RIBEYE ROAST

I made this Roast for Shaun's Birthday.  Yes, it is costly but if you do decide to make this roast, get the meat from a butcher rather than a grocery store.  First I asked for a Prime Rib Roast.  He asked if we were going to gnaw the bones and I said not really.  He suggested cutting out the bone so I wouldn't be charged for the weight of the bone as well as the meat.  This made sense so the Prime Rib Roast changed into a Ribeye Roast - name change by removing the ribs.  I don't think you could do wrong with this.  I have no photo as I had a lot of other things going on besides the roast for dinner and all the company I had but I can tell you that it was sooooooo good. Rest time is important as this allows the juices to stabilize and don't forget the roast will cook a bit more as it rests.   IF you want a medium roast, take it out of the oven when the thermometer measures medium rare.  I didn't believe that little bit of advice and took it out when it was getting close to medium and it was a bit over done, but no one complained (except me).

When buying a roast I was advised that 1 pound per person is the norm.  I had 6 for dinner and there were leftovers (yum for me).

If I do make one again, I will try to take a photo of it, but usually with this type of meal, you are so busy that taking photographs is the last thing to think about.

INGREDIENTS
2  Tsp Kosher Salt (not fine salt)
1  Tsp Black Pepper
1  Tsp Garlic Powder
1  Tsp Dried Sage (I omitted sage as I didn't have it)
1  Tsp Dried Thyme (I used 1/2 tsp growing thyme)
3  lb. Ribeye Boneless Roast

(an to tell you the truth, I don't even know if it needs the sage and thyme)

(I doubled all ingredients as I had a 6 pound roast)

INSTRUCTIONS
1.  In a small bowl mix together the salt, pepper, garlic powder, sage and thyme.  Rub all over the Roast, pressing to make sure the rub adheres to the meat.
2.  Place Meat, fat side up, on a rack in a roasting pan and allow to get to room temperature for about one hour.
3.  Preheat oven to 500°F.  Insert a meat thermometer into the middle of the roast and set the thermometer to 130°F (medium rare).
4.  Place the Ribeye Roast in the 500°F oven and roast for 15 minutes.
5.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.  Keep roasting the meat until the thermometer registers 130°F.  For a 3 lb. roast this SHOULD take roughly 1 more hour (20 minutes per pound).  But the only way to know for sure is to use a thermometer.
6.  Remove the Ribeye Roast from the oven.  Loosely cover it with foil and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes, then cut into thin slices (mine was cut into thick manly slices) and serve.

I served mine with Bearnaise Sauce, which you can either make yourself or buy the  powdered packet from your local grocery store in the spice area and don't tell anyone you didn't make it yourself.

Chicken Breast

 I saw this recipe on America Test Kitchen.  I tried it with EXCELLENT results.  If you want dull tasting chicken breasts, choose boneless and skinless.  It is the bones and skin that give TASTE to the breasts.  (I think they were right).

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Working with 1 breast at a time, remove any excess fatty skin from the thick end of the breast.  Then, use your fingers, carefully separate chicken skin from meat.  Peel skin back, leaving it attached at top and bottom of breast and at ribs.   (I also used scissors to help peel back the skin.) Sprinkle salt evenly over all chicken, then lay skin back in place. This helps the breast to retain moisture.

                      
Using metal skewer or tip of paring knife, poke 6 to 8 holes in fat deposits in skin, using an imaginary centre line from the top to the bottom of the breast. This allows any fat to drain.  Arrange breasts skin side up on prepared sheet. Sprinkle skin with salt.  Cooking them in a slow oven will prevent moisture loss while cooking the meat evenly from the thick end to the thin end.  Roast until chicken registers 160 degrees, 35 to 45 minutes.  It also allows the surface of the skin to dry out so that a quick sear in a hot skillet is all that is required for a crackly, beautifully browned finish.   Remove from oven.  They will look pale and uninteresting.

2. Heat a skillet over low heat for 5 minutes. Add oil and swirl to coat surface. Add chicken, skin side down, and increase heat to medium-high. Cook chicken without moving it until skin is well browned and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken and prop against side of skillet so thick side of breast is facing down; continue to cook until browned, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer to platter and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.  

This recipe results in crispy skin and juicy tasty chicken breasts.  Add a sauce on the side if desired.

Roast Pork Shoulder

Roast Pork Shoulder

Pork Shoulder was on sale in the supermarket.  I didn't quite know what it was but bought it anyway and found this recipe to cook it.  I made it for Sunday Dinner and it was a huge success, moist and full of flavour.

Ingredients:

3 TBSP Olive Oil

3 TBSP chopped Garlic

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

1 (4 Pound) Pork Shoulder

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Using a pastry brush (or your hands) spread the mixture all over the pork shoulder.

Set the meat on a rack set into a roasting pan.  I lined the bottom of the roasting pan with tin foil for easy clean up.  Roast for 20 minutes and then reduce the heat to 325°F.  Continue to cook until a meat thermometer reads 180 - 185°F, about 4 hours - (so that is 20 minutes on high heat plus about one hour per pound to cook).  Remove the pork from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle and the juices have settled, about 30 minutes.