First time ever I cooked rare roast beef worth eating!

[csziggy]

Usually my roast beef is dry, tough, and over done. Last night's was really good AND it was only a cheap shoulder cut! Even so, it was tender, juicy and delicious.

First, I used Alton Brown's marinade for Beef:
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce (I was out so left this off)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, slightly crushed
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (I used honey mustard)
1 tablespoon olive oil

And marinated the boneless shoulder roast from Wednesday until last night. Took the roast out of the oven for an hour - should have been longer since it was not at room temperature when it went in the oven.

Then I seared the outside well, put the roast in a 350 F oven and roasted until it was 130 F interior temperature. Let it sit for 10 minutes and sliced it.

Served it au jus with roasted fingerling potatoes and fresh green beans. Heaven!

I only cook beef about once a month and haven't wanted to waste my money on good beef cuts since I sucked at cooking them. Next time I want roast beef, I will buy a good grass fed piece!

[Dalai_1]

1. This sounds wonderful!

Thank you for sharing the recipe.

[csziggy]

2. One of the Alton Brown shows had it

But he used a standing rib roast if I remember correctly. With my horrible record of bad roasts, no way would I have spent the kind of money to buy one of those! The food coop sells locally grown grass fed beef but it's pricey so I wanted to be sure I could do it justice before I bought any. I was expecting the shoulder roast to be tough, but it was surprisingly tender.

[Jazzgirl]

3. Alton really has some great recipes.

I've used his rib roast recipe with great results.

[csziggy]

4. I like learning the science behind the cooking methods

I'm sorry he's not making new shows but I'll keep watching the old ones.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

7. I really like Alton Brown except for two things

Last edited Mon Dec 17, 2012, 11:51 AM - Edit history (1)

The first is that he tries too hard and too often to be cute. Sometimes it works, but often it is merely annoying.

The second is that he is prejudiced about certain things. He breaks eggs on a flat surface because he says that cracking them on the edge of a bowl tends to get shell in with the egg. My mother taught me to crack eggs on the edge of a bowl, but I thought I would try it Alton’s way. I got shell in with the egg.

He despises spring-form pans, but I love them. I use mine as my usual cake tin for any kind of cake.

He’s often stated, categorically, that he won’t have a single-use tool in his kitchen. And then he goes on to tell us all about things like waffle irons, and deep-fat fryers, and pasta makers and equipment like that -- single use every one of them. And, of course, he’s always seeing single-use (sometimes one-of-a-kind, custom built) tools on Iron Chef and insisting, “I’ve got to get one of those!”

I happen to own a Swiss Army Knife. Many of the tools on it are essentially useless -- I particularly refer to the corkscrew, which is too short, and the knife itself makes a terrible handle. I prefer a single use tool which does its job well to a multitasker which does several jobs not so well.

[csziggy]

9. Look for his tenth anniversary show

It's basically a history of the series up to that point and he talks about the cutsy ways they used to teach the science. Yeah, sometimes it's stupid, but with nearly no budget they did pretty good most of the time.

If I tried to crack an egg on a flat surface there would be egg all over the counter! I almost never get shell in my egg - and they are easy to get out using large pieces of shell to scoop them.

I know - the single use thing is annoying. Sometimes the right tool is what is needed. I'm [particularly bad about using tools for uses other than their original purpose. My bacon weight is perfect for making grilled cheese and panini sandwiches, LOL.

[Jazzgirl]

13. Lol! Me too with shells in the eggs!

I do it however I feel like now.

[Tab]

5. I don't know whether I buy the wrong cut or what

but whenever I buy what I think will be roast beef never quite works out. I usually don't bother. I should ask a butcher.

On edit: Thank you for saying "served it au jus" not "served it with au jus" otherwise I'd have to slap you.

[csziggy]

6. That's what I always blamed my failures on

But this piece was a cheap shoulder cut, the type I would usually make as a pot roast. Even reheated tonight, the meat was still tender. Next time, maybe I'll go for a tenderloin!

From the Alton Brown show about cooking roasts, the trick is to not rely on the time in the oven to get the exterior browned. That is why searing it on the stove top helps. Sear it to caramelize the outside, then roast until the interior is at the temperature you need. I went for 130 F because I like rare meat.

LOL on the "au jus"! I've learned a few things from reading cookbooks.

[Tab]

8. I don't ever do "time in the oven"

because ovens are all over the place, meats are all over the place in terms of size, mass, shape, etc., and starting temps are all over the place. If I'm not familiar with a preparation, I go with the instant thermometer. The only time I do "time in the oven" is if I'm heating some frozen pizza or something, which I thankfully do rarely (no pun intended).

I'll give it another shot; I'd like to make a nice prime rib, actually. I do think I need to visit a butcher, tho...

[csziggy]

10. Yeah, time in oven is a suggestion

I've got a convection oven so often the cooking times are less than recommended. But now that I've used it for five years, I've learned how to adjust for the changed times - usually.

Interior temp is much more reliable for meats and sometimes breads.

[Tab]

11. I didn't mention that, but yes.

I have a convection too. But even if I used regular bake mode, it still varies. Bake in my oven is different than bake in my mother's oven, which is different than bake in my mother-in-law's oven (which only runs @350, fer chrissake), which is likely different than the recipe creator's oven, and the oven is only part of the equation.

[Kali]

12. 2 comments

you almost CAN'T ruin a standing rib roast. they are usually so well marbled, even if you over cook they will still be edible, but for goodness sake don't overcook! so don't be afraid to try a good rib roast. I rarely marinade any meat - (and honestly I am kind of mortified anyone would suggest it for a rib roast) for a dry roasted beef (not a post roast braised in liquid) I cover with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, lemon pepper - especially on the fat layer. roast in a shallow pan at 325 (350 is fine if the meat is high quality) for about 15 to 20 min/lb and use an instant read for just at rare, rest lightly covered with a dish towel while making gravy/sauce. try not to pick at the crusty fat. the lower temp

tenderloin is actually boring to me, I like beef on the bone with a bit of fat

grass fed is usually MUCH leaner, does better low and slow, although it will be done sooner

for grassfed steaks (or burger) adding some oil for cooking is almost mandatory.

[csziggy]

14. Thanks! Maybe I'll try a standing rib roast someday

And no, I wouldn't marinade it, probably just salt & pepper, maybe some garlic. I still like the searing idea since I like my beef very rare but with a good outer crust. That also gets it nicely coated with oil.

I guess when thinking tenderloin, I was thinking of the success I've had with pork tenderloin. I buy whole boneless ones on sale, cut some nice chops and a small roast or two, and I'm set for pork for a year!