Roast Beef Perfection?

 

Here's the thing. You drive over to the local Dallas Tom Overpriced Thumb in search of Boxing Day provisions, and what do you find? A lonely, less than half-price, New York Strip roast. Whoa, apparently no one wanted this bad boy before Christmas because it cost an absurd Bidenflation 70 bucks. So now it sits orphaned and unwanted on the slave block of fate at a mere 24 USD. So what do you do?

Buy it, of course, and thank the Gods of Roast Beef for their largesse. Good work, you've rescued this superior cut of beef from the scandal of back alley dumpsterism. Well done, but your work isn't over, you have to roast that beef and do it right. Yes, but how?

Gravy Incoming

Here's how. Take the meat out of the fridge and let it rest till room temp, in the meanwhile preheat your oven to 450. It's not hard, listen to triumphant music while you're at it, maybe something by Handel or Hawkwind's Motorhead, your call.

Nice

Then brush the meat with olive oil, grind some black pepper onto the thing, add coarse salt, and place on a vegetable trivot of onion, carrot, garlic and celery. Let the beast sit while the oven heats up and make Yorkshire Pudding batter. It's not hard, I use Gordon Ramsey's recipe because it works. Put the batter in the fridge and the roast in the oven.

RIP, Mr. Glock

Sear at 450 for 15 minutes, then lower heat to 325 and roast for 45 minutes. Watch that thing like a hawk and check with a meat thermometer an hour in. It probably won't be ready and that's a good thing, you have leeway. If so, let it cook for another 15 minutes or so until the meat reaches 120. (4.5 pound timing) When it does, take it out and cover with tinfoil.

Gravy's Out of The Frame, Forgive Absence of Regimental Silver

Let it rest and become perfect as you make Yorkshire Pudding, gravy and reheat Christmas Eve's roast potatoes; that'll take about thirty minutes. Then have at it, and slice that medium rare beef up. And fall upon your scoff.

Like a Warrior,

LSP

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! And you'll forgive the team for going down a beef route as opposed to turkey. A small standing rib and thank you very much. It's resting now, as the Yorkshire Pudding gets fired up.  

Seeing as there's a break in the proceedings, here's some martial music to stir the spirit. To the beat of the drum.

God bless you all and have a great time with family and friends.

Your Old Pal,

LSP

Yorkshire Pudding

You know what they say, idle handle hands make the Devil's work.With that in mind, I put 4 eggs into a bowl along with a cup of flour and 1 1/4 cups of whole milk. Whisk those ingredients together, don't be shy, then put the mix in the fridge for at least 1/2 an hour.

A Typical Street in South Dallas

While you're at it, play the Loser by the Grateful Dead and remind yourself of Jeb!'s pathetic campaign. Sorry, GOP establishment, epic fail.

Yorkshire Pudding

Thirty minutes or so later, put a teaspoon of oil in the bottom of each hole of a muffin tin and put that tin in a preheated oven, at 425*. Give it a good 5 minutes, till it's beginning to smoke, and take the tin out of the oven. 

Quickly pour your mix into the holes of the tin, it should sizzle. I use a 1/4 cup measure. Job done, put it back in the oven for 25 minutes, until the batter has risen and begun to crisp on the outside. This last bit's important because if the pudding mixture doesn't get crispy it won't have the strength to hold itself up, and the puddings will collapse. There's a technical name for this, aseity, synderesis, or something.

Put it on The Plate

Avoid that catastrophe by leaving the tin in the oven long enough, but not so long as to bern the wretched mix and ruin everything.

Baking done, remove the tin from the oven and admire the result, you've done well. Now eat those Yorkshire Puddings.

Like a Champion,

LSP

A Short Walk in the Snow

"I am just going outside and may be some time," I said to no one in particular, as I left our shelter in search of beef broth.

The snow had intensified, making it hard to see, but in the distance I could just make out the Cult Collective, rising out of the drifts. I knew there was a shop nearby that sold broth, but would I make it?

I did, barely, and sensibly managed to detour out of the wind to a pub, where I drank a pint and watched the snow.

Later on we ate a standing rib with roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. It was delicious.

Stay warm,

LSP

Cooking With Kershaw

My pal's "squirrel rig" consists of a Ruger 10/22, an inexpensive fixed power 4x40 scope and a sling. He dialed it in yesterday evening while I plinked about with a Marlin bolt action .22; good fun, though I wasn't very impressed by my marksmanship with the Marlin 981T. 

Stir the Veg

After that we fell back to the compound for a simple meal of bread and cheese, chicken pot pie and Yorkshire pudding. My $10 (thanks Walmart) Kershaw folder did fierce work on an onion and some carrots.

Open the Wine

Came in handy too when it was time to open up a bottle of Duck Commander, which is a novelty wine you can buy at Walmart. It tasted alright.

Chuck it in the oven

Didn't hurt the pastry either.

Well done, Kershaw, for helping out with the meal! And let's see how the "squirrel rig" performs in action. I predict success.

Cheers,

LSP