Lessons in Roast Beef

Using frozen meat definitely calls for advanced planning. It's called thawing time, and the bigger the cut the longer is needed. I generally am not a fan of the microwave, and one should NEVER thaw grass-fed beef in the microwave. It's the first cardinal rule. The microwave will begin the cooking process in the meat and cause tough spots in your already lean piece of beef. Planning ahead isn't a bad thing, though. It gives a surprisingly positive bit of structure to our often chaotic week. For example, the sirloin tip roast we ate this week took two entire days in the refrigerator to thaw as well as three hours on the kitchen counter to come to room temperature before cooking. Fortunately after all that wait it took roughly an hour to prepare. We had committed on Saturday, though, to be eating that roast on Monday night. This may be common custom for many, but I have unfortunately been a "what am I making for dinner tonight" kind of person. As I said, the structure was good. I plan to try it a little more often now.

The downside was that I had two plus days to fret about making my first roast beef. Yes, I have been cooking for over 15 years, and I really don't believe I have made roast beef. I seldom eat it. We are not a lunch meat sandwich family, and it certainly isn't what I choose at the carving station. And if we do use a roast, I almost always use the slow cooker or make a pot roast. But I was thinking traditional, slice it for dinner and have some left over for panini, roast beef. Given our schedule that day, I had decided that roasting would be the most convenient way to prepare our meat. With our sirloin-tip roast it should be as simple as browning it in a skillet and finishing it in the oven for a short while.

In my traditional going backwards manner, I then set about learning what makes good roast beef: what are the best cuts; what seasonings or sauces work well; how hot should the oven be; at what internal temperature should it be removed. It's no surprise that the best roast beef is made from the best cuts of the cow. We had all our best cuts made into steaks, so I guess I'll have to save the perfect roast beef for another side. I had already committed myself to the sirloin tip though (mainly because it was the first roast I came to in the freezer, and I was up to a new year's challenge). Though obviously I quickly learned that using a roast from the hind-leg of the cow wasn't going to lend itself to the traditional melt-in-your-mouth sort of roast beef. That's right. Sirloin tip doesn't actually come from the sirloin section of the cow but the rump section. It is a transition between the two, so as long as it is not overcooked it can make for a very nice roast. Let me repeat that: as long as the sirloin tip roast is not overcooked, it can make for a very nice roast. I found a recipe that called for the particular cut and fit my time frame. Plus, it had a delicious sauce, which would help since the meat probably wouldn't stand on its own (and it would make my husband very happy). The recipe I chose is below. It's Giada De Laurentiis' Italian version of roast beef with a spicy parsley tomato sauce that is basically a chimichurri sauce with the addition of roasted roma tomatoes.

Note: This recipe would be absolutely terrific in the summertime when the romas are bursting in the garden and the parsley is full. I refused to buy the very lackluster Mexican romas in our grocery store and opted for canned plum tomatoes. The upside is that canned tomatoes are picked when ripe. The downside for this recipe is that the canned tomatoes are packed in juice and puree. So instead of shriveling down into roasted sweet tomato goodness in the oven they tasted pretty much just like cooked tomatoes. They were quite tasty in the sauce, but I will make it again when my locally sourced ingredients can do the recipe justice.

As far as cooking the meat goes, I have already become a victim of the pitfalls I mentioned in my first post on this subject. Recipes are generally written for grocery store, grain-fed beef. This one is no exception. After overcooking the end parts of my meat (the one thing that will ruin a sirloin tip roast!), I have found the following tips on grass-fed roasts:

• Lower the oven temperature recommended by the recipe by at least 50 degrees. The absence of fat in the meat means less moisture. Lower heat will release the juices more slowly.
• As with most roasts, brown it quickly on all sides in a skillet before putting it into the oven to roast. This step will help the meat retain that juiciness and therefore, flavor.
• Cook your roast to an internal temperature of 20 degrees less than you would prepare conventional beef. (In the recipe below I would recommend taking the roast out of the oven when the internal temperature reaches 115-120 and then let it rest, covered, for at least 10 minutes. Also, grass-fed meat will cook 30-50% more quickly than conventional.
• Shoot for rare to medium-rare. If you can't stand pink meat, then you are better off making your grass-fed roast in the slow cooker (think low and slow). I found that the end parts of my roast were rather tough and tasteless, even though the middle was a nice medium-rare. Cooking it rare in the very center should ensure that the medium-rare extends through the ends. Also, you would be surprised that kids love rare to medium-rare meat. They haven't built up that aversion to pink! What's not to love? Tender, tasty pieces of beef.

All in all, it was a good experience. I served the roast beef with mashed red new potatoes and our favorite simple kale salad (recipe below). We even utilized the leftovers to make panini. Spread the leftover sauce on the insides of two pieces of country bread. Assemble the sandwich by layering thin slices of the beef as well as a slice of white cheddar cheese. Cook in a panini pan/maker. Yummy!

Kale Salad, feeds 2

1/2 bunch kale (plain or curly)

1 lemon

1 1/2 tsp. creole mustard or other stone-gound mustard

salt and pepper

1/4+ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

Thoroughly wash and dry the kale. Remove the leaves from the ribs. Chop the kale finely. (I recommend slicing it all one direction in "ribbons" and the turning it 90 degrees and repeating.)

In a salad bowl, add the juice of the lemon, the mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Combine with a whisk. Slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream while constantly whisking. Adjust to taste, adding more oil or seasonings.

Add kale to bowl and toss to thoroughly coat.

Roast Beef with Spicy Parsley Tomato Sauce

by Giada De Laurentiis as found on The Food Network

Ingredients

Roast Beef:

• 1 (2 to 2 1/2-pound) sirloin tip or chuck beef roast
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 Roma tomatoes, cut in 1/2
• 2 teaspoons herbs de Provence
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Spicy Parsley Tomato Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

To make the beef roast, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper, and herbs de Provence.

Place a medium, heavy roasting pan or Dutch oven over high heat. Heat the olive oil. Sear the beef over high heat on all sides. Turn off heat. Place the seasoned tomatoes around the seared beef and place the pan in the oven. Roast until a meat thermometer reads 130 degrees F. for medium rare, 135 for medium, about 30 to 40 minutes. Take the roast out of the oven, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. The internal temperature of the meat should rise 5 degrees F more and the juices will redistribute into the roast.

To make the sauce, place the parsley and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the parsley is finely chopped. Add the red pepper flakes, salt, red wine vinegar and the roasted tomatoes from the beef pan and process until pureed. Add the olive oil in a steady stream with the machine running.

To serve, slice the roast and place on a serving platter. Drizzle a little sauce over the meat. Serve the remaining sauce in a small bowl alongside.