Holiday Strip Roast
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS For an occasion-worthy, beefy top-loin roast, we wanted a seared crust and a perfect
medium-rare throughout, but most recipes we found could only give us one or the other.
Gently roasting in a low oven until the meat was almost done and then setting it under
the broiler for a few minutes achieved both results without the hassle of pan-searing.
Scoring the fat cap before cooking helped the fat to render and the surface to crisp.
We let the meat sit overnight with a spice and herb rub (and plenty of salt) to ensure
a perfectly seasoned, flavorful roast, and served it with a bright, fresh salsa verde
to complement the rich meat. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.
SERVES 8 TO 10
Serve with Salsa Verde (recipe follows).
|
1 |
(5- to 6-pound) boneless top loin roast, fat trimmed to ¼ inch |
|
2 |
tablespoons peppercorns |
|
1 |
tablespoon coriander seeds |
|
1 |
tablespoon yellow mustard seeds |
|
3 |
tablespoons olive oil |
|
2 |
tablespoons kosher salt |
|
2 |
tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary |
|
1 |
teaspoon red pepper flakes |
1. Pat roast dry with paper towels. Using sharp knife, cut ½-inch crosshatch pattern through fat cap, ¼ inch deep. Tie kitchen twine around roast at 2-inch intervals. Grind peppercorns, coriander seeds, and mustard seeds to texture of coarse sand in spice grinder. Combine spice mixture, oil, salt, rosemary, and pepper flakes in bowl until thick paste forms. Rub paste all over roast and into crosshatch. Wrap roast with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours.
2. Set wire rack inside rimmed baking sheet. One hour before cooking, unwrap meat and place on prepared rack, fat side up. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Transfer roast to oven and cook until meat registers 115 degrees, about 90 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through cooking. Remove roast from oven and heat broiler.
3. Return roast to oven and broil on middle oven rack until fat cap is deep brown and interior of roast registers 125 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. Remove twine and carve into thin slices. Serve.