I’ve been in a bit of a brawl with my minute roast lately.   Perhaps it’s the name.   It’s a misnomer really, grossly playing on every home cook’s dream of turning out a luscious roast in nearly a minute…the name just plays with our expectations, don’t you think?   The minute roast, a common cut in kosher meat cookery, both because of its great flavor as well as its modest price, is quite versatile.   When split, the minute roast is the source of the much loved London Broil or can be sliced for minute steaks.   Making the most of your minute roast requires a bit of consideration, though.  Coming from the shoulder joint area of the animal, which gets a fair bit of exercise, there is a lot of muscular tissue and sinews, which make for a tougher piece of meat.   A grilled or broiled London Broil is excellent right off the grill or out of the broiler, but wait two hours to eat it and you might as well chew on a riding saddle.  So the choice of how to prepare this cut greatly depends on the needs of the cook: does it need to be prepared right before serving time or can it be done in advance…and will that taste good?  A tough cut such as this can become fall-apart tender when slow-roasted a brilliant solution that can be done in advance.   It may not have the same delectable crusty exterior of a flame-charred roast, but the warming mellow flavors resulting from a long slow cook have a special quality all their own.  In addition, slow roasting has the added benefit of more even cooking and less shrinkage, so your meat will stretch further.

Slow-roasting is best done between the temperatures of 200-250°F.  When roasting conventionally, I usually give my roasts a preliminary sear on a high temperature (like 450°F) for about 20-30 minutes.  In the case of slow roasting though, browning the roast for a minute or two on each side is sufficient to caramelize the exterior of the meat and enhance the flavor, preventing the outer layers of meat from being overcooked. 

When slow-roasting, you can expect very tender results, whether you like it rare, medium or well done.  I’ve even slow cooked a minute roast overnight until all the connective tissue melted away – granted, it was no longer a sliceable roast, but it sure made great sandwich fixings!  

The following recipe for Slow-Roasted BBQ Minute Roast is a great weeknight choice, as it can be started earlier in the day and cook until dinner time…it may take more than a minute, but it’s worth it!

Slow-Roasted BBQ Minute Roast

A flavorful homemade BBQ sauce glazes this tender roast, adding a boost of flavor.  Baste every hour or so.  As it reduces during the long cooking time, it will become deliciously concentrated.

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
• ¾ cup red wine vinegar
• 1½ cups ketchup
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/3 cup water
• ½ cup bourbon
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper (scant)
• ¾ tsp. dried thyme
• 3-4 lb. minute roast
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place 1 Tbsp. oil in a large, heavy saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.   Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 6 minutes.  Add vinegar, ketchup, molasses, water, bourbon, salt, pepper and thyme.  Stir to blend and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes to blend flavors.  (Sauce can be prepared one day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place 1-2 tsp. oil in a large skillet on high heat.   Place minute roast in skillet and brown each side for about 1 minute per side.  Transfer roast to a rack and place in a roasting pan.  Rub remaining oil all over the roast and season with freshly ground black pepper.  Pour sauce over roast and cook uncovered for 4-5 hours (or longer if you like it well-done), basting about once per hour.  For best results, test for doneness with a meat thermometer: 145°F= rare, 160°F =medium, 170°F =well.

Remove from oven and tent foil over roast, allowing roast to rest for 15-20 minutes.  Slice roast and serve with remaining sauce from the roasting pan.

Serves 6-8.

By Naomi Ross
 

Brrrr…it sure is cold outside.  Though it may have taken its time to arrive, winter is certainly upon us now.  There is something downright debilitating about the cold weather.  When it is biting outside, the cold seems to go right through your body.  It chills your bones, numbs your senses.  And so, beyond hibernation, when the thermometer drops I delight not only in big bushy woolen sweaters, but in hearty soups and stews bound to warm the soul.

“Marak” – Hebrew for “soup”- is derived from the word “mareik,” which means to cleanse.  When a soup is being cooked, the ingredients are cleansed, and the impurities are released.  Think of your chicken soup – the scum rises to the top and is then skimmed off.  Take it a step further.   Perhaps consuming soup cleanses a person’s ailments.  Chicken soup, the classic home remedy goes back way further than one could imagine.  The Talmud mentions Rabbi Abba, who was said to have consumed fowl that was soaked in hot water as a remedy (Shabbos 145b).  Maimonides prescribed chicken soup as a cure for individuals suffering from hemorrhoids (Treatise on Hemorrhoids).  And to this day, what nurses the common cold better than a bowl of mom’s chicken soup?

Hot and satisfying, a good soup can restore your health and mood on the coldest of days, arming you with renewed strength and energy.  The following recipe is one of my favorite winter soups and is certainly hearty enough to be considered a meal all by itself.   It features “flanken”, a Yiddish term referring to a small, juicy and tender rib.  The best soups are made with the best ingredients, so look for the freshest vegetables and the leanest flanken you can find, and don’t forget to freeze a container to warm up a cold night to come.

Meaty Mushroom and Barley Soup

White mushrooms can be used exclusively in this soup, but a combination of mushroom varieties will add more depth of flavor.  Cremini and/or baby bella mushrooms are wonderful choices in addition to the white mushrooms.

1. 1/3 cup dried porcini or wild mushrooms
2. 1 ½- 2 lbs. beef flanken, cut into 6-8 pieces
3. 3 quarts (12 cups) water
4. 2 medium onions, chopped
5. 2 large celery stalks, sliced
6. 2 large or 3 small carrots, peeled and sliced
7. 3 large garlic cloves, minced
8. 2 lbs. fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped
9. 1 cup pearl barley
10. 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
11. Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12. ¼ cup chopped parsley, for garnishing

Soak the dried mushrooms in enough hot water to cover for 20-30 minutes.  Strain the mushrooms in a sieve, reserving the water.  Coarsely chop the dried mushrooms.

Place 3 quarts water (not the mushroom water) and flanken in a large soup pot (at least 8-quart) over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and skim off the foam that rises to the surface.  After all the impurities have been removed, add all of the remaining ingredients, including the chopped dried mushrooms and the reserved mushroom water.  Stir and raise heat until soup is boiling.  Reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer for one hour.  Season to taste with plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper.   If the soup is too thick, add some additional water.

Ladle soup into bowls, giving each serving a generous portion of the flanken.  Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

Serves 12.

By Naomi Ross