Slow Roasted Beef Cooks Illustrated Recipe 45 Food

SLOW ROASTED BEEF (COOK'S ILLUSTRATED) RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• Sprinkle all sides of roast evenly with salt. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 18 to 24 hours. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 225°F. Pat roast dry with paper towels; rub with 2 teaspoons oil and sprinkle all sides evenly with pepper. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until starting to smoke. Sear roast until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer roast to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Roast until meat-probe thermometer or instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 115°F for medium-rare, 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours, or 125°F for medium, 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours. Turn oven off; leave roast in oven, without opening door, until meat-probe thermometer or instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 130°F for medium-rare or 140°F for medium, 30 to 50 minutes longer. Transfer roast to carving board and let rest 15 minutes. Slice meat crosswise as thinly as possible and serve. We don't recommend cooking this roast past medium. Open the oven door as little as possible and remove the roast from the oven while taking its temperature. If the roast has not reached the desired temperature in the time specified in step 3, heat the oven to 225°F for 5 minutes, shut it off, and continue to cook the roast to the desired temperature. For a smaller (2 1/2- to 3 1/2-pound) roast, reduce the amount of kosher salt to 3 teaspoons (1 1/2 teaspoons table salt) and black pepper to 1 1/2 teaspoons. For a 4 1/2- to 6-pound roast, cut in half crosswise before cooking to create 2 smaller roasts. Slice the roast as thinly as possible and serve with Horseradish Cream Sauce ), if desired.

VODKA PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses.
• Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour).
• Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade.
• Add remaining 1 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses.
• Empty mixture into medium bowl.
• Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture.
• With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together.
• Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk.
• Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

SIMPLE PERFECT POT ROAST

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300°F.
• Thoroughly pat roast dry with paper towels; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium high heat until shimmering but not smoking.
• Brown roast thoroughly on all sides, reducing heat if fat begins to smoke, 8- 10 minutes.
• Transfer roast to a large plate; set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium; add onion, carrot, and celery to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6- 8 minutes.
• Add garlic and sugar; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add chicken and beef broths and thyme, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits.
• Return roast and any accumulated juices to pot; add enough water to come halfway up sides of roast.
• Bring liquid to simmer over medium heat, then cover tightly and transfer pot to oven.
• Cook, turning roast every 30 minutes until fully tender and meat fork slips in and out of meat very easily (3 1/2- 4 hours).
• Transfer roast to carving board, tent with foil to keep warm.
• Allow liquid in pot to settle about 5 minutes, then use wide spoon to skim fat off surface; discard thyme sprig.
• Boil over high heat until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 8 minutes.
• Add red wine and reduce again to 1 1/2 cups, about 2 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cut meat into 1/2 inch slices, or pull apart in pieces; transfer meat to warmed serving platter and pour about 1/2 cup sauce over meat.
• Serve, passing remaining sauce.
• Note: Can add small red potatoes and sliced carrots and/or parsnips about 45 minutes before roast is finished.

SLOW-ROASTED BEEF

Steps:

• Pat roast dry with paper towels. Rub generously with salt (at least 1/4 cup) and pepper on all sides. Shake the roast gently, allowing any excess salt and pepper to fall off.
• Place a wire rack in a small rimmed baking sheet or lay 5 to 6 metal skewers across a large plate or baking sheet. Place roast on top of rack or skewers, making sure it is fully elevated above the bottom of the baking sheet. Place elevated roast on the bottom rack of your refrigerator, uncovered (or loosely covered with foil, if you are squeamish about raw meat), and let rest undisturbed for at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours.
• Transfer baking sheet with elevated roast directly from the refrigerator into a cold oven and set oven temperature to 225 degrees. Cook until the center of the roast reaches 120 degrees for rare, or 130 degrees for medium, as tested with a digital thermometer. Depending on the oven and the exact geometry of the roast, this will take 1 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Remove baking sheet with roast from oven and set on a trivet or on top of your stovetop. Let the roast rest on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet (any heavy skillet without a nonstick coating will do) over high until lightly smoking. Sear roast, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 4 minutes total.
• Carve into thin slices with a sharp knife and serve what you'll eat today. When finished, carve remaining roast. Carefully lay fanned slices into zipper-lock freezer bags in layers no thicker than 1/2 inch. Squeeze out as much air as possible and stack sealed bags on an aluminum baking sheet. Place in freezer until completely frozen. Store frozen for up to 2 months.
• To thaw, place one bag of frozen sliced steak on an aluminum baking sheet at room temperature until defrosted, about 45 minutes. It is important to use an aluminum sheet, as the high thermal conductivity of aluminum greatly speeds up the thawing process. Use thawed sliced steak as desired.