Seven Bone Standing Rib Roast Recipe

in , /by

Anatomy: The standing rib is the seven bone rib section of a steer. Typically, we use a USDA Prime export rib–which weighs in the range of 16-20 lbs.

Remember: Each bone serves 2 people

The Night Before

Utensils: Plastic or cellophane wrap

Ingredients:

  • Garlic powder
  • Paprika
  • Pepper
  • No salt at this time

Directions:

  1. Remove the freezer wrap and discard. (Some people, believe it or not, have roasted the rib roast with the cellophane wrap on.)
  2. Generously rub all visible surfaces of the meat and bone with a lot – and I do mean a lot – of garlic powder, paprika, and pepper (the odor of garlic should be as pervasive as when you walk down an apartment building hall entirely occupied by Jewish or Italian grandmothers).
  3. Wrap this seasoned hunk of meat tightly in plastic wrap and place it on a platter in the refrigerator overnight.

The Next Day

Utensils:

  • An instant-read meat thermometer
  • A broiler pan or cooking rack placed in a very shallow roasting pan

Ingredients: Salt (Optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. While your oven is preheating, take the roast out of the refrigerator, remove and discard the plastic wrap. If you want salt, now is the time to salt the meat.
  3. Place the rib roast on top of the broiler pan or cooking rack set upon a shallow roasting pan. The rib roast itself should stand above the edges of the roasting pan. This can be accomplished by placing the roast bone side down. You want to do this so that the standing rib will dry roast – that is, the meat and bones will cook without braising or steaming in its own liquid. Be sure the rib roast stands well above the edges of the roasting pan. This is the reason for using a rack.
  4. Unfortunately, roasting times are not set in stone. I use 11 minutes per pound for roasting at 350. (Roasting times may vary depending upon your own oven, and/or the atmospheric pressure or temperature.) Anyway, calculate 11 minutes per pound as an estimated time. This is where your instant-read thermometer comes in.
  5. About halfway through your particular calculated roasting time, insert the instant-read thermometer into the center of the roast (be sure it does not touch fat or bone) and take a reading.
  6. 125 degrees Fahrenheit is considered to be medium-rare. Remove the rib roast from the oven at this temperature and let it set at room temperature uncovered on a platter for 20 minutes. (Do not cover under any circumstances.) The carryover heat will continue roasting for another 10 degrees (135 degrees internal temperature). Don’t worry. It won’t get cold.
  7. At this time, the roast may be cut and served. For those of you who want a rib roast a little more done (pink), you may remove the roast from the oven at 130 degrees internal temperature and follow the same steps. Remember: If the piece of meat is not done well enough for your taste, you can always place the cut portions under a preheated broiler for one minute on each side. You can’t, however, take a well-done piece of meat and make it rare, so go for the lower internal temperatures.

Gravy

The best gravy for the meat is on the bottom of the roasting pan. Take all of the pan drippings and place it in a plastic container. Put this in the freezer for 20 minutes, the time the meat is setting. This makes it easier for you to discard the fat which has now come to the top of the container. Boil this in a saucepan and serve over the meat. If there is not enough natural meat juice, go into the freezer and use the beef stock you’ve been storing. If you’re not a Julia Child or Jacques Pepin, buy a can of Heinz beef gravy or College Inn beef broth, boil it, and pour over the meat.

Slicing

Take a knife and separate the meat from the bone. Cut the bulk portion of the meat (it now looks like a phony log you put into the fireplace) into slices and serve. For those who also want the bone, cut in between the bones and serve individual bones on a separate serving platter.

Leftovers

Slice the remaining standing rib into thin slices and serve on garlic bread with horseradish sauce.

How To Prepare A Turducken

in , /by

A Turducken is essentially a Boneless Turkey, Boneless Chicken and a Boneless Duck stuffed one inside the other with a good contrasting meat—usually sausage—crammed between the layers of poultry.  The whole enterprise is tied together with twine and then slowly roasted.  At Mister Brisket, we use homemade spicy Italian Sausage as well as our sweet and salty Thai Sausage.  Also, we sub in a duck breast for a full duck.  This allows for faster cooking.

Turducken is originally a Cajun specialty originating in Louisiana.

Cooking Instructions:

Allow your Turducken two full days to defrost for two full days in the fridge prior to preparation.

  1. Season your Turducken liberally with your favorite spices such as kosher salt, pepper and paprika.  Add fresh garlic if it suits your taste.
  2. Place the TD Breast side up on a flat oven rack in a shallow roasting pan.
  3. Preheat your oven to 275 degrees.
  4. Place your Turducken in the oven and baked uncovered for 3 hours.  Now place a layer of foil over the TD and put back in the oven.
  5. Your TD should take roughly 5 hours to finish cooking.  The TD is done when a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees in the center.  Take the temperature at several different spots to make sure the TD is through cooking.
  6. Cooking times are not etched in stone.  Some TD’s may cook quicker; others slower.  There are a number of variables that affect cooking time.

Try A Meyer Natural Angus Tri Tip

in , /by

One of the best parts of my job is that I get to eat great meat on a regular basis.  Last night, I tried my hand at Tri Tip.  This cut comes to Mister Brisket courtesy of Meyer Natural Angus.  This means the beef comes from cattle that are 100% angus and certified to have been humanely raised.  In addition, they were never given antibiotics or growth hormones.

Tri Tips come from the top of the bottom part of the Sirloin section in the hindquarter.  It’s typically tender if you slice it properly (against the grain)  The slicing is important because a full tri trip weighs 2-3 pounds and has grain moving in a few different directions.  For slicing instruction, I recommend watching this video.

The pic above is my dinner. My preparation was simple.  I placed the tri tip in a plastic bag with a few cups of BBQ Sauce, one cup of soy sauce and some granulated garlic.  Not fancy but it adds flavor.

Next, I allowed the meat to marinate for 24 hours.  It’s not necessary to do it for that long but I’d forgotten we had Open House at school for one of the kids.  Hence there was no time to cook dinner so my we picked up KFC while the Tri Tip sat in the fridge.  Incidentally, each KFC meal probably shortens my life but it is undeniably tasty.

The grilling is straightforward.  Place on one side for about 8 minutes then flip.  Tri Tips are thick so you have to take your time.  I removed from the grill when the internal temperature in the thickest portion hit 130 degrees.  Because this cut is not uniform in thickness, the fullest portions were rare to med. rare with the edges a little more done.  If you like your Tri Tip more well prepared, follow the advice given by the “Tri Tip Guy” from California.

I allowed the meat to rest for about ten minutes, then carefully sliced.  With baked potato and asparagus, it was a terrific meal.  I also have some wonderful leftovers.  I plan to slice them thin over the weekend, melt cheese on top, place on some crusty bread, add some raw onion and enjoy a Tri Tip sandwich.

60 Days of Age Follow Up – How It Turned Out

in , /by

When Geoff Hewitt asked us to age a USDA Prime Rib Roast for 60 days, we were skeptical as to how it would turn out.  But, on Saturday, January 4, he picked up his meat. The image above is what it looked like.

We were skeptical as to how it would turn out.  Our assumption was that by the time we finished trimming the steaks, there would be little meat left.  Surprisingly, however, we didn’t have to trim as much as expected.  The rib almost seemed to have entered a state of  “suspended deterioration.”  Well, lets get to the point.  After cutting it into about 8 nice steaks, we gave the beef to the customer and asked him to provide a report.  Here’s what he had to say:

My outdoor gas grill unfroze and I was finally able to properly cook the first of the 60 day dry-aged steaks.  I took it out of the refrigerator this morning to allow it to get to room temperature before grilling.   I lightly Kosher salted both sides.  No trimming was necessary as your meat cutter did a fine job of removing edge fat and overly dry parts.  The steak had no smell at all, even at room temperature.  I heated the grill, all three burners on high, for twenty minutes until the thermometer read about 750F.  I grilled each side for approximately four minutes which gave me a steak with beautifully charred crusts on both sides, the grill marks being pitch black as were the edges.  As soon as I took it off the grill and walked inside, a big difference was noted – the steak smelled unlike any steak I’ve had before.  It was the exact smell I had been looking for for years; a fairly strong, almost funky aroma.  Would that hold up in the taste?  I let it rest for a few minutes while I dug into a side dish and finally cut off a small piece.  The interior was a perfect pink color top to bottom.  Just a perfectly medium rare piece of meat.  I was expecting the meat to be slightly dry due to the long drying but it was just as juicy as any steak I’ve had.  I know the roast lost four pounds in weight but I think most of that was a water loss, not a fat loss so the fat remained.  Losing all that water just concentrated the meaty umami flavor and added an earthy flavor that was better than I had hoped for.  Most steaks I’ve eaten lose quite a bit of liquid during eating and my steak often ends up in a pool of brown water/fat but that was not so with this steak.  It oozed very little moisture onto the plate since it was devoid of most of its water to begin with.  A huge plus.  That was probably the reason is developed such a beautiful char while cooking – it didn’t steam in its moisture while on the grill.  The funky taste I had hoped for was there but not to an overpowering level, just a nice additional flavor layer.  I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

As I told you, I’ve had many 28-day dry-aged steaks but really couldn’t see any difference in those from non-aged steaks.  I think 60 days is just about perfect.  The exterior of the roast was very hard at that point, requiring some, but minimal trimming, much less than Sanford and I thought and I doubt if aging for a longer time would make much difference as the remaining moisture would be locked inside by the dry crust. I have now spoiled myself to the extent that I’ll be having this done again.  No more supermarket steaks for me!

Thanks again, Hank and Sanford.  It’s a real treat to work with folks who take food seriously.

Geoff

Deconstructed Turkey Recipe

in , /by

How to Prepare a Deconstructed Turkey

  • You will need a meat thermometer
  • Keep this in mind…Your Turkey Will Cook Fast!

Your turkey has been divided into drumsticks, thighs, wings and breast.  Your turkey may or may not be seasoned.  The breast may or may not be boneless.

If turkey pieces are unseasoned, we recommend using salt, pepper, paprika and garlic.

  1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees
  2. Place your turkey pieces skin side up on a flat surface—cookie sheet or broiler pan.  Spray with PAM or some similar product if you are not cooking on a non-stick surface.
  3. You may need a separate pan for the breast.  If breast is whole and you have an oven rack, feel free to place breast on it.
  4. Roast your turkey pieces for one hour then check temperature by inserting meat thermometer into individual pieces.  Avoid bone when checking temp.  Turkey pieces are done when internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.  Wings will get done the fastest.  Thighs and Breasts usually take the same amount of time with drumsticks getting done a bit quicker.
  5. When pieces are done, remove and place on serving dish.
  6. A boneless breast will cook faster than one which is bone-in.
  7. If temperature is under 160 when you first check, place turkey pieces back in oven and re-check temperature periodically.  The turkey will cook quickly so as temperature nears 160, you’ll want to check temp every 5-10 minutes.
  8. When turkey is done, allow to rest for about 10 minutes.
  9. Slice breast against grain after it cools.  Serve and enjoy.

50 Days of Age – A Rib Roast Challenge

in , /by

Mister Brisket has never been a big proponent of dry aging beef.  In our experience we’ve found it has no discernible impact on flavor.  Enter Geoff Hewitt, a resident of New Franklin, who found us on the internet.  Hewitt emailed and wanted to know how we felt about aging a rib roast–for 50 days.

“30 days doesn’t really change the flavor,” Hewitt wrote, “but do it for 50 and you’ll notice a difference.”

That got our attention.  When we’d aged beef in the past, it had never been for more than 30 days.  50 days?  Who knows?

Then he wanted to know if we’d be willing to age a roast for him.  We emailed back and forth discussing the issues involved.  The biggest problem is how much useable meat will be left in 50 days.   We agreed to keep him informed as to how the aging process was going so if it looked like there was any trouble a decision could be made as to what to do.  Then we selected a Meyer Natural Angus USDA Prime Rib Roast for him.  The weight is nearly 20 pounds.

We wiped it dry. And marked it.

And placed it in our cooler to age…until Jan. 4, 2013.

Will there be anything left by Jan. 2013?  And, if so, how will the flavor have changed?  Who knows?  But there’s one certainty…we’re gonna find out.  Stay tuned as we’ll periodically show pics of this aging roast so you can see how the meat is physically affected.   In the meantime, we salute Mr. Hewitt for his curiosity and interest in quality beef.

How To Smoke a Perfect Brisket w/ BBQ Expert Matt Vann

in , /by

Start off with a Meyers All-Natural Angus Brisket (Whole Packer 13 to 16 lbs…when available)

  1. Put it in a full disposable foil pan.
  2. Inject with the following combination every inch (left to right; up and down):
    • 20 oz water
    • 6 oz Simply Apple Juice
    • 6 oz Peach Nectar
    • 3 TBSP Beef Base
    • 3 TBSP Au Jus Concentrate
    • 1 oz Chipotle Tobasco (optional)
  3. Lightly slather the brisket with Stadium Mustard
  4. Rub with the following rub
    • 8 TBSP Garlic Salt
    • 6 TBSP Granulated Garlic
    • 6 TBSP Turbinado Sugar
    • 5 TBSP Granulated Powder+ 2 TBSP Seasoned Salt
    • 2 TBSP Paprika
    • 2 TBSP Old Bay Seasoning
    • 1 TBSP Cumin
    • 1 TBSP Dried Basil
    • 3/4 TBSP Cayenne Pepper
    • 3/4 TBSP Black Pepper (Cracked Fresh..if you have it)
    • 1/4 TBSP Chili Powder
    • 1/4 TBSP Red Pepper Flakes
  5. Cook in your smoker (what ever would you like…hickory & pecan) @ 250 degrees)
  6. Spray with Simply Apple Juice every hour starting 4 hours into the cook process.
  7. When the rub on your brisket is set (when the bark has formed and it is on firmly) about 8 hours, double wrap the foil pan with foil.
  8. Cook the brisket until the internal temperature is 207 degrees in the thickest part of the brisket.
  9. Drain all of the drippings in the pan into a clear measuring cup or fat separator and discard of the (clear oily stuff)
  10. Wrap the brisket inside the pan back to keep it hot.
  11. Take the drippings (without the oily stuff) and boil it on med/high for 12-15 minutes (reducing it)
  12. Mix the reduced drippings with the following sauce recipe (I can’t give my sauce recipe away):
    • Take 16 oz of a ketchup store brand bbq sauce (that you like)
    • Mix 4 oz of dripping reduction
    • 2 oz worcestershire
    • 2 oz A1
  13. Slice the brisket, paint with sauce, enjoy it HOT!!!

[Editor’s note:  Matt Vann, a Clevelander,  is a frequent participant on the competitive BBQ circuit.  He has gone up against Pitmasters Myron Mixon at least “15-20 times” and beaten him on all but two occasions.]

Hot Dogs—Our Thoughts On What’s Best and Why

in , /by

People have a lot of opinions about what constitutes a really good hot dog.  And at Mister Brisket, we’re no different. But here’s the thing–Mister Brisket is not just a Butcher Shop. We’re also a research institute. If we sell a product, it’s because through trial and error (hopefully not too much error) we feel it’s the best one available. Over the years we’ve sampled many hot dogs.  Best Kosher…Hebrew National….Sabretts….just to name a few. We’ve experimented with shapes and sizes. And we’ve tried them in various forms.  Two things are apparent to us. First, the best hot dogs are all beef. Specifically, they’re made from bull meat which is chopped, seasoned and then cured. Secondly, texture is as important as flavor.

In our experience, the best hot dog is an all beef Chicago Style dog in a sheep casing. The flavor is outstanding–not too highly seasoned or garlicky or somehow mucked up with gimmicky flavor enhancements. And the sheep casing provides a wonderful texture. You get a snap and a crack when you bite into a quality beef hot dog in a sheep casing. Larger dogs in hog casing will be more chewy. And skinless dogs, which are very popular in Cleveland, lack the firmness of a natural casing dog. The picture above shows exactly what we sell.  It is a fabulous dog and comes six to a pound.

Three Mister Brisket Natural Casing Hot Dogs grilled in shop on a bun with deli mustard (Batampte), sauerkraut and swiss cheese. Yes, we sell this at our shop!

The next issue with hot dogs is method of preparation. Sentiment often plays a big role. Some people enjoy them steamed because of memories from old Cleveland Stadium. Others boil them because that’s what Mom did. Some will put their hot dogs on a stick and hold them over a fire in order to relive camping adventures.  Ultimately, however, you gotta grill the dog. The reason? Texture. The natural casing dog on a hot grill will slowly expand then fissures will develop where the casing cracks. The picture above gives you a look at your model citizen. Consistent grill marks and cracks in the casing show that these are perfect for consumption. As to what to put on the dog, well, that’s up to you. Purists insist solely on mustard but if you like ketchup as well, it’s your prerogative.

Hot Dogs are often thought of as a summer item but true aficionados enjoy them year round. If you like hot dogs, Mister Brisket wants you to give ours a shot. In addition, to the ones in natural casing, we’ll get you skinless by request. Or, if you want, we carry a jumbo version of the same dog that comes two to a pound (aka Frankenwurst). We have a dog for all styles. Just tell us which one, and we’ll have it for you.  Please note–Mister Brisket Natural Casing Hot Dogs are a special order item. If you want a large quantity, give us several days notice so we can make sure to have them in stock.

Fresh vs Frozen Turkey–Is there a Difference?

in , /by

A common customer request at Thanksgiving is for a “wonderful, fresh turkey.”  The wonderful part is easy–we sell you an Empire Kosher Turkey, you follow our instructions and get a great result.

But the fresh part–well, that’s problematic.  The simple fact is that most turkeys sold as fresh-regardless of the purveyor–were previously frozen.  How do we know?  Simple.  An entire nation consumes turkeys on Thanksgiving.  Now, are we supposed to believe that all these animals are raised, slaughtered, processed and transported to markets at roughly the same time?  If all the turkeys sold as “fresh” had recently been killed, it would require massive numbers of turkey migrant workers streaming across the borders.  Turkey farmers would have to raise these animals simultaneously and then spend the rest of the year waiting for Thanksgiving to return.  Doesn’t make sense, does it?

Furthermore, here’s what the USDA has to say about the labeling of turkeys:

What Does “Fresh” or “Frozen” Mean on a Turkey Label?

The term “fresh” may ONLY be placed on raw poultry that has never been below 26 °F. Poultry held at 0 °F or below must be labeled “frozen” or “previously frozen.” No specific labeling is required on poultry between 0 and 26 °F.

The intriguing part of that statement is the last sentence.  Specifically, it indicates you can store a turkey at 1 degree–keeping it quite frozen–and not have to sell it as frozen.   And that is undoubtedly how Turkeys are sold as fresh that have previously been frozen.  Quite simply, the USDA is defining “frozen” as zero or below.  Just one degree above, however, gives you the chance to slack out the bird and allow the consumer to assume it is fresh.

Most importantly,  numerous tastings have been done with “frozen vs fresh” turkeys and the results have invariably demonstrated that the tasters can’t tell the difference.  Bottom line–enjoy a wonderful bird at Thanksgiving from Mister Brisket without concern.  We’ll make sure it tastes good–whether it was recently pecking the dirt or used as a hockey puck by warehouse workers.

Alternative Method for Roasting a Turkey

in , /by

I have an alternative to my traditional turkey roasting method.  What follows is a method I’ve ripped off from Julia Child,you know who she is, and, Harold McGee, the author of “On Food and Cooking” and a few other complicated tomes about the chemistry and physics of cooking.

First McGee:

A few years ago he wrote an article in the New York Times about how he “ages” a turkey. This means you pat the bird dry ,inside and out, with a bath towel. Then you put it on a plate in your refrigerator(uncovered) and let it dry out. You do this for a few days. McGee does this because he believes,as I do, brining  is an exercise in futility. But that’s fodder for another discussion. Anyway,after the turkey is dry, you roast it in the usual way.  The good news is that it tastes amazing. The bad, forget about the gravy. There is none!   The turkey,though, turns out to be moist. You must remove it at 165 internal temp.

Now Julia:

In one of her cookbooks she cuts- up the turkey into 5 parts;I.e., the whole breast with the wings on and  two legs. You take the two legs and separate the thighs and drumsticks. Now you got 5 parts. The rational is that the turkey will roast faster. If the leg parts finish before the breast, it’s no hassle to take them out of the oven and finish off the breast.  Again you have to watch internal temp.

Ok. What I’ve done is to combine the two methods. I dried  out the turkey, cut it into the 5 parts and roast it. I left the breast intact with the wings tied to it with butcher twine. I did not remove the backbone. This was done so the stuffing,I stuff my turkey, would not fall out and make a mess in the roasting pan. The results were amazing. Not only was the turkey , around 20lbs.,done in about three hours, it was  perfect. Moist,tender and to use a Yiddish term, mit a tom. Tasty!

If you want to try this method, I’ll take a 20lb. turkey, feeds around 12-15 people,”age” it in our cooler,cut it into the 5 pieces and tie the wings to the breast. I’ll include written instructions for roasting. If you’re interested, PLEASE let me know at least 2 weeks before Thanksgiving or Christmas. Oh yeah, Empire Kosher Turkeys are the best for this methodology. Reason? I never use anything else.