FLOWER POT KITCHEN: HICKORY SMOKEY CRUST FIRED PIT BEEF ROASTED SIRLOIN

4 Mar 2013

HICKORY SMOKEY CRUST FIRED PIT BEEF ROASTED SIRLOIN

I JUST LOVE COOKING A SIDE OF SIRLOIN OVER COALS ON MY LITTLE JAMAICAN COLE POT, THIS FOR ME IS ONE OF THE TASTIEST WAYS TO ROAST BEEF !

I have learnt so much from America on how to bbq, I now have some shells that I collected from the beach, then I bashed with a rolling pin in to a course gravel, I soaked these in water and then while cooking this pit beef if I started to worry that I am not control of the heat I now know to throw a handful of the wet shells on the coals as it tempers down the heat for a bit giving me back a degree of control. I love learning methods.

Very simple to do, approx 3kg (because you want left overs!!!) thick end of the centre cut sirloin steak, I don't season this as the charcoal and flames will do all the seasoning for you in making the burnt end crust, this is sooo unbelievably full of fantastic flavour. The first time I did this I was flapping around panicking that I had just set fire to a expensive piece of meat! (love my memories). When cooking it is the skin side of the sirloin that will catch fire due to the fat rendering down, so don't panic like I did just turn the meet regularly, which will keep an even cooking temp and burnt end crust all over and still produced a rare cut. Phew !!!

For 3kg side of sirloin I roast over white coals for approx 45 minutes and then wrap in tin foil and rest for 20 minutes, this is for rare to very rare. If you want medium I would cook for another 20 minutes and then rest the same time.

I want to express how gorgeous the melting flavours that this cooking methods gives you, the thin crispy smokey burnt ring on the outside of your slice of juicy steak that has been basted by it's own rendered fat, this flavour is divine, I like to have three or four thin slices of steak instead of one 10 oz piece of steak, with some fresh horseradish creme fraiche and simple butter new potatoes.

SIMPLICITY AT ITS BEST

Super fantastic gorgeous dinner.

No comments:

LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.