When cooking a beef roast it is important to know that seasoning added to the surface of the meat before roasting will only penetrate the meat a small fraction. Large beef roasts, like beef ribs and rounds usually have mostly fat covering or bone. The reason the seasoning of a beef roast has little effect is because the fat and bones are not commonly eaten. This is why it is important to know two alternative techniques when seasoning a beef roast right before roasting.
- Marinate the meat or apply seasonings in advance, to give the time for flavors to penetrate.
- Serve the beef roast with a flavorful sauce, gravy, or jus. The sauce serves as a seasoning and favoring for the meat.
- Another way to add flavor to beef roasts is to smoke-roast them. The flavor of wood smoke in cooked meats is delicious.
When cooking beef roasts it is also important to roast them fat side up. When you roast them with the fat side up, the fat melts and runs down the sides and provides continuous basting. Also, when cooking a beef roast, it is better to cook the meat on low temperatures. This increases the tenderness in the beef roast.
This is the Basic Procedure for Roasting Meats
- Collect all equipment and food supplies. Select roasting pans that have low sides (so moisture vapor does not collect around the roast) and that are large enough to hold the roast. if pans are too large, drippings will spread out too thin and burn.
- Prepare or trim meat for roasting. Heavy fat coverings should be trimmed to a 1/2 inch thick.
- Season meat several hours ahead or the day before.
- Place meat fat side up on a rack in the roasting pan. The rack holds the roast out of the drippings. Bones may be used if no rack is available. Bone-in rib roasts need no rack because the bones act as a natural rack.
- Insert a meat thermometer into the center of the meat.
- Do not cover or add water to the pan. Roasting is a dry heat cooking method.
- Place meat in oven, which has been preheated to desired temperature.
- Roast to your desired doneness, allowing for carry over cooking.
- Add mirepoix to the pan during the last half of the cooking period. (optional)
- Remove roast from oven and let stand in a warm place 15 to 30 minutes. This allows the juices to be re-absorbed through the meat so less juice is lost when the meat is sliced. Resting the meat also makes slicing the meat easier.
- If the meat must be held, place it in an oven or warmer set no higher than the desired internal temperature of the roast.
- While the roast is resting, prepare jus or pan gravy from the drippings. Mirepoix may be added to the drippings now if it was not added in step 8.
- Slice the roast as close to the time you plan on serving it. Slice the meat against the grain for tenderness.
ROAST RIB OF BEEF with Au Jus/Serves 20 to 25
Ingredients
- 20lb beef rib, roast ready, bone in (average size)
- 8oz Onions
- 4oz Carrots
- 4oz Celery
- 2qt Brown stock
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
How To Put It Together
- Place the meat fat side up in a roasting pan.
- Use a thermometer and insert it in the center of the roast.
- Place meat in a preheated 300 degrees F oven. Roast until rare or medium done, as desired, allowing for carryover cooking. Thermometer readings are, Rare: 120 degrees F, Medium: 130 degrees F. Note: the outer slices will be cooked more than the center. Roasting time will be atleast 3 to 4 hours.
- Remove the meat from the pan and let stand in a warm place 30 minutes before carving.
- Drain off all but about 3 to 4 oz of the fat from the roasting pan. Try to keep any juices in the pan. Add the mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery) to the pan.
- Set the pan over high heat and cook until mirepoix is brown and moisture has evaporated, leaving only fat, mirepoix, and browned drippings.
- Pour off any excess fat.
- Pour about 1 pt of stock into the roasting pan to deglaze it. Stir over heat until brown drippings are dissolved.
- Pour the deglazing liquid and mirepoix into a saucepot with the remaining stock. Simmer until mirepoix is soft and liquid is reduced by about one-third.
- Strain through a china cap lined with cheesecloth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- When serving, cut down beside the bones to free the meat, and slice the meat across the grain.
- Serve each slice with Jus.
ROAST BEEF GRAVY
Ingredients
- Pan drippings from roast beef
- 8oz Onions
- 4oz Carrots
- 4oz Celery
- 2qt Brown stock
- 4oz Tomato puree
- 4oz Flour
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- Worcestershire to taste
How To Put It Together
- After removing the roast, add the mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery) to the drippings in the roasting pan.
- Set the pan over high heat and cook until mirepoix is brown and moisture has evaporated, leaving only fat, mirepoix, and browned drippings.
- Pour off and save the fat.
- Deglaze the pan with some of the stock. Pour the deglazing liquid and mirepoix into a saucepot with the remaining stock. Add the tomato puree. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.
- Make a brown roux with flour and 4oz of the reserved fat. Cool the roux slightly and beat it into the simmering stock to thicken it. (or you can just add 11/2 oz cornstarch with 1/2 cup cold water or stock instead of a roux)
- Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until all raw flour taste is cooked out and liquid is reduced slightly.
- Strain through a china cap.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.