BBQ ROAST - How to make it tender and juicy
- bbqspark
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
We offer you a classic Sunday recipe that is made by all the grandmothers in Italy: roast beef.
Of course, we'll barbecue it to offer you a delicious alternative, which will make it incredibly tender and juicy!
INGREDIENTS
Beef - priest's hat
Brisket Rub - with the addition of fennel, garlic, thyme and dried tomatoes
Butter
PREPARATION
If we take the "priest's hat," we'll notice a thin vein of collagen in the center of the cut. This characteristic indicates that we need to pay attention to the cooking process, which must be prolonged and above 80°C to dissolve the collagen.
Often, there is a layer of fat covering the piece, but underneath there is also a sinewy layer, which is difficult to cook and chew.
We'll then try removing the entire layer of fat and removing the tendinous tissue, then replacing the fat and tying it all together before seasoning. This way, the natural covering of the fatty meat will protect the roast from direct heat during the searing process and help keep it moist.
Once the roast has been tied to the layer of fat with kitchen string, we proceed by seasoning each side of the meat with the previously prepared rub.
All we have to do is insert the probe exactly into the collagen vein in the center of the cut of meat, until we reach the heart.
Before proceeding with cooking the roast we must set up the barbecue correctly.
In this case, we will use a charcoal brazier and set it up with a double setup: on one side, a grill will be installed in direct contact with the charcoal, while on the other, we will set up grates that will be separated from the heat by a deflector.
We will use the grill for browning (direct setup), while the grills will be used for slow cooking (indirect setup).
Before starting to sear the meat, grease the entire surface of the grill with butter. The searing should be done quickly, at a high temperature, and on all sides of the roast.
Once this first cooking phase is complete, we move the meat to the indirect zone, turning the fat side up: in this way, as it melts, it will drip all over the roast.
The internal temperature of the barbecue should be set around 120 - 130 °C, while the target temperature at the core of the meat should be set on the probe at 84 °C.
We monitor the state of the meat as it cooks, reaching a temperature of around 50°C at the core: if the external surface of the roast is a little dry, we proceed by foiling it until the end of cooking.
After about two and a half hours of cooking, the meat has reached the preset temperature on the probe of 84°C and we can remove it from the BBQ.
When you remove the roast from the foil , you'll notice that it has shrunk significantly. When cut, the meat remains firm, yet tender and juicy.
The collagen vein remains in the center, but thanks to the cooking method used, it is no longer tough, but soft and gelatinous.
We've shown you how even grandma's roast can be enriched with the aroma of charcoal, using a cooking method that's certainly not traditional, but technically perfect.
