Meat market
Our chef and butcher bring the ‘ biff’.
The boys have just polished off a meal at Franklin in Hobart, after a packed day
filming for delicious. On Tour, Tasmania. We’re going to use the rump. Why is it called rostbiff? It’s Swedish. I’ve never in my life heard of rostbiff. The rump is made up of three different muscles: the cap, the tri-tip and the eye. The heart of the rump is called the rostbiff. It’s the leanest part; high in iron. People have a misconception about rump – they think they don’t like it; they think it’s chewy. You’re making it up. You’re an idiot. When you were at Four In Hand you sold 300 of these a week! Then I am the idiot for paying your prices! Anyway, the rostbiff is actually the perfect example of a lean, high-protein cut of meat. But people think it’s cheap. They see it as substandard. Yeah, lots go for the fillet. But a rump that’s been reared well has great potential.
Alright then, we’ll turn it around. We’ll do skewers. We’ll marinate the beef the day before in a mixture of rosemary, garlic, lemon zest and oil. Then we’ll thread the beef onto skewers and grill them. Sounds easy! It is. And the best bit is you can use any leftover beef in rice paper rolls. What’s rice paper made out of? Rice, you idiot. I reckon most people wouldn’t know the rice paper roll is made out of rice.
The name gives it away, mate! Like a bread roll, mate!
Yes, we know that’s made out of bread! So, we’re making the rice paper rolls?
No! We’re buying the rice paper rolls! Nobody has time to make them. You have your marinated beef ready to go and your rice paper rolls ready to go. Nice! You’ve grilled the beef the night before for your skewers, so the next day we just need to slice it up for the rolls. Cold roast beef? Yes, so I can give it to my kids in their lunch boxes! I have to get sliced cucumber and carrots in there for my kids for crunch. And I couldn’t put coriander in there for my girls, but you could for other kids. Same with chilli. Bit of mint. Splash of vinegar or lemon or lime. Then I would roll it up in the rice paper roll. Then a sauce. Sweet chilli? There’s nothing wrong with sweet chilli sauce! Why are you being derogatory?
I wasn’t being derogatory! You only said that because it wasn’t your idea.
No it isn’t – I think it works. It’s obvious! I just don’t think sweet chilli will fly for the healthy issue. Maybe I’d do a stock syrup, but at three-quarters water, one-quarter sugar – to cut down on sugar. Then add a tiny bit of sliced chilli, a splash of vinegar, and maybe a coriander root, then I’d blend it into a sauce to add to the rolls.
So we have skewers for dinner and the kids’ lunches, and it’s all healthy-ish? Exactly. You’ll be singing my praises! There you go again. Getting carried away as usual.
ROSEMARY BEEF SKEWERS WITH HORSERADISH AND LEMON SERVES 6-8
Begin this recipe 1 day ahead. We used part-picked rosemary stems as skewers, but you can swap for wooden skewers soaked in water. 2 bunches rosemary (with long stems
if using stems as skewers) 2 small garlic cloves, chopped 3/4 cup (180ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to brush 1kg rostbiff (centre part of rump – from butchers), trimmed, cut into 3cm pieces Pared zest of 1 lemon, plus 2 extra
halved lemons Finely grated fresh horseradish and
smoked salt flakes, to serve
Pick 1 cup rosemary leaves. Reserve stems for skewers, if using, leaving 4cm of stem with leaves attached at one end.
Using a mortar and pestle, pound rosemary leaves, garlic and 1 tsp each salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper into a coarse paste. Stir through oil.
Combine beef, pared zest and 1/4 cup (60ml) rosemary paste in a non-reactive bowl. Cover and chill overnight. Reserve remaining rosemary paste to serve.
The next day, thread rostbiff onto rosemary skewers, if using, and place on a tray. Set aside for 1 hour to bring to room temperature.
Heat a chargrill pan or barbecue to medium-high heat. Grill skewers for 12 minutes, turning every 4 minutes, for medium-rare, or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a heatproof dish and stand, loosely covered, for 5 minutes to rest. Meanwhile, brush cut side of extra halved lemons with extra oil and grill, cut-side down, for 3 minutes or until grill marks appear. Transfer skewers to a serving dish. Sprinkle over horseradish and smoked salt, and serve skewers with reserved rosemary oil and grilled lemon.