The Roasted Beast
I don’t suppose that many of us could say we have a “normal” family life. What we experienced as children in the ‘50s and viewed on television back then is just not a reality in today’s fast-paced society. Mothers work, fathers sometimes have more than one job and may even have to leave the city to find work. Competition is so fierce in the job market, that there is no such thing as a nine-to-five, five day work-week anymore. It is no wonder that we find it so difficult to maintain the traditions of our childhood.
One of the unfortunate casualties of this lifestyle change is the family dinner. Growing up, dinner was on the table at six-sharp; five o’clock on Sundays. Being late for dinner usually meant eating a plate of luke-warm food in your bedroom and missing your favourite TV shows. We were brought up to believe that it was a sacrilege to phone anyone between 5:30 and 6:30. And heaven help the poor soul who would dare phone our house during that time. My Dad sat right beside the phone! Of course this changed as we one-by-one got part-time jobs and went off to university. But while you were living at home, those were the rules!
I never had the chance to start this tradition in my home. Working in food services means a lot of evening and weekend hours, and often dinner together meant bringing the kids to the restaurant for dinner while their Dad worked, or I would go for an after-the-rush dinner with Jordan, leaving the kids with a sitter.
Well, better late than never. Jordan and I have finally reached a stage in our careers where we can both be home for dinner at a reasonable hour. Unfortunately, the boys now have jobs, social lives and school activities that take them away at dinner hour. But out of all of this chaos, we have managed to establish Sunday dinner as a “date” when we come together and the boys are welcome to invite girlfriends. I have really gone retro and have returned to doing The Roast. Considering that I don’t eat red meat myself, I think that I do a pretty fair job.
In fact, the hardest thing about cooking a traditional roast beef dinner, is figuring out which cut of roast is the best one to use. Purchasing a roast is often a major household investment. I am sure that I spend as much on one roast as my Mom did for her entire grocery bill. My boys have grown up on Keg Classics, steaks tender enough to cut with a butter knife, and McDonalds hamburgers, no teeth required! It’s a wonder that they have any canine teeth to speak of. Thus, I have to stick to the more tender cuts, but every time I go to the grocer, I swear they have added a new roast to the already overwhelming selection. I stand along- side several other shoppers, often men, puzzling over the difference between Chucks, Blades, Bottom Rounds, Top Sirloins and Standing Ribs. (Called this because it can stand up by itself in the oven pan without a rack.) By experimentation, and after a few disasters, I have found that the boys prefer cuts from the loin of the animal because they are tender, and I like them because I can dry-roast them at a high temperature in under two hours. (I don’t want to be tied to the kitchen all day) I try to find a roast that actually has a fat- cap that will stay on the top of the roast while cooking. Often, I find that the smaller roasts are tied in awkward shapes that will not sit without rolling over on a roasting rack. This past weekend, I actually bought a sirloin tip that had an added fat-cap tied onto the top. Hey, I don’t eat the stuff, I just cook it! I always use a dry rub, consisting of any dry herb mixture that I have handy. This adds flavour to the gravy, as will the placing of onions, celery and carrots around the base of the roast while cooking. I stay away from any roast such as chuck(from the shoulder) or round(from the rear end!).The chucks are more flavourful than other cuts, but tend to be tougher and fatty. The rounds, because they come from muscle tissue that is well used, are tough and lean. Both sections require longer cooking times using liquid, often by stewing.
Of course, nothing beats a prime rib, but I save this for when we have a large crowd. There are just some cuts of beef that cook better huge! It=s the only way you will be able to achieve a gorgeous outer crust and maintain a pink interior.
I variously have tried making Yorkshire Puddings ( a monumental flop), serving Horseradish as a condiment (doesn’t anyone eat horseradish anymore?), and changing the vegetable from peas to Brussel sprouts. (I won’t even tell you the response to that!) I have learned over time to stick to the routine.
There are other cuts that will also work well for oven roasting, including the rib-eye, round tip and rump roasts. Not all cuts that have the word “roast” in their name are suitable for oven roasting. If you are fortunate enough to shop in a store with an on-premise butcher, ask, rather than risk wasting good money on a ruined dinner.