Chefspeak
One of the casualties of our frantic progress has been the loss of confidence and basic skills in the cookery of beef and lamb. For most home gourmets, there are the inevitable tales of culinary disaster which leave the miserable victim determined never to cook again. And despite gastronomic ‘dinosaurs’ like Boiled Mutton with Caper Sauce and Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding being taught to enthusiastic trainees aspiring to chefdom, mastery of the methodology rarely graduates with the student.
Whilst the nature of cooking is an infinitely challenging art form, the chances of success are enhanced by the knowledge, understanding and employment of proven culinary methods. Mastery of these essential skills provides the building blocks upon which balanced, harmonious, innovative dishes are created. Modern beef and lamb cuisine relies upon correctly matching the cut to the cooking method, the degree of doneness and understanding flavour pathways. The emphasis is on lighter, cleaner flavours, superbly fresh ingredients and absolute quality. However, the deceptive simplicity of this approach requires exemplary technique.
The following tips from our advisory chef Greg Heffernan, are designed to assist you to cook great beef and lamb:
- Use top quality cuts of beef and lamb for pan-searing, fast roasting or oven-finishing
- When preparing beef and lamb this way, ensure that cuts are trimmed of as much fat and visible silverskin as possible. This trim can be browned and added to sauces to enhance their flavour. Remember to remove the trim before serving
- Temperature control is essential whether pan-searing or oven-finishing the meat. Place all seared and seasoned meat on the same tray in a preheated oven (180° C - 200° C). This ensures even cooking and regulates the degree of doneness more consistently. Oven-finishing one or two steaks will be sfaster than for a tray of steaks
- Turn each piece of beef or lamb halfway through the cooking time (as you would for pan-searing only) to ensure the heat transfer to the meat is even on both sides
- The time required for cooking with either method will vary according to the cut of meat, thickness, how long you took to pan-sear it before finishing in the oven and the degree of doneness required. A 200g steak (1.2-2cm thick) will usually take about 6 minutes oven-finishing. Try to cook below the desired degree of doneness as cooking will continue due to heat trapped inside the meat
- Resting is essential to allow meat to relax and juices to redistribute themselves
