Tis the season...what is everyones preference?
Bone in? Boneless? Ribeye? Tenderloin? NY Strip?

Ive cooked them all...I prefer a standing bone in rib eye roast...dry aged preferably. Sear the exterior with a mild olive oil coat with basic salt and pepper rub. Slow cook in the oven. Medium rare.

Big red wine to go with.

While I realize I'm probably in the minority, (it's never bothered me in the slightest) I'm not a huge fan of rib roasts, or rib eye steaks even. The flavor is great, but the texture isn't to my liking.

Give me a bone-in New York strip roast any day.

quote:

Originally posted by Gigond Ass:
While I realize I'm probably in the minority, (it's never bothered me in the slightest) I'm not a huge fan of rib roasts, or rib eye steaks even. The flavor is great, but the texture isn't to my liking.

Give me a bone-in New York strip roast any day.

How do you cook it?

I kind of feel the same way about NY Strips as you do about rib eye....its a texture thing for me, more than flavor. I also find the meat is tougher...perhaps its the way Im cooking it.

I like to do a garlic/sage/thyme herb crust. A quick sear followed by a 350 degree roasting to about 130-135 for medium rare. Tent with foil for about twenty minutes, slice thin and serve with pan gravy.

It's definitely not as soft as a rib roast. That's the textural thing for me.

My favorite roast of the year so far was made by KSC02 recently.

A rack of Quebec venison stuffed with roasted bosc pears, sweet italian sausage, shallots, pecans and rosemary. Roasted to just past rare. Unfrigginbelievable.......

We had some OK wines to pair, as I recall.

PH

Venison can be a tough meat to cook right....have yet to find a good recipe. Sounds awesome!

with roasts i like sirloins

with broiling like them steakhouses do, I like rib eyes.

I feel a rib eye roast is a waste because it comes out like a filet roast, mushy and wet.

it too is textural for me

quote:

Originally posted by marcb7:
Venison can be a tough meat to cook right....have yet to find a good recipe. Sounds awesome!

I agree, marcb7. It starts with the meat. This roast was one of the most beautiful pieces of meat I've laid eyes on. Overcooking it would have been a tragedy. The preparation was a bit of work, but well worth it. Perhaps KSC will share.....

PH

would also ask why dry aged for roasting?

i'd personally would want the juices in my roast to retain a steady temp.

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:
would also ask why dry aged for roasting?

i'd personally would want the juices in my roast to retain a steady temp.

Yeah...flavor I guess. Cooking can be a bit tricky...I actually use 2 meat thermometers...and a pretty decent stove that cooks at a steady temp....little OCD

quote:

Originally posted by marcb7:

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:
would also ask why dry aged for roasting?

i'd personally would want the juices in my roast to retain a steady temp.

Yeah...flavor I guess. Cooking can be a bit tricky...I actually use 2 meat thermometers...and a pretty decent stove that cooks at a steady temp....little OCD

i have a pretty decent oven, but i forgot to check on a dry aged roast once, by like 30 minutes and basically ended up with jerky =(

i find the wet aged ones have the similar flavors but gives me leeway on the jerky effect.

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:

quote:

Originally posted by marcb7:

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:
would also ask why dry aged for roasting?

i'd personally would want the juices in my roast to retain a steady temp.

Yeah...flavor I guess. Cooking can be a bit tricky...I actually use 2 meat thermometers...and a pretty decent stove that cooks at a steady temp....little OCD

i have a pretty decent oven, but i forgot to check on a dry aged roast once, by like 30 minutes and basically ended up with jerky =(

i find the wet aged ones have the similar flavors but gives me leeway on the jerky effect.

Good point....expensive jerky!

quote:

Originally posted by marcb7:

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:

quote:

Originally posted by marcb7:

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:
would also ask why dry aged for roasting?

i'd personally would want the juices in my roast to retain a steady temp.

Yeah...flavor I guess. Cooking can be a bit tricky...I actually use 2 meat thermometers...and a pretty decent stove that cooks at a steady temp....little OCD

i have a pretty decent oven, but i forgot to check on a dry aged roast once, by like 30 minutes and basically ended up with jerky =(

i find the wet aged ones have the similar flavors but gives me leeway on the jerky effect.

Good point....expensive jerky!

my tears certainly added some salt flavoring ;-)

whatever the cut (i personally prefer ribeye) its all about the prep. Thoroughly covered in kosher salt and left to dry on a rack in the fridge. I only do them on the BGE these days - sear at 650f+, then put in the plate setter and choke it down to 250F or so, and slow cook to the cooler side of 130F internal. monitor with an external thermometer so you dont have to open the egg. This way you get a great crust and not overly-mushy center. I would sooner do a sauce to finish than a rub or sauce with any moisture that could screw up the crust and black-magic thermodynamics. other than that - go to town. Did a great garam-masala-espresso rub earlier this year with a brandy-espresso sauce. Have turned dried mushrooms into powder and made a rub with that, juniper and rosemary served with a red-wine porcini & fried rosemary sauce....

my only other rule is no black pepper in the rub - it can go bitter when baked for that long.

I have two first choices, rack of lamb and ribeye

quote:

Originally posted by marcb7:

quote:

Originally posted by Gigond Ass:
While I realize I'm probably in the minority, (it's never bothered me in the slightest) I'm not a huge fan of rib roasts, or rib eye steaks even. The flavor is great, but the texture isn't to my liking.

Give me a bone-in New York strip roast any day.

How do you cook it?

I kind of feel the same way about NY Strips as you do about rib eye....its a texture thing for me, more than flavor. I also find the meat is tougher...perhaps its the way Im cooking it.

When cooking NY Strips and Rib Eye steaks, the grade of the meat is important. I typically buy the Prime stuff from Costco which are 50% more expensive than Choice, but the Prime is so much better. I only use a dry rub/seasonings on these steaks.

I know it's a cheaper piece of meat, but especially for sandwiches I do like doing an eye round roast. Preheat the oven to 500f, season the meat with salt and pepper and throw it in uncovered for 7 minutes per pound then turn off the oven and let it sit there until the oven is cold. Makes perfect meat for sandwiches.

This year I'm doing a 9.5 lb. bone-in NY roast in the smoker. I've done this before, and using a chunk of oak redwine cask for smoke creates a fantastic flavor.

Here's a great accompaniment:
I make an incredible smokey au jus by placing a pan on the rack directly underneath the roast, filled with:
1 large quarterd onion
3-4 ribs celery
4-5 carrots
3-4 peeled garlic cloves

Let it smoke for 1 hour. Then add:
4-6 c. beef broth
2 T.tomato paste
1-2 bay leaves
4-5 sprigs thyme

Finish the smoking process until the roast is at desired internal temperature (130°-135° for me.)
The au jus then goes into a saucepan with 1 cup of red wine. Bring to boil, then simmer for 20-30 minutes. Strain out veggies and fat, and serve.
You will never go back to regular au jus again.

Since the title doesn't specify BEEF, let me take a tangent to praise the wonders of a good pork roast (Mmmmmmm pork crackling...) and a properly roasted chicken (Mmmmmmm crispy chicken skin...) Both roasts make some of the best gravy in the world in the right hands too.

PH

PH, good call. Pork roasts (both loin and tenderloin) are very easy and tasty.

I like loin a little better for roasting just because you are more likely to get a nice fat fat cap on top for self basting and crackling production. I tend to reserve my tenderloin use for stir fries, pounded breaded pork sandwiches (thanks to my Indiana schooling ) and grilling. Damn..... Need to pick up a pork roast soon.

PH

Yup...any roast ideas will do!

I like Pork loin roasts as well....never cooked one for the holidays however. That tends to be more of a Sunday night thing, along with roasted chicken

On a tangent a bit.....shoot me your best chicken roasting techniques. Hell, tell me how you make your gravy too!

quote:

Originally posted by marcb7:
Yup...any roast ideas will do!

I like Pork loin roasts as well....never cooked one for the holidays however. That tends to be more of a Sunday night thing, along with roasted chicken

On a tangent a bit.....shoot me your best chicken roasting techniques. Hell, tell me how you make your gravy too!

Check your inbox.

PH

quote:

Originally posted by marcb7:
Yup...any roast ideas will do!

I like Pork loin roasts as well....never cooked one for the holidays however. That tends to be more of a Sunday night thing, along with roasted chicken

On a tangent a bit.....shoot me your best chicken roasting techniques. Hell, tell me how you make your gravy too!

When it comes to roasting a chicken, it's all about technique and simplicity. Start with a great bird, truss it (I use a little different trussing method that pushes up the breast) temper the bird, season simply, and roast in a hot oven. Here is a short video of Thomas Keller roasting a bird...

Simple Roast Chicken

As for pan gravy. I almost always use good stock and a roux to thicken.

GA is spot on. Keller's basic chicken recipe is one that I've used for years.

And get an air chilled bird. And for crisp skin, make sure the bird is dry, dry dry when it hits the oven. Plenty of kosher salt all over the bird before roasting. Helps with the skin and tastes great.

PH