Alton Brown Top Round Roast Recipes

POT ROAST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190-200 degrees F. Place a wide, heavy skillet or fry pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, rub both sides of meat with the salt and cumin. When the pan is hot (really hot) brown meat on both sides and remove from pan. Add just enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan then add the onion and garlic. Stir constantly until onion is softened. Add the tomato juice, vinegar, olives, and raisins. Bring to a boil and reduce the liquid by half. Create a pouch with wide, heavy duty aluminum foil. Place half the reduced liquid/chunk mixture on the foil, add the roast, and then top with the remaining mixture. Close the pouch, and wrap tightly in another complete layer of foil. Cook for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until a fork pushes easily into the meat. Remove from oven and rest (still wrapped) for at least 1/2 hour. Snip off 1 corner of the foil pouch and drain the liquid into a bowl or measuring cup. Add some of the "chunkies" and puree with an immersion blender. Slice meat thinly, or pull apart with a fork. Serve with sauce.

I.C. RUMP ROAST

Steps:

• Install an immersion circulator in a water bath and set it to 135 degrees F.
• Trim any fat and sinew from the exterior of the roast, but don't discard it.
• Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat for 5 minutes. Brush or rub the roast with the oil and season the roast on all sides with the salt.
• Thoroughly sear the roast on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add the trimmings to the skillet and brown alongside the roast.
• Combine the Worcestershire, Dijon, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper in a one-gallon zip-top freezer bag.
• Transfer the seared roast and trimmings to the freezer bag and squish the sauce around to coat. Remove as much air from the bag as possible and seal tightly. Place the bag in the water bath, making sure the meat is completely submerged (see Cook's Note). Cover the water bath with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation.
• After 10 hours, retrieve the bag from the water bath, discard the fatty bits and remove the roast to a carving board. Strain and reserve the jus. Thinly slice the beef across the grain and serve with the jus.

CENTER CUT TENDERLOIN ROAST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Combine kosher salt, black pepper, and cumin in a shallow dish. Roll roast in seasonings, coating well.
• Preheat a cast iron grill pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot, brush the roast with the olive oil, and sear on all sides, approximately 8 to 10 minutes total cooking time. Remove the roast to a plate, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Place the roast back onto the grill pan, put in the oven and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees F, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, wrap in foil, and allow to rest for 30 minutes before cutting.

HOLIDAY STANDING RIB ROAST

Steps:

• Remove any plastic wrap or butcher's paper from the roast. If any twine is tied around the roast (running in the direction of the ribs), leave it in place for now.
• Place the rib roast onto a rack set inside a half sheet pan, baking dish, etc. Airflow around the roast is key. Wrap in at least three layers of the cheesecloth, which will allow air flow while preventing the outer surface of the roast from hardening. Position the wrapped roast so that the ribs are facing downward and stash on the lower level of the refrigerator (set no lower than 34°F and no higher than 38°F) for 5 to 7 days. There's no need to change the cheesecloth during this time. Note: Although this isn't classical "dry aging," which involves a lot of complex enzymatic action, this drying will remove some of the moisture from the roast thus intensifying its flavor.
• When you're ready to cook, retrieve the roastYou can leave it on its rack and half sheet pan. from the refrigerator, remove and discard the cheesecloth, and rub roast with the oil. Remember to rub the bones with oil, as well. Once the roast is completely coated with oil, cover the roast with kosher salt, using about 2 teaspoons per bone, and the pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Place a probe thermometer into the center of the roast and set its alarm for 118°F. Set the roast on the lower middle rack in a cold oven and turn the oven to 250°F. Let roast until the meat hits its target temperature, about 3 hours for a 3-bone roast or up to about 4 hours for a 4-bone roast. (It is more important to keep an eye on the temperature than the time here; your times may vary depending on the exact weight and shape of the roast.)
• When the thermometer alarm goes off, remove the roast from the oven, transfer to a cutting board, cover with foil, and let rest while preparing the pudding. (The roast's internal temperature should rise up to around 130°F, then very slowly start to fall.) Pour off the drippings from the sheet pan into a heat-proof liquid measuring cup. Let the roast rest for 30 minutes. Hang on to the sheet pan and rack; you'll use it again later.
• After 30 minutes, return the roast to the rack and sheet pan, then return to the oven. Crank the oven upas high as it will go; ideally 550°F, but 500°F will also work, and cook until the exterior of the roast is browned, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how hot you can get your oven to run.
• Return the roast to the board, carve, and serve with Yorkshire pudding. And no, you don't need to rest it again.

SAUERBRATEN

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over high heat combine the water, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper, and mustard seeds. Cover and bring this to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Pat the bottom round dry and rub with vegetable oil and salt on all sides. Heat a large saute pan over high heat; add the meat and brown on all sides, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.
• When the marinade has cooled to a point where you can stick your finger in it and not be burned, place the meat in a non-reactive vessel and pour over the marinade. Place into the refrigerator for 3 days. If the meat is not completely submerged in the liquid, turn it over once a day.
• After 3 days of marinating, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Add the sugar to the meat and marinade, cover and place on the middle rack of the oven and cook until tender, approximately 4 hours.
• Remove the meat from the vessel and keep warm. Strain the liquid to remove the solids. Return the liquid to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk in the gingersnaps and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps. Add the raisins if desired. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.

COUNTRY STYLE STEAK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Cut the meat with the grain into 1/2-inch thick slices and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the flour into a pie pan. Dredge the pieces of meat on both sides in the flour. Tenderize the meat, using a needling device, until each slice is 1/4-inch thick. Dredge in the flour again and set aside.
• Add enough of the vegetable oil or bacon fat to just cover the bottom of a 4 to 5-quart Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the steaks to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd. Cook until golden brown on both sides, approximately 2 minutes per side. Remove the steaks to a plate and repeat until all of the steaks have been browned.
• Remove the last steaks from the pot and add the chicken broth and thyme and whisk until the liquid just comes to a boil. Return the steaks to the pot and make sure they are all submerged in the liquid. Cover the pot and place it in the oven on the middle rack. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the meat is tender and falling apart.