Thursday, April 10, 2008

Slow-Roasted Beef

Denny posted this great recipe

1/2008
We don't recommend cooking this roast past medium. Open the oven door as little as possible and remove the roast from the oven while taking its temperature. If the roast has not reached the desired temperature in the time specified in step 3, heat the oven to 225 degrees for 5 minutes, shut it off, and continue to cook the roast to the desired temperature. For a smaller (2 1/2- to 3 1/2-pound) roast, reduce the amount of kosher salt to 3 teaspoons (1 1/2 teaspoons table salt) and black pepper to 1 1/2 teaspoons. For a 4 1/2- to 6-pound roast, cut in half crosswise before cooking to create 2 smaller roasts. Slice the roast as thinly as possible and serve with Horseradish Cream Sauce (see related recipe), if desired.
Serves 6 to 8
1
boneless eye-round roast (3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pounds) (see note)
4
teaspoons kosher salt or 2 teaspoons table salt
2
teaspoons coconut oil plus 1 tablespoon
2
teaspoons ground black pepper


1. Sprinkle all sides of roast evenly with salt. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 225 degrees. Pat roast dry with paper towels; rub with 2 teaspoons oil and sprinkle all sides evenly with pepper. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until starting to smoke. Sear roast until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer roast to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Roast until meat-probe thermometer or instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 115 degrees for medium-rare, 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours, or 125 degrees for medium, 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours.

3. Turn oven off; leave roast in oven, without opening door, until meat-probe thermometer or instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 130 degrees for medium-rare or 140 degrees for medium, 30 to 50 minutes longer. Transfer roast to carving board and let rest 15 minutes. Slice meat crosswise as thinly as possible and serve.




STEP BY STEP: The Transformation From Tough to Tender

1. SALT: Salt the roast and allow it to rest for 18 to 24 hours. Salt breaks down proteins to improve texture.

2. SEAR: Sear the meat in a hot pan before roasting. While this won't affect tenderness, it will boost flavor.

3. OVEN ON: Cook the meat in an oven set to 225 degrees and open the door as infrequently as possible.

4. OVEN OFF: When the roast reaches 115 degrees, turn off oven and continue to cook the roast as the oven cools

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