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Bone up on beef for perfect roasts

By Amy McConnell Schaarsmith , Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Published December 12, 2007 at 12:05 a.m.

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A herbed beef ribeye roast is served with Parmesan polenta and mushroom ragout.

Photo by National Cattlemen's Beef Association / Associated Press

A herbed beef ribeye roast is served with Parmesan polenta and mushroom ragout.

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If you're like me, standing in front of the meat counter with a holiday dinner party in mind is an invitation to frustration.

What to pick? What to do with it? One year, I knew I wanted a roast, but that's about all I knew. I chose a rump roast in a net. Looked good, and it wasn't too expensive, so I gave it a try.

Disaster. The roast, though rosy in the middle and thinly sliced, was still tough and dry, especially after it had cooled. The next year, I consulted meat expert Lou Greenwald, owner of Bell's Market in Braddock, Pa. and for additional advice, Barbara Kafka's book, Roasting: A Simple Art (William Morrow and Co., price $29.95).

Told about my holiday dilemma and about my previous ruined roasts, Greenwald took pity on me and offered some tips:

* Consider the size of your party. You'll need to buy about a half-pound of boneless meat or one pound of bone-in meat per person to ensure that everyone gets enough to eat. You can go with a bit less per person if the roast beef is to be served on rolls, as part of a buffet.

* Consider the occasion and your budget. If you can afford it, Greenwald said, a standing rib roast - also known as prime rib - is impressive, resting on massive, meaty rib bones. It can be carved at the table or laid out on a buffet. Standing rib roast is expensive, though, at roughly $9 a pound, so count on spending about $120 for a 13- to 14-pound rib roast that will feed a group of 15 or so guests.

* For a prime-rib dinner without the bones, the cut is called a boneless ribeye of beef. Whether choosing a bone-in or boneless roast, a somewhat fatty exterior - some of which the butcher can cut away - suggests a well-marbled, and ultimately juicy, interior.As it cooks, the fat also melts and becomes a little crispy, basting the outside of the meat to help keep it moist.

* If prime rib for 15 is beyond your budget, consider buying a sirloin tip or a top round roast, which comes from the upper hind- quarters of the steer, for your dinner or buffet.

The boneless top round - not to be confused with the tougher, drier bottom round (rump roast) and eye of round roasts - is not as tender as the rib roasts cut from the steer's back - but it has a rich beefy flavor and produces pretty slices of roast beef. The secret is seasoning it to add flavor, said Greenwald.

To cook:

* For a 6-pound standing rib roast or more modest cut roast, preheat the oven to 500 degrees, rub olive oil on the outside of the roast and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. If the butcher hasn't done it, poke holes in the top of the roast and underneath, between the ribs if they're still attached, and push whole, peeled garlic cloves in the small pockets created by the cuts. (The garlic will flavor the meat but fall away as you carve the meat into slices.)

* Place in a roasting pan (ribs down if it's a bone-in roast) and cook at 500 degrees for 30 minutes to create a crispy, brown crust and drive the heat into the middle of the roast. (Place the pan toward the bottom of the oven to reduce grease splatter on the oven elements, which can cause smoking. If the pan still smokes under the high heat, crack a window and carefully pour away the grease in the bottom of the pan, then return it to the oven.)

* Drop the heat to 350 degrees and roast for an additional 45 minutes or so, melting the fat that marbles the meat and basting the meat into juicy pink doneness, until an instant-read thermometer registers between 115 degrees and 125 degrees in the middle of the roast for rare to medium.

* Be sure that you test the center of the meat, and not the bone, with the thermometer tip.

* The roast will continue to cook after you take it from the oven, increasing an additional 10 degrees or so, while you let it rest for 10 to 20 minutes to let the juices redistribute themselves. (Tent with foil after 10 minutes to keep warm.)

* After letting the roast stand, carve it against the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices for prime rib and thinner slices for sirloin tip or round roasts.