Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Classic Rib Roast

If you've been hiding under a rock, you mightn't know that my favourite butcher Pat Whelan has opened a shop inside the new Avoca store in Monkstown, Co. Dublin to add to his original store in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.  I have a lot of love for this store because they know exactly where their meat comes from and the premises themselves are absolutely stunning with a completely open shop so you can see the butchery area - nothing is hidden away.




Anyway, after the turkey and ham fest of Christmas, I decided that we needed to celebrate the New Year with some beef.  A rib roast to be precise, which is one of my most favourite cuts of beef in the world.  I double checked that they had it in stock as Monkstown is a bit of a drive from Maison Babaduck and illegally parked the car so I could run in and collect a 1.5kg rib roast for our New Year dinner.  Now I know it's an extravagance (it cost €32.78 to be precise) but you would spend that on a takeaway for two and it wouldn't taste an iota as good as this.  The trick with this cut of beef is to keep it simple - season it, roast it, rest it and eat it.



Classic Rib Roast




I started by patting the joint all over with kitchen paper to remove any excess moisture and then seasoned it really well with sea salt and pepper, pressing it well in, so it would stick.  Then I seared it in some Irish Rapeseed oil in the roasting tray on the hob on a high heat until it was browned all over.



I added some halved carrots, onions, a bulb of smoked garlic and lots of thyme sprigs to the tin, placed the joint on top and roasted it at 200c/Gas Mark 7 for 20 minutes.  I then turned down the heat to 160c/Gas Mark 3 for 55 minutes (15 mins per lb/450g for rare and 20 mins for medium) and then removed the beef from the oven and put it into a large dish, covered it with foil and let it rest for 30 minutes.


In the meantime, I added a large glass of red wine to the roasting tray & brought it to the boil on the hob, stirring like mad & using the carrots and onions to scrape up any bits stuck to the roasting tin.  I then added a Beef Touch of Taste stockpot and stirred that in (yes it's a shortcut but it's a good one).  I then poured the juices from the beef plate into the roasting tin - it all adds to the flavour.  You'll need to strain the gravy - I put a colander inside a large bowl & pour the contents of the roasting tray into it, giving it a good stir to make sure all the gravy reaches the bowl. Then I tip the leftovers straight into the kitchen bin which I have dragged over to the worktop rather than drip gravy all over the floor - this drives The Hubs mad as he's my kitchen porter...



Once the beef has rested for 30 minutes, it's ready to carve.  A very sharp knife & thin slices make the most of this cut.  Serve with delicious gravy, spuds & loads of veg.  I used the mashed up roasted smoked garlic & some butter as a quick saute sauce for some steamed broccoli for the veg-allergic Hubs.  He ate it.  That's a great recommendation.

6 comments:

  1. Swoontastic beefy post Aoife. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I need some rib roast in my life. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Imen - it has made three spectacular dinners so far & one more to come tomorrow. I've never known The Hubs to be so impressed by a joint of meat in his life... he's volunteered to call to Avoca in Monkstown to collect an order for me whenever I want!!!

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  3. Lovely! We had a rib of beef for xmas too from McGraths butchers in Lismore. They farm their own animals and have an abbatoir at the back of the butchers - terrific meat! Must try Pats.

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  4. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about McGraths - sadly a bit far for me to travel to - but I'll get there eventually! I remember you tweeting about the beef & thinking "can't wait for New Year"

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  5. This looks amazing and cooked just how I like it!! Delicious.

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  6. It was phenomenal - we had it like this twice, then it went into sandwiches, a Monte Cristo type and finally soup. I miss it!

    p.s. Loving the new website

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