From House To Home

Q: Dear Christopher: I’m terrible at cooking meat, especially roasts. I never know when the meat is done and I can’t tell you how many times I end up making pot roast out of prime expensive beef that I intended to be medium rare. What’s the secret? Chris in Lancaster, PA

A: Dear Chris: Like cooking souffles, meat prep terrifies most people. And yet it’s the easiest way to feed a crowd. It’s great served at room temperature and wonderful as leftovers. First of all, get a really good cut of meat. Most good cookbooks today break down the various cuts of beef and their recommended uses. If it’s the centerpiece of your dinner, don’t skimp. If you’re still looking for a bargain, the shopping clubs have surprisingly wonderful meat. In fact, Julia Child (and many other top chefs) said she used Costco. And so do I.

Once home, don’t over-season the meat with complicated rubs. A great cut of beef only needs a generous salt and peppering. So skip the marinades here and reserve them for tougher grades of meat like pot roasts.

The most important thing you need to do is to get yourself a very good instant-read thermometer. That’s truly your best defense against serving shoe leather to unsuspecting guests. While that sounds simplistic, you’d be surprised at how many people use unreliable thermometers and their success is hit or miss and they don’t know why. Now, I’m not talking about the five-dollar one you find at your local supermarket. Nor do I recommend the fifteen-dollar ones made by the cigarette lighter people. After trying many—to reduce my own anxiety—the very best one I’ve found is called the Super-fast Thermapen 5 by Thermoworks. It’s battery operated, compact (fits in your pocket) and has a huge digital display screen. Now brace yourself: it costs about a hundred and twenty five dollars but is worth EVERY cent (especially with the price per pound of good beef always on the incline). I’ve given these as gifts to my gourmet friends who “have everything” and the reviews are always through the roof. 

Next, look for new recipes that require you to cook the meat for a shorter time at a higher heat (400-425 degrees).  Some of the old-fashioned cookbooks really don’t offer timetables that fit today’s beef standards. Most people overcook meat when, in fact, it needs far less time than you’d suspect. Use your thermometer to test that the meat is about 140 degrees for medium rare. Then take it out of the oven no matter what. Meaning, trust your expensive thermometer. Ten minutes more can make the difference between medium rare and well done.

As soon as the meat comes out, place it directly on your cutting board. Don’t leave it in the hot pan it was roasted in or it will continue to cook too much. As soon as the roast hits the cutting board, cover it tightly with foil and let rest for at least fifteen minutes before carving. It will continue to cook another five degrees. Just-roasted meat is tight and has, in essence, flexed under high heat.  As it cools, it relaxes and allows the juices to slowly seep back into the center of the roast. That way all the juices, and the flavor, stay in the meat and don’t end up all over the cutting board.

Next, carve the roast across the grain, not with the grain, using a good sharp knife (but not a serrated one). Your beef should be bright pink throughout, not just in the center. I like to serve half-inch beef slices on a platter over a bed of arugula. It has a peppery flavor that complements the beef and holds up without wilting too much.

I dress the greens with a simple olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing and a hit of fresh limejuice. I’ll sometimes garnish with shaved parmesan or crumbled blue cheese & sliced red onion along with a few halved cherry tomatoes here and there for color. I like to accompany this dish with roasted asparagus.

Check out Ask Christopher next week for ALL NEW questions and answers.