Can I Roast a Beef Pork and Ham Together in One Pan

Johnathan L. Wright

At Christmas, folks tend to be either prime rib people or ham people. Yes, there are those who trot out turkey redux or hoist a leg of lamb or, dear heaven, try their hand at a goose, but in mainstream America, it's prime rib or ham for Christmas dinner.

Despite their popularity, these classics make many home cooks nervous, as well they might. With the price of beef, an overcooked prime rib (also called a standing rib roast) becomes a $100 heartache, not a holiday occasion. Hams are less expensive, but that's small comfort when they're not roasted properly — dry is dry, too fatty is too fatty.

Earlier this fall, The Taunton Press released "Fine Cooking Roasting," a new cookbook by the Editors of Fine Cooking magazine. The handy soft cover volume — this is a cookbook meant to get spattered — features more than 90 recipes for roasting vegetables, fish and shellfish, poultry, pork, beef, lamb, and dishes like salads, soups and desserts that benefit from the deep, bold flavors roasting creates. The recipes are nicely illustrated, diverse and thorough without becoming tedious.

For our holiday purposes, two recipes invite special interest.

There's a prime rib that's massaged with cracked spices before roasting. Afterward, the drippings are deglazed with brown ale, whisked with broth and mustard, and finished with butter to make a pan sauce. The recipe includes tips for selecting a standing rib roast (as in: ask for a partial rack, preferably bones 1 through 4).

For the ham camp, think fresh ham with rosemary, garlic and lemon. A fresh ham is simply the cut from the hind leg of the pig that hasn't been cured or cured and smoked (unlike familiar hams). The ham marbling melts as it cooks, endowing the pork with rich flavor. The drippings contribute to a cherry pan sauce, and the recipe yields plenty of leftovers for frittatas, omelets, sandwiches, pitas and quesadillas.

For fresh hams, ask the butcher at grocers like Marketon, Raley's or Whole Foods Market. Merry Christmas, everyone, from Food & Drink.

SLOW-ROASTED BEEF STANDING RIB ROAST WITH BROWN ALE BUTTER SAUCE

Cook's note: The trick to evenly cooking a large bone-in beef roast like this is to roast it at a very low temperature for a long time. This way, the meat stays evenly pink throughout. Let the meat rest (for at least an hour), then just before you're ready to serve, crank up the oven and brown it.

For the rib roast:

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

One 4-bone (9- to 10-pound) beef standing rib roast, lightly trimmed of exterior fat

Mix the fennel, coriander, cumin, celery and caraway seeds, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper on a large cutting board; roll over them with a heavy rolling pin until lightly cracked. Roll the roast in the seeds to coat on all sides. Gather any remaining seeds and pat them onto the beef. Set the beef aside at room temperature for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 200 F.

Position the beef bone side down in a large, heavy-duty, flameproof roasting pan. Roast until a probe or instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the eye registers 120 F to 125 F for rare, 130 F to 135 F for medium rare, or 145 F for medium, between 4 and 5 hours. Begin checking the temperature after 4 hours to avoid overcooking. Let the beef rest in the roasting pan, uncovered, at room temperature for 1-1 1/2 hours.

Increase the oven temperature to 500 F. Return the beef to the oven and roast until the seeds begin to brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer the beef to a carving board.

For the pan sauce and to serve:

2 1/4 cups (18 ounces) brown ale, such as Newcastle

2 1/4 cups lower-sodium beef broth

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Pour off any fat from the roasting pan. Set the roasting pan over medium-high heat, add the beer, and bring to a boil, stirring down the foam and scraping up any browned bits from the pan with a wooden spatula. Boil until the liquid is reduced to 3/4 cup, 10-15 minutes.

Whisk in the broth and mustard and continue boiling, whisking often, until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the butter just until emulsified, remove from the heat, and season to taste with salt and pepper; transfer to a gravy boat for serving.

To carve, remove the meat from the bones by running a long, thin carving knife between the eye of meat and the bones, along the interior curve of the bones. Then, cut the beef into thick slices and lightly sprinkle with sea salt. Serve the beef with the sauce. Serves 8-10.

Shopping for a standing rib roast

A beef rack roast is often called a standing rib roast or a prime rib roast. When shopping for one, keep the following in mind:

Ask for a partial rack, preferably bones 1 through 4, which is known as the "first cut." This cut has a more well-defined eye of meat, so there won't be as many fatty areas, and it will easily feed 8 people.

In some supermarkets, the roast you want — a beef standing rib roast with the ribs intact but the chine bone removed — is called a "semi-boneless rib roast."

Never let the butcher cut the meat off the rib bones and tie it back on. This makes the roast easier to carve, but you'll lose the flavor and insulation from the bones. And beware: If you find a beef rib roast tied with butcher's twine at the supermarket, it's pretty safe to assume that the meat has been cut off the bones. If that's all they have in the case, ask the butcher to cut you a roast that's still on the bone.

Editor's note: In the accompanying video, our butcher, chef Clint Jolly, suggests having your butcher slice the meat from the rib bones and then tie that meat back on. He recommends this different approach because it allows more seasoning of the rib meat.

Easy carving

The easiest way to carve this roast is to first cut the meat in one piece from the bones. To do this, slice between the meat and bones, following the inner curve of the bones. Then, slice the boneless roast into individual portions. You can also cut between the bones and offer them at the table, if you like.

Recipes from "Fine Cooking Roasting" by the Editors of Fine Cooking (2014, The Taunton Press)

FRESH HAM WITH ROSEMARY, GARLIC AND LEMON

Cook's notes: With just a few seasonings rubbed on a day ahead, a slow-roasted fresh ham becomes a juicy, fork-tender and fragrant holiday centerpiece. Serve with roasted sweet potatoes and lightly sautéed green beans, if you like.

For the ham:

One (8 1/2-pound) bone-in fresh half- ham, preferably shank end, rind (skin) removed

1 medium lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves

6 medium cloves garlic, halved

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup white-wine vinegar

Set the ham fat side up in a large heavy-duty roasting pan. Use a sharp knife to score the fat in a 1-inch diamond pattern, cutting only about 3/4 of the way through the fat.

Peel the zest from the lemon with a vegetable peeler, avoiding the white pith. Put the zest, olive oil, rosemary, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a food processor and pulse to a coarse paste. Rub this mixture all over the ham. Cover the pan tightly with foil and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

Position a rack in the oven so that the ham will sit as high as possible but still have at least 2 inches head space for air circulation. Heat the oven to 350 F. Keep the ham covered with the foil and roast for 3 hours.

Uncover the pan and drizzle the vinegar over the ham, taking care not to wash off the coating. Continue roasting, basting every 15 minutes or so, until the ham is well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the meat without touching bone registers 170 F (check in several places), 1-1 1/2 hours more.

If the ham or drippings begin to brown too much, cover loosely with foil to prevent burning. Transfer the ham to a carving board to rest while you make the sauce.

For the pan sauce and to serve:

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup lower-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cherry jam

Pour the pan drippings into a bowl, let sit until the fat rises to the top, then skim off the fat. Return the skimmed drippings to the roasting pan and set the pan over medium heat on the stove top. Whisk in the wine, scraping up any particles stuck to the pan's bottom. Whisk in the broth, add 1/2 cup water, and continue to boil until the liquid is reduced by 1/3, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, use a fork to mash the butter with the flour in a small bowl or ramekin to create a thick paste. Whisk the cherry jam into the sauce, then add the butter paste in parts, whisking until the paste is fully dissolved and the sauce is simmering and thickened.

Carve the ham and serve with the sauce. Leftover ham will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months. Serves 6, with leftovers.

davisvagind1938.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.rgj.com/story/life/food/2014/12/16/tale-roasts-best-christmas-prime-rib-ham/20491223/

Share this post