Standing ribeye roast and roast vegetables.

Dear Reader,

How are you this week? I hope all is well with you and yours.

It’s a funny thing; I enter the supermarket with a notion of less meat and lots of healthful vegetables. My health concerns me because my GP recently referred me to a pathologist for some pathology tests, and it turns out, I’m still a typical middle-aged Australian bloke! 😉 If you’re interested, search for “metabolic syndrome” in any search engine.

Then, as I wander the aisles in the meat section, I see something which lures me toward it. I even turned away, averted my eyes, and tried to look at skinless chicken pieces, but this ribeye roast seemed to be calling out to me. I could hear it calling me. “Gary” “Gary, come here to me.” “Gary, pick me up, feel me, touch me, feel my weight.” “Gary, buy me and then eat me.”

Who am I to say no?

It’s been a while since I’ve used my wireless meat thermometer to cook a piece of beef.

As I was applying some salt for an overnight dry brine, I was drooling at the thought of chewing the meat from the bones.

Ingredients

• Ribeye roast
• Iodised salt
• Mustard (choose what you lust after)
• Vegetable oil
• Cauliflower
• Curry powder
• Pumpkin
• Brown sugar
• White onion
• Instant gravy

Instructions

1. Remove the meat from the packaging.
2. Dry off the raw meat juices with absorbent paper towel.
3. Generously season all surfaces of the beef with salt.
4. Place the roast on a rack over a tray and place in the refrigerator overnight.
5. Around the middle of the afternoon, cut an onion and gently saute the onion in some oil until the onion is caramelised.
6. About an hour before you plan to start cooking, remove the meat from the refrigerator. The surface of the meat should look dry and the colour should be darker.
7. Heat the oven to 230 °C (fan forced).
8. Pour a little neutral oil into your hand and rub the lubricant into your palms and them massage your pumpkin and cauliflower.
9. Season the pumpkin with some brown sugar and salt. Season the cauliflower with some curry powder and salt.
10. Put the pumpkin and cauliflower on a tray and put them into the oven for 15 minutes (prior to inserting the meat).
11. Insert the thermometer into the meat, and penetrate the eye fillet until only the root end of your probe is visible.
12. Open the app and set up the cook for rare knowing that from past experience the app tends to overshoot a little.
13. With bare hands or after donning some cooking-safe gloves, dip two fingers into a pot of mustard and liberally apply the mustard to the dry surface of the meat. Gently massage this flavour-filled lube all over your meat and even the bare bones.
14. Cook the meat according to the app.
15. When the app indicates it’s time to remove the meat, withdraw it from the warmth of the oven and cover it with an aluminium foil tent while it rests. American friends, that’s aluminium!!!
16. The app should indicate the resting time too.
17. Check the pumpkin and cauliflower. They should be soft enough to permit the easy insertion of a skewer so it easily slides in and out.
18. While the meat is resting, make the instant gravy according to the manufacturer’s instructions for use. Mix the caramelised onion with the gravy.
19. Sharpen your carving knife and ponder “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27:17‬ ‭NLT
20. Cleave the meat between the ribs and place one piece into a container for refrigeration. With the other piece, take a boning knife, and running the blade along the bone dissect the meat from the bone.
21. Place the meat on the dinner plate and lay the rib over it. Place the roast vegetables next to the meat and then spoon gravy over the meat, rib, and vegetables.
22. This is meal when you want to use your best steak knife.
23. Give thanks to the LORD for every good thing you have in life, especially friends and family, as well as this meal of meaty goodness.‬‬
24. Gnaw the meat from the rib and feel free to add more gravy so you can suck off the bone and enjoy the salty goodness.

How did the meal taste?

The meat was juicy and tender. The crust which had formed in the oven had a fantastic flavour with the mustard and salt. Adding a little mustard to the bare rib bones added a little flavour bonus when sucking on the bones.

This week’s audio entertainment

I’ve been listening to “Killing Floor” by Lee Child. The protagonist is Jack Reacher. You may be aware of two Jack Reacher movies starring Tom Cruise. I remember there was controversy because, in the books, Jack Reacher is a giant of man, while Tom Cruise is my height. That is, he’s a short arse.

If you like a bit of action, intrigue, and crime, I can highly recommend the books and the TV show, which is now streaming.

I’ve also been listening to a new podcast, viz., What’s the History? The hosts are Claire and Fi, and they’re from Ireland. I’ve known Claire for more than a decade. She’s a blogger and a Tweep, and I also connect with her on Instagram. Claire and Fi are school teachers with skills in English and History. They’re both hilarious, very entertaining, and having listened to them, I reckon they’d be ace school teachers. Search for “What’s the History?” in your favourite podcatcher, and you will enjoy this weekly show, I’m sure.

Final thoughts

• How has your week been?
• Are you a fan of the Jack Reacher books? What did you think of the movies with Tom Cruise as Reacher?
• Do you like history podcasts? Do you get sucked into hosts with Irish accents?

I’d love it if you left a comment or a reply in the comment box.

Image Source: Traeger Grills.