Beef Tenderloin Roast

For Christmas dinner this year I made a stuffed beef tenderloin roast. It was a whole beef tenderloin that I butterflied open and stuffed with a mixture of herbs and vegetables.

I started by sauteing chopped crimini mushrooms, onions, and garlic in a mixture of butter and olive oil until they were softened. I then de-glazed the pan with some red wine, added some fresh rosemary and thyme, and cooked the mixture until it was slightly reduced.

The beef was seasoned on all sides with salt and pepper and then the mixture was spread out on one side. With the some help, I tied up the beef with butcher string to close it up and create a roast.

The roast was then rubbed with a little vegetable oil to get it ready for the grill. I prefer to use vegetable oil over olive oil when I am going to cook something over very high heat because its smoke point is so much higher and it will hold up better during the cooking. I cooked the roast over lump charcoal on my grill. I started by searing all sides of the roast over high direct heat to develop a crust. Then the roast was moved off to one side and cooked with indirect heat until my remote thermometer registered 135 degrees. The roast was then pulled from the grill and wrapped in foil. Once wrapped in foil to rest the temperature continues to climb 5-10 more degrees.

We chose some simple side dishes for this meal. I made roasted broccoli and criss- cross potatoes.
The broccoli was made by marinating it in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt, pepper, chopped garlic, and rice wine vinegar. It was roasted on a foil lined sheet pan at 375 degrees for about 35-40 minutes until some of the edges started to get a nice char on them.

The potatoes are made by first slicing large baking potatoes in half. Then you can slice shallow cuts through the potato in opposite directions. Rub the potatoes with salt pepper and good paprika and then baste very liberally with melted butter. The potatoes get baked at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes or until crusty and tender.

Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb

The votes were tabulated from the poll I had on my blog and the dish that people most wanted me to make was herb crusted rack of lamb. This lamb dish gets seared on a hot grill, coated with lots of fresh herbs, and then finished in the oven. The end result is super tender lamb with a crispy flavorful coating.

We were serving 4 people so I started with 2 small racks of lamb. The racks had already been frenched, meaning that the extra meat and fat around the bones had been removed. Having the bones exposed makes for a more impressive plate presentation as well as making them easier to handle and cook evenly.

The lamb was given a good coat of salt and cracked black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil to get it ready for the grill. We grilled the lamb over high heat on all sides. What we are looking for here is adding some good color and flavor to the meat. The lamb is removed from the grill while it is still rare and set aside to rest while we make our herb crust mixture.

I start the herb crust with some fresh bread crumbs. I used a store bought loaf of French bread that I sliced, toasted in the oven, and ground into crumbs using a food processor. The crumbs get set aside so that we can next make the herb mixture in the food processor. I started with a handful each of fresh mint and flat leaf parsley. I added in the leaves from a few sprigs of fresh rosemary 2 cloves of garlic, and 1/4 cup of fresh shredded parmasan cheese and gave it a few pulses. Next I added in 3 cups of the fresh bread crumbs and began to combine while adding a drizzle of olive oil to bring it all together. The end result is a bright green speckled breadcrumb mixture.

It is now time to bread the racks of lamb. I began by well coating the lamb with dijon mustard. The mustard is the glue to hold on the crumb mixture. Then I coated the lamb with the bread crumbs and pressed them tightly with my hands. The lamb is now ready to be finished in the oven. I placed the lamb into a 375 degree pre-heated cast iron skillet with a light drizzle of olive oil. After 10 minutes of cooking, I flipped the lamb and continued to cook in the oven for about a total of 20 minutes. I used an instant read thermometer to make sure we pulled the lamb from the oven when it was about medium rare. After allowing the meat to rest for about 10 minutes, I sliced the lamb into individual chops and served.

We served the lamb chops with a porcini mushroom risotto, mashed potatoes with parsnips, and toasted sesame seed asparagus.

Prime Rib

There is nothing quite like the classic prime rib. Prime rib is something that anybody can make at home with steakhouse quality results. First make sure you are starting with a quality cut and grade of beef. You are looking for a quality bone-in rib eye roast. The grades of beef that you will find in the supermarket are typically going to be Prime, Choice, and Select. Only 2-3% of the beef produced in the U.S. is graded out as Prime, and typically it is only found in the high end restaurants and butcher shops. I have always had great results with the Choice Black Angus cuts that we find locally here at Plumbs Markets. A call ahead to the butcher will land you a nice roast that is pre-strung, trimmed, and ready for the oven like the one pictured below. I always order the roasts from the smaller end meaning bones 10-12. This gives you a nice sized 3 rib roast like the one pictured. (Do not be afraid to ask your butcher for help.) The meat at this end is still very well marbled but will not have that very large vein of fat running through it that you can get with some cheaper end roasts.

It is worth grinding your own spices to get a really flavorful spice rub. For prime rib I use a mix of kosher salt, rosemary,black peppercorns, and coriander. Grinding the spices a little will allow them to release all of their flavors. The coriander is one of my favorite spices to use fresh ground. It is actually the seed of the cilantro plant and has a similar peppery citrus flavor.



The easy way to make prime rib is to liberally coat the outside with vegetable or olive oil and your fresh spice rub. If using olive oil use a lighter style versus an extra virgin variety as it my actually burn at the high temperatures. I start the roast out at 475 degrees for 30 minutes and the lower the temperature down to 325 degrees. I use a digital thermometer and pull the roast when the center internal temperature is around 135 degrees. Then I tent the roast with some foil and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. The internal temperature of the roast will continue to rise during this time. You will be left with something for everybody. Medium-well ends and a perfect medium-rare center.



My favorite side dish to serve with beef is a classic potato gratin. It is layers of thinly sliced potatoes, onions, Parmesan cheese, fresh thyme, and cream. I like to use these small cast iron pans for individual serving dishes.



Here is a look at the final plate. We served this with homemade rosemary focaccia bread, sauteed button mushrooms, roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon, and the potato gratin. Of course it would not be complete with out a little au jus and fresh horseradish sauce on the side.