Steak lovers, grab a tissue. Advice sought too.
Discussion
We're having some friends round for a roast tomorrow so I went shopping for meat 
what I came back with is a thing of beauty.
This my friends is what 4.6kg of prime Serlion (entrecote in France) looks like.
I have hidden it to give you time to grab a box of tissues and get comfy.
I have cut off 2.4Kg for tomorrows roast for 7 people, have put 2Kg in the freezer and cut a smal steak for tonight. This little beauty cost me about £35 from a cash and carry. I also spent about £33 on 2.4Kg of fillet for making beef wellington. 8 lamb shanks and a 6 box of 2011 Fronsac, the wine was so cheap I wouldn't have been able to sleep at just £4 a bottle.
Oh my, are we going to have as good Sunday roast! And this is where you good people people come in. I want a melt in the mouth experience, any cooking tips please?
what I came back with is a thing of beauty. This my friends is what 4.6kg of prime Serlion (entrecote in France) looks like.
I have hidden it to give you time to grab a box of tissues and get comfy.
I have cut off 2.4Kg for tomorrows roast for 7 people, have put 2Kg in the freezer and cut a smal steak for tonight. This little beauty cost me about £35 from a cash and carry. I also spent about £33 on 2.4Kg of fillet for making beef wellington. 8 lamb shanks and a 6 box of 2011 Fronsac, the wine was so cheap I wouldn't have been able to sleep at just £4 a bottle.
Oh my, are we going to have as good Sunday roast! And this is where you good people people come in. I want a melt in the mouth experience, any cooking tips please?
Edited by crossy67 on Saturday 23 January 17:31
IIRC, entrecôte is equivalent to ribeye. Sirloin is contra-fillet (quite possibly spelt incorrectly, German is my forte...) in France.
Either way, that is an impressive looking slab of cow! Enjoy
As for cooking, if you're doing it as a joint, I would sear it all over on the outside in a hot frying pan with a glug of olive oil in it. Only about 30 seconds each side if that, just enough to get a deep colour on the outside. Then put it on a decent sized piece of foil with some sliced onions underneath it, give it a liberal coat of salt and pepper, then loosely wrap it in foil (but tightly pinch the foil no no steam can escape - the idea is to have plenty of airspace above the meat for the steam to circulate).
Cook it for approx. 3 hours on gas mark 3 for the first hour, then drop to gas mark 2. Keep checking it every now and again, and remove from the foil and leave to stand when it's done to your liking.
Either way, that is an impressive looking slab of cow! Enjoy
As for cooking, if you're doing it as a joint, I would sear it all over on the outside in a hot frying pan with a glug of olive oil in it. Only about 30 seconds each side if that, just enough to get a deep colour on the outside. Then put it on a decent sized piece of foil with some sliced onions underneath it, give it a liberal coat of salt and pepper, then loosely wrap it in foil (but tightly pinch the foil no no steam can escape - the idea is to have plenty of airspace above the meat for the steam to circulate).
Cook it for approx. 3 hours on gas mark 3 for the first hour, then drop to gas mark 2. Keep checking it every now and again, and remove from the foil and leave to stand when it's done to your liking.
Edited by damon80 on Saturday 23 January 17:58
A nice piece of steak deserves a great sauce.
How about a good bordelaise sauce? Really easy to do.
What's required;
Shallots
Mushrooms (pref chestnut)
Parsley
Beef stock - 500ml-1L depending on amount of people.
Red wine (probably a bottle for your large sitting)
Unsalted butter
Seasoning
Saute the shallots in some good oil slowly until they go glassy.
Add the mushrooms into the pan until they warm through in about 2 minutes, and then the red wine.
Let this reduce by at least half ( 10-15 minutes) with a slow simmer
Then add beef stock, and allow it to reduce until it's almost going sticky.
Add large knob of butter.
Throw in a large handful of finely chopped parsley. Season.
When you have taken the steak out of the oven and rested, added cooking juices into pan.
How about a good bordelaise sauce? Really easy to do.
What's required;
Shallots
Mushrooms (pref chestnut)
Parsley
Beef stock - 500ml-1L depending on amount of people.
Red wine (probably a bottle for your large sitting)
Unsalted butter
Seasoning
Saute the shallots in some good oil slowly until they go glassy.
Add the mushrooms into the pan until they warm through in about 2 minutes, and then the red wine.
Let this reduce by at least half ( 10-15 minutes) with a slow simmer
Then add beef stock, and allow it to reduce until it's almost going sticky.
Add large knob of butter.
Throw in a large handful of finely chopped parsley. Season.
When you have taken the steak out of the oven and rested, added cooking juices into pan.
Maybe, I can better the OP. Yesterday we went to our local butcher in Marbella for a couple of Solomillo steaks for a BBQ for lunch today.
The Solomillio was too big to get two grilling size steaks and so he offered us either Ox steaks, or the Entrecôte that we chose. He is the sort of butcher that buys beef by the carcass, rather than per tonne. This beauty was marbled with fat - it clearly had not been slaughtered on its 18-month birthday. It had probably been slaughtered in November and air dried in readiness for the Christmas, New Year, Epiphany fiestas.
So this morning I went out only my bike to build an appetite in readiness for a calorie infusion. As ithe beef was dry, I grilled it on a pretty low heat, so that despite being rare, it was tending to fall apart when it was ready.
My God was it tasty, as near perfection as we could want. Washed down with a 2006 Grand Reserva Rioja, listening to Hotel Costas, it was a very memorable meal. The cost for this personal service? Just €12/kg.
Maybe next time we will go for the Ox.
The Solomillio was too big to get two grilling size steaks and so he offered us either Ox steaks, or the Entrecôte that we chose. He is the sort of butcher that buys beef by the carcass, rather than per tonne. This beauty was marbled with fat - it clearly had not been slaughtered on its 18-month birthday. It had probably been slaughtered in November and air dried in readiness for the Christmas, New Year, Epiphany fiestas.
So this morning I went out only my bike to build an appetite in readiness for a calorie infusion. As ithe beef was dry, I grilled it on a pretty low heat, so that despite being rare, it was tending to fall apart when it was ready.
My God was it tasty, as near perfection as we could want. Washed down with a 2006 Grand Reserva Rioja, listening to Hotel Costas, it was a very memorable meal. The cost for this personal service? Just €12/kg.
Maybe next time we will go for the Ox.
OP, it would be worth trimming that up a bit (the side shown in pic 1 particularly). The silverskin (thin white sinew) won't cook down very well and will remain tough compared to the good bit.
Do it somewhat like this example, on a pork tenderloin/fillet - http://www.marthastewart.com/1035181/how-trim-silv... - try to remove as little of the red meat as you can, of course.
I'm sure you got a good deal but it does look quite untrimmed. You'd pay more from a butchers counter of course, because someone has taken the time to trim it, producing waste, increasing the price per kilo a bit.
Bought like that is a great deal though, and especially if you're able to do a bit of trimming without wasting much
Do it somewhat like this example, on a pork tenderloin/fillet - http://www.marthastewart.com/1035181/how-trim-silv... - try to remove as little of the red meat as you can, of course.
I'm sure you got a good deal but it does look quite untrimmed. You'd pay more from a butchers counter of course, because someone has taken the time to trim it, producing waste, increasing the price per kilo a bit.
Bought like that is a great deal though, and especially if you're able to do a bit of trimming without wasting much
Edited by 13aines on Sunday 24th January 17:21
I am a bit ashamed to be honest. I followed online instructions which lead to an over cooked joint. Still very nice but it seemed more like beef you'd have had in the 70's. I wanted a meet thermometer but couldnt't find one for reasonable money here.
Next time I'll cook it very long and very slowly.
Next time I'll cook it very long and very slowly.
crossy67 said:
I am a bit ashamed to be honest. I followed online instructions which lead to an over cooked joint. Still very nice but it seemed more like beef you'd have had in the 70's. I wanted a meet thermometer but couldnt't find one for reasonable money here.
Next time I'll cook it very long and very slowly.
Don't cook it slowly, that won't help. Get a thermometer ASAP. They are an essential purchase to make sure you don't ruin an expensive joint. Where are you based? If it's France, order this... it's the one I use and it's perfect.Next time I'll cook it very long and very slowly.
http://www.amazon.fr/Chefs-Thermometer-Minuteur-nu...
A meat thermometer is totally unnecessary.
A metal skewer, inserted into the middle of the thickest part of the joint, hold for a couple of seconds, remove and place the tip on your lip. If it feels cold, then it's not yet rare. As soon as you feel any warmth, remove from the oven and rest.
If you want it medium or well done - tough.
A metal skewer, inserted into the middle of the thickest part of the joint, hold for a couple of seconds, remove and place the tip on your lip. If it feels cold, then it's not yet rare. As soon as you feel any warmth, remove from the oven and rest.
If you want it medium or well done - tough.
omniflow said:
A meat thermometer is totally unnecessary.
A metal skewer, inserted into the middle of the thickest part of the joint, hold for a couple of seconds, remove and place the tip on your lip. If it feels cold, then it's not yet rare. As soon as you feel any warmth, remove from the oven and rest.
If you want it medium or well done - tough.
You can do it like that, but a thermometer is definitely the best way to go. Going by "feel" is all well and good, but it's very subjective, because people's sensitivity levels change from day to day. And when you have a beef joint costing upwards of £40, why take the risk of ruining it when a thermometer will guarantee perfect results every time for just a few quid? A metal skewer, inserted into the middle of the thickest part of the joint, hold for a couple of seconds, remove and place the tip on your lip. If it feels cold, then it's not yet rare. As soon as you feel any warmth, remove from the oven and rest.
If you want it medium or well done - tough.
And rare is great for a piece of fillet, but if you are cooking something like rib, then going for rare will result in the fat and connective tissue not breaking down properly, making it chewy and lower in flavour. Some cuts definitely benefit from being cooked to medium rare or medium.
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