Ingredients
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 tablespoons finely ground coffee
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground clove
Directions
One of the timeless and most appreciated mainstays of a holiday meal is a beautifully roasted meat, paired, we’d like to suggest, with any Louis M. Martini wine. For some, roasts can seem intimidating to cook, especially before a party. But with just a bit of planning, roasting meat or poultry can be very easy, relatively fast and nearly mistake proof. Follow these basic tips and you’ll have more time to spend will guests—and they’ll love your meal. These work for beef, pork, poultry and even fish.
Instructions
Rub steaks or roast liberally with coffee spice rub and let stand up to an hour before cooking.
1. Plan. Start a day or two before the dinner and you’ll have much of the prep done.
2. Purchase a remote probe. They’re easy to find and are a home cook’s dream tool.
3. For poultry and pork, brine the protein 4-6 hours in a simple solution of water, salt and Fish can be brined, too, but just 2 hours. It’s not necessary for beef. A standard ratio is 1 quart of water to 1 cup of kosher salt and 1 cup of sugar (or substitute honey, brown sugar or agave). Use enough to cover. You can add aromatics if you like, such as bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, etc.
4. Air dry the protein 12-24 hours on a rack over a pan in the It needs to be dry to caramelize and brown.
5. Apply a dry rub to spike the flavors and help the caramelization. There are many excellent off-the-shelf rubs.
Fool Proof Roasts
1. A few hours before cooking, remove from refrigerator and let rise to room. This helps the meat cook more evenly and lose any leftover moisture. (Don’t worry, you’ll cook it to 145˚)
2. Place in oven preheated to 450˚ After 10-20 minutes, depending on the protein’s size, turn down to 325˚ For Medium, remove the roast from the oven at 135˚ and while it rests, the carryover cooking will bring the temperature to 145˚ internal temperature. (For general planning purposes, figure about 15 minutes oven cooking per pound.)
3. Key point: Don’t open the oven It loses too much heat. Let your remote thermometer work for you.
4. Rest it 10-20 minutes before carving to not lose the
5. The result: Moist and juicy meat, a delicious crusty outside, an ideal wine paring partner, and very happy guests.