Making do: beef
One of the rules of thumb in cooking is to incorporate and only use the best ingredients. I agree with this whole heartedly... but then reality sets in and perhaps you, like me, realize that the cost of the finest ingredients in or out of season isn’t practical or even an option. Indeed, the idea of the best ingredients on tap year round is quite a new innovation. I come from the Caribbean where the best of everything isn’t always available. While we may have an abundance of “the best” fish (red snapper, bonito, king fish, yellow tail – I die with delight) fresh fruits (in season) and root vegetables. The Caribbean has a food history of salted meats as a means of preservation due to lack of cold weather and refrigeration. Further every island especially those volcanic in nature and hilly, does not have much arable land, this means more mutton less beef.
The “best beef” in the Caribbean was and remains really expensive as it is imported from larger islands like Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago and Puerto Rico.
What if the best beef isn’t available? Living in Saudi Arabia, where the selection of great beef is limited, has taught me to revisit lessons taught to me by my Caribbean family and the Jewish mothers I know.
After spoiling two whole meals in Saudi (both beef tip salads – which would have been glorious had I thought them through a little more) I cut out buying or even consuming beef for the first year and a half of my residence here. After consulting my mother, who was taken aback at my elitism, (how dare I complain that there was “no decent beef” to hand) I went back to basic principles and revisited my local super markets determined to make do with what was on offer. A large part of living well is making the absolute best out of what you can afford and what is available.
Basic principles:
Marbling – The number one thing I always look to (thanks Jewish moms) is the marbling of the beef. I still remember Mrs. Lustbader enthusiastically and emphatically informing myself and her mortified daughter, Alana, “Fat is flavor girls!” What is marbling? It is the white streaks of fat within the lean sections of the meat. Certain cuts of beef have more marbling than others, although marbling depends largely on the diet of the animal. Go to cuts for good marbling, (regardless of whether the animal was feed on the sweetest grass on the sunniest hill and sang a lullaby each night) are beef rib and short loin.
Cut – The cut is important because it determines not only the purpose of the beef but how tender the beef will be once its cooked. Beef tenderloin is, as it states, tender but doesn’t have much marbling which translates to lack of moisture and flavor. In Saudi Arabia, “prestige cuts” of beef seem to be popular but are easily ruined because of the leanness (lack of marbling). I flat out avoid these as I don’t have the coin to waste, especially when the other elements in the beef are lacking. Other prestige cuts that have the least amount of marbling which is readily on offer here are beef round and sirloin.
Color – Color is basic but so important as you can determine how fresh the meat is by just looking at it. The color of raw beef should be vibrant and uniform think bright cherry red, lamb should be light red to brick red and veal should be a brownish pink. These are the rules! If meat has been hung too long at the abattoir or has been handled poorly or frozen before you purchase in the store (gasp) you can tell.
Purpose – My mom is the best when it comes to making beautiful feast out of $5.00 and hope. How does she do it? She knows that every piece of meat has its purpose and she prepares the meat toward that purpose. Beef in my family home usually came in the form of the most amazing stews. Cheaper chunk cuts to feed ravenous boys, enhanced with moisture and stretchable so that there were always left overs to spare. Here in Saudi, I have internalized this concept by realizing that I am going to most likely going to select a cut of meat with the “bone in” which best suited for slow roasting and that will provide left overs as I can’t cook every day.
Slow roast beef
Use the basic principles above to select your cut of beef paying special attention to marbling. If your selection is limited stay away from lean cuts as suggested above. Fat is necessary to the slow roast process otherwise your meat will get tough quick and be flavorless.
Prepare your beef by marinating and resting it before cooking.
Marinating: (prepare a mixture of the following)
Salt
Fresh ground black peppercorns (I prefer this to black pepper powder)
Garlic powder
Rosemary fresh and finely chopped
Dashes of Worchester sauce
Apply the marinade to the meat and let it rest in the fridge for an hour at a minimum.
Heat a large pan uniformly adding a bit of olive oil and butter. Don’t let the olive oil butter mixture burn, but slightly brown. The pan has to be very hot before adding the meat though.
Brown, don’t cook, the meat uniformly on all sides. This shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes depending on the heat of the pan and the size of the meat. When cutting into the meat it should be extremely rare.
Rest the meat
In a large roasting pan or cast iron pot with lid, add half a head of peeled fresh garlic, two sprigs of fresh thyme, and one large onion quartered. Rest the meat on top. Cover the meat with about 2 cups of beef broth and 1 cup red. The meat should be just submerged.
In a 400 degree preheated oven cover the meat with the lid or create a dome of aluminum foil for your roasting pan. Drop the temperature of the oven to 250 – 300 degrees depending on the size of the meat and cook for 3 hours. At the 2.5 hour mark check the meat making sure to turn it over.
What I love about this method is that it frees me to do so many other things while the meat does its thing in the oven and the smell is glorious! When completely cooked the meat should be falling off the bone juicy and tender.
I usually get several meals to share out of this recipe. Recently I was lucky enough to get:
Hor d’oeuvres for 20 guests (slow roast beef stuffed yorkshire puddings dressed with a cranberry compote)
Tastings for Vicky
Three lunches for two people (Onion bread fresh made, with butter lettuce, slow roast beef, caramelized onions, and dressed with the same cranberry compote)
Tastings/greediness for me
I hope that this helps with your preparation of beef. Don’t be intimidated. Live better, do the best with what you have!