Now then. You have probably seen glimpses of this little experiment on our social media. And if we were to be honest, we have been ‘influenced’ ourselves. But then again, we are used to seeing this sort of thing at Meatopia and going into this summer, at T&G, we felt that we should up the ante with regards to creating live-fire cooking projects at home and sharing the know-how. Not forgetting to mention the theatre.
So, here is the lowdown on how to prepare, cook and serve our BBQ Rolled Rib-Eye With Bone Marrow Armour.
Or ‘The Spitfire’ as Mat likes to call it. Being one of the founders of Meatopia, he has a keenly visual and creative approach to these sorts of things.
But before we proceed, perhaps we should address the fundamental ‘why?’ behind such an idea. Our rolled rib eye is a fine well-marbled joint after all and perhaps doesn’t need any extra adornment, aside from a liberal coating of sea salt and ground black pepper.
However, having tested the method a few times now, the basting that ensues from the bone marrow does help to deliver a beautifully tender piece of beef. And come on! We’re talking about infusing rich, melted, yellow fat into the meat here. It’s a no-brainer! Once you have nearly completed the process, you then blend the soft, yielding marrow into a luscious Madeira gravy! Lest we forget about the added health benefits of collagen!
Phew…
It is largely about the theatre though and showing off to your family and friends, with all the flame and smoke and the sheer magnificence of watching a glorious piece of beef slowly turn and turn for a couple of hours. There really is nothing like it. Especially with a beer in hand.
That said and if you do want to go down this route, you really will need a rotisserie set-up for your BBQ.
You could do this in the oven. But it won’t be quite as exciting.
Check out our video here for the quick-fire inspiration and see the steps below to really drill down into the method.
Step One
First, make your purchase of some Turner & George Rolled Rib Eye and 6 Bone Marrow Shafts - 1.5kg will feed 6 easily, whereas 2.5kg will cater for numbers up to 10.
You are at liberty to tie the shafts to the joint at home but if you would like us to do this for you, simply add a comment in the Butcher Instructions Box and our team will pre-season and tie the bones neatly for you.
Step Two
If you are doing this at home, the best route is again to liberally season the meat and then stand it on one end on your chopping board. Stand and line up the bone marrow shards around the meat and begin tying to the rib eye.
Remember, use good Butcher’s string and five equal loops should suffice - although do feel free to add more.
Step Three
You will need to secure it a touch further, so prior, make sure you have some stainless steel garden wire to hand. You can get 8mm gauge from most well-known DIY and garden stores, which will be pliable for your needs. Tie three or more bands of wire around the marrow bones and twist to fasten tightly and securely. Now you are good to go.
Step Four
Set up your BBQ and rotisserie for open fire cooking. We have used both a kettle BBQ and open fire pit table before and the key element is to make sure that the meat is elevated but not too close to the fire, as you will need some control. So aim for a height of about 30 cm over the coals.
Get your fire going with a good amount of charcoal or wood (say about 3kgs) and when all is white and glowing, you are good to go. Spear the meat straight through the middle and secure with claws, then place over the heat to start turning.
Step Five
Like we said, this is where the fun happens but for the first 20 minutes or so, activity will be fairly slow. Then, as things start to heat up and the bone marrow begins to melt and drip, your cooking will really start to get going, so this is where you keep an eye on proceedings.
A top tip here is to move the glowing charcoal outwards around the edges of the direct cooking area. This will help you to feed and top up the coals and to also control any flare ups. It is also good to keep a vinegar spray on standby, to help dampen things down should the flames get lairy.
Step Six
After about an hour and half, the bone marrow will be fully cooked and will begin to really start dripping and melting. At this stage, take the meat off the heat and cut free the bone marrow using pliers and place the bones into a tray to keep warm. At this stage you can also check the inner temperature of the beef and it should be at around 40°C (the bone really does shield it from the heat). Place the meat back on the rotisserie to crisp and brown up the outside for a further 30 minutes. Do feel free to brush with herbs (theatre, remember) but do also keep an eye on the temperature.
When it is at around 50 to 52°C, take off, remove the meat from the spit and wrap in foil and leave to rest. The temperature should increase some more and the sweet spot should come in at around 55 to 57°C.
Step Seven
Whilst the meat is resting, get your gravy on the go and this is where Chef Richard H. Turner comes into the mix. In Prime, he has a classic method for Madeira gravy, with a host of possibilities and this will be the time to use that bone marrow.
Bone Marrow Gravy
Ingredients
60g chopped shallots
100g unsalted butter
250ml Madeira
2 litres Beef Stock
100g bone marrow, chopped
Method
Cook the shallots in 20g of the butter until soft, and then add the Madeira and cook until reduced to a glaze.
Add the beef stock and continue simmering until reduced by three-quarters.
Whisk in the rest of the butter and then add the chopped bone marrow. Season to taste.
Step Eight
And now, you are practically there. Remove the foil from the beef and carve into generous slices and serve onto a platter. Finish by drizzling some of the bone marrow gravy over the top and serve with a host of sides, such as jacket potatoes, fresh steamed greens and lashings of horseradish sauce.
People will applaud and herald you as some sort of fire God (you can thank us later!)
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