Whoville serves roast beast as part of their XMas celebration, which looks like some sort of Seuss-ian poultry when whole but which slices like a ham as it’s being carved. I’m thinking the Whos raise turducken but that’s just a theory.

Anyway, normally there’s roast beast around the XMas table of the gold and bronze turkey variety but there’s always a lot of it and something beefy sounded like a meaty and different alternative for this go-around. After getting okays to go with some moo, I called Brigitte Saint-Vincent, the proprietor of the Boucherie Claude et Henri. I like Brigitte and her team; they don’t mess around, they source local purveyors and I can ask for something in particular well in advance and get exactly what I was expecting. So, one 4-rib standing rib roast from the short end, bone on.

I arrived at the Atwater Market to a crush of people but when I got to the boucherie, I was greeted with a Cheers-like rendition of “Ivan!” A bit odd but the other customers got a giggle and I got my lump of cow a lot faster than expected. Brigitte came through on the beast – a 4.767 kg four bone bad boy that had the fat cap trimmed down, the bones beautifully frenched and the roast tied on either side of each bone. This thing was ready to pop into the oven if I needed to; there was no additional prep necessary (and that’s why one goes to a good butcher).

Roasting

The roast was removed from its wrapping, wiped down and placed uncovered into the refrigerator to dry out overnight but next time, I’ll order well enough ahead to do some proper dry-ageing.

It was removed from refrigeration 2 hours before roasting to come a bit up to temperature (inadequate; it still read 4ºC / 39ºF internally once the probe thermometer went it). I then seared the roast in a large skillet with a little bit of oil and passed a blowtorch over the parts I couldn’t sear using the pan. The roast was seasoned with salt and cracked pepper, set up with a probe thermometer and placed in a 94ºC / 200ºF oven. The roast was pulled when the internal temperature hit 54ºC / 128ºF for “medium” (approximately 6 hours depending on oven), and was tented and rested for 40 minutes before carving.

Service

Cut away the butcher twine. Cut the ribs away from the body of the roast and slice the roast. Serve with sides and jus made from the defatted pan drippings.

Note that with this particular low-temperature cooking method, roasting to the target internal temperature resulted in a very pink slice that is adequately cooked but may not necessarily be a palatable colour for people not used to it.

Wine pairing

• 2003 Peregrine Pinot Noir, from New Zealand’s Central Otago. This Pinot was supposed to be in decline but it demonstrated what a Stelvin enclosure can do for a wine. Initially very closed and detecting only oak and earth but opening up to lots of berry fruit and plums with a little caramel sweetness both on the nose and the palate after a few minutes in glass. I thought this was the better match to the beef.
• 2006 Kettle Valley Old Main Red, a Naramata Bench Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec though more Californian than Bordeaux. Very deep color; the wine was fruit-forward on the nose with chocolate and mint/vegetal undertones on the palate.

Photos

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