Sunday Roast recipes?

Of course there is the classic beef rib roast. One market here has what they call 'New York' roasts. A rib roast is basically the chunk that rib steaks are cut from, the New York roast is the one that you'd slice into New York steaks. A bit cheaper usually than the rib, quite tasty and tender. I tend towards minimal preperation on such roasts, just salt, pepper, garlic before roasting. I have made a paste with fresh garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, pepper and some herb like rosemary to put a nice spice crust on a roast. Such an approach also works well with lamb. And of course there is the time-proven technique of stuffing garlic slivers into slots cut in the meat.

As I recall, you have a nice grill out back. Have you tried doing a roast on it, cooking over indirect high heat? Beef tritip works reasonably well with this technique, especially after sitting out for an hour or so while the rub settles in. And after you take the roast off the grill to let it rest, throw on a couple ears of corn for a minute or two.

If you are doing it in the oven, perhaps a dish of sweet potato roasties [ see my comments in the potato thread ] would go well.

How about pork? A nice stuffed pork loin is tasty and looks nice on the plate. Of course, cutting a round roast into a flat slab of meat works best with a thin blade filet knife, not something like your new toy. I like to use stuffings with a fair bit of bell pepper for contrasting color. Mushrooms, zucchini, cheese, onions, sausage, bacon, apples, raisins - lots of things work as a filling. Sausage and bacon type fillings should be fully cooked before using, veggies can just be lightly sweated first.

If you choose to do a whole pork loin, a few hours in a brine will help it from getting too dry. If you prefer beef, pound out a flank steak a bit thinner, layer on the fillings and roll and tie that up before roasting.

One of my favorites is a bone-in pork loin roast, but those are getting harder to find. The bones keep getting cut off for back ribs, drat. I like sauerkraut, so my favorite side for the pork is a sauerkraut saute with bacon and onions. For the gravy I make a basic pan gravy with the drippings, but leave it a bit thin, then stir in about 4-5 finely crushed ginger snap cookies. Ginger adds a nice note to the pork.

Enough babbling for the moment.

mjb.

Cocktail: Boodles martinis, ice cold and up, olives for the gentlemen; Vodka gimlets, ice cold and up, cherry for the ladies. (Note: Pour room temperature on ice in the shaker and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes -- not only to chill but to dilute slightly. Big meal to come.)

Starter: Green salad -- preferably Caesar; sparkling water

Roast: As you like it; California Pinot Noir of good breeding and vintage

Garnishes: Creamed spinach (or a mix of sauteed late summer vegetables), mashed potatoes, Yorkshire pudding

Sauces: Creamed horseradish, and "au jus" ala Simpsons;

Dessert: Sherried trifle or vanilla cheesecake; Orange Muscat.

Post prandial drink (if you're still up for it): Barbancourt Reserve au Domaine (15 yr) rum for the gentlemen.

Cigar: 1999 Vintage Rocky Patel


Some other thoughts:

To prep a beef or lamb roast: Prepare a rub of 6 tbs salt, 2 tbs paprika, 1-1/2 tbs pepper, 1 tbs granulated garlic, 1 tbs granulated onion, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp sage; and mix it with 2 tbs each of red wine and Worcestershire sauce to make a paste.

If the roast is prime rib, remove the fat cap in one piece, rub the meat generously with the paste, then replace the cap and truss it back on to the roast. But, if the roast is boneless, truss first, then rub it generously.

Allow the meat to temper at least 30 minutes before roasting. Begin roasting at a very high temperature, then lower the heat to moderate and let it finish roasting at moderate heat.

To prepare an "au jus," take a generous quantity of beef stock, add a generous amount of chopped shallot, and reduce it by 25%. Add 1/3 of the original volume in red wine, a handful of parsley, then reduce the enriched stock mixture by a further 1/3. Strain before using.

To prepare a gravy, add 2 cups of mirepoix to the roasting pan about an hour before you anticipate removing the roast. While the roast cooks, follow the directions for au jus, but omit the shallots, and after adding the wine, do not reduce by more than necessary to cook the "raw" off the wine. When you remove the roast to rest it, drain the roasting pan of all excess fat, add a tsp or so of tomato paste to the pan, brown the paste over a flame on top of the stove, then deglaze the pan with the stock/wine mixture. Reduce the sauce by about 25%, then sieve, pressing the mirepoix against the sieve to extract the vegetables' essence.

Bon apetit!
BDL

When I prepare a rib roast I like to rub it with a mortar/pestle mix of salt, coarse pepper, garlic and a touch of horseradish mustard. Then I sear it on the stove top on all sides and stick in the oven until internal 120.

For a leg of lamb I cut slits into it and stuff it with garlic cloves. I then marinate it overnight in lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic (no salt!). Slow roast covered in foil on low heat for 4 hours. Make roasted potatoes in the drippings (yey).

For some reason I like to serve roast red meats with roasted cauliflower florets. Toss with olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary and garlic and roast at 350 for about 20-25 min (Emiril). Add a bit of water or white wine to the pan to help it steam.

A quick question, then another suggestion. Is this just for you and a certain lovely young lady, or are there guests involved? That information may affect some folks' suggestions. Should the menu and presentation be weighted towards black tie or sweat pants? Of course, *I've* never done a black tie dinner that my wife and I enjoyed in our sweat pants!

Have you tried a South American chimichurri sauce with beef? It is basically a bunch of parsley and some garlic chopped up with olive oil and some spices. I know I have a recipe or two here somewhere...

mjb.

The easiest way is to cut a separate length of string for each tie; figuring about 2" between ties. I use a "surgeon's knot."

I usually start at 450 for 15 minutes, and reduce to 325. Time depends on the size of the cut. A 2-1/2 pound roast would probably take about 30 minutes. An eight pound roast, 2-1/2 hours. Certain cuts, like beef Tri-Tip, Top Sirloin, and Loin, I roast at 425 all the way through.

BTW if you have a good butcher, she can cut you a really thick top sirloin -- which makes a very good roast.

Rack.

BDL

At 200? The 425 cooked the first pound to rare, then about 55 minutes for every extra pound at 200 to medium rare. About. The lower the temperature the harder it is to identify a weight/time/doneness relationship. Low temperatures are very particular cut and individual piece of meat dependent. I'm sure I can get anyone with significant low and slow brisket experience to testify on that. Also, the physics of heat transference by convection at very low temperatures are a little weird. I think I might take it to 250.

Don't forget to allow a nice, long rest before carving. It will taste better rested, than hotted. You can even finish cooking it off to rare/medium-rare, wrap it, store it in an insulated cooler and let it coast to medium rare in the cooler.

No doubt, your internal belief system is predicated on one of your relatives (hi Mom!) finishing the meat early, then overcooking the heck out of it by holding in a "warm" oven. Yum. Leather. Try and get that out of your mind. Try harder. You can hold a small roast for up two or three hours, wrapped in a cooler -- and it will only get better (longer for a big boy). My method for the past 10 years or so has been to wrap in cling wrap, but you can certainly use aluminum foil if you're worried about outgassing or other plastic/food contact.

BDL

That chuck roast looks pretty good - looks a lot like the last one I did in the smoker. Depending on what time you want to eat, it may be done too soon. If so you can wrap it well in foil, wrap that in a towel and let it sit in a small cooler for a while. Carryover heat will cook it a bit further, so if you go the wrap and rest method you may want to take it out of the oven at an internal temp of 125 or so and let it cost up to medium rare.

mjb.

The key to beef cuts is to know a few of the primal cuts. Chuck is off the top of the front shoulder and is tough without a long slow cook(think potroast). From the name they used it was off the rib end of the chuck which isn't as tough. I usually take a few steaks off that end when I buy a whole chuck roll.

Never fret too much about what you're cooking, you're experienced enough now that even if it doesn't come out perfectly that it will still be enjoyable. What I like to keep in mind when I'm cooking beef is that there are some cuts that are wonderful to cook medium rare, but most benefit from long slow cooking. The first cut you bought needs that slow wet cooking method imho.

Are there any butcher shops in your area? I get very nervous having to buy roasts at super markets because the butchers there seem to be a little inexperienced. Of course it's hard to find a good butcher but if you do, try to develop a relationship with them. And tip them. As my relationship with my butcher gets better I notice he takes better care of me and gives me better and better cuts and will be more helpful to my questions.

BDL - ok so the roast is cooked. You then say put it in a cooler? How do you warm it up to serve? I did notice that the smoked brisket we made a few weeks ago tasted better and was more tender the next day after sitting in the fridge. But I sliced it thin and then put it in the microwave. I wouldn't presume to do that for guests or on the day of cooking.

A good butcher is a very good thing. There are several excellent websites worth checking in on with your questions. The two I use most often are "Ask the Meatman," and "Bovine Myology." As you can infer from the names, Meatman is more practical and Myology more anatomical. I probably do more of my own cutting and tying than most people.

Mapiva, we've got a fundamental misunderstanding caused by our common language and my lose use of it. The "cooler" is an insulated chest to hold the roast warm, not cool it down. I should have said, "insulated chest" rather than shortcutting to the term, "cooler." What happens in the insulated chest/cooler is residual heat from the roast warms the cooler -- then the system comprised of cooler and meat holds the heat. Over time, the temperatures equilibrate and the meat "juices" diffuse evenly throughout the meat. In other words the meat rests. Meat, tightly wrapped when hot, and placed immediately in a properly prepared cooler usually coasts anoter 5 to 10 degrees up at its center, in the first ten minutes of storage, then very slowly cools. How slowly depends on the size of the cut, the thermal efficiency of the cooler, and the actual temperature of the meat.

The way to "prepare a cooler," is to use as small a cooler as possible, fill any extra space in the cooler after the roast is in it, with crumpled newspaper or cloth towels, and ensure the lid fits tightly. You can make it even more efficient by pre-warming the cooler with something hot.

Depending on size, a roast can actually hold for quite some time at a very pleasant serving temperature. In fact, a long hold will actually improve most roasts as a result of the way proteins denature.

Very long holds are very common catering and in barbecue competiton. I actually learned to do it this in the world of barbecue competition and have been teaching it ever since. My first couple of years of using a small barbecue were often compromised by not having the meat done on time. Being able to control the time -- even if part of the technique meant finishing the smoking early -- was a huge, positive change. All of the major barbecue cuts benefit enormously from a long hold, by the way.

Clearer? Or, still mud?

BDL

I understand perfectly, thanks for clarifying.

At this point I would like to make a confession. When I cook a steak, I like to cut into it right away and see the juices spill out all over my plate rather than let it rest for the appropriate amount of time. It's wrong I know I know but I can't help myself. I like it piping hot. Not so for roasts meats, I am quite patient with the rest time eventhough it's difficult. I've usually just covered it very well with foil and let it rest, but I will give the cooler (warmer) thing a try.