is retired navy captain living on oahu..they have a summer home in tazewell, virginia...he's a great guy too...like father like son fortunately for me:)
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
I went to a reunion of our ship's company last May as it was close. It was in Seattle which is a 4 hour drive from Newberg (OR). I got to see at least a handfull of guys I had not seen for over 50 years. I plan on going to the next reunion next year in Norfolk, VA.
 

tonya

New Member
20 minutes from us! if we can help in any way just let me know. i don't know what ship capt. hunter was on. i know he was stationed here in portsmouth in the late '70s then went on to washington state for a while then on to pearl city where he decided to retire. randy that would be great if we could meet while you are here. we have a few places around here that appeal to gardeners. norfolk's botanical gardens will be gorgeous next may. keep us in mind.
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
I'll try, Tonya. They keep us pretty busy. I am sort of the official photographer also. I took over 400 photographs at the last reunion and some others added photos to those. I took them all and put them into a presentation slide show with background music and some photos with labels. It is quite likely they will want me to do the same thing for the next reunion.
 

tonya

New Member
wow randy it does sound like you were busy but i bet it was a lot of fun...we have a spare room if you need it...mark's great dream is for us to be able to sell this house and buy(?) a condo in waikiki but with the housing market being such that it is it looks like we'll be here for another 2 to 3 years
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
I would not pass up the opportunity to get together though. I am sure we can arrange that. I have never been to VA. Our home port was Pearl Harbor when I was on the Epperson. It would be difficult for me to ever consider leaving Oregon. I complain about all the rain, but that is what makes the land so beautiful.
 

tonya

New Member
absolutely we will plan to get together....it must be beautiful in oregon...its really pretty here in the mountains...but i'm a city gal...i don't care much for the bigger cities,too many people, not enough space which is ironic b/c i loved waikiki..guess that was just the tourist in me..i am not what anyone will call "well traveled"...i have only been to atlantic city and north carolina..i was 46 before i had ever been on a plane...lol...and that was to hawaii..it will be great to see you when you get here randy!
 


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