Christmas Day 2010 Rib Roast
We have always had rib roast on Christmas Day. I typically roast it in the oven at 350 F for 18 to 19 minutes per Lb. Each year I make a little note in my recipe book adjusting the time. The last couple years I started the oven temperature at 450 F to sear the roast for the 1st 20 to 30 minutes. Well, what is it 20 or 30 minutes? And does this count toward the total cooking time? And how long should it take to cook overall? I have notes starting at 20 minutes per Lb. And I remember this resulting in the roast being too well done. So, I went to 17 minutes per Lb and it was too rare. I know. I just need a meat thermometer, right? Yeah, right. Last year I made the note to roast for 19 minutes per Lb. at 350 F with the 1st 20 – 30 minutes at 450 F.
One year, I also used the “set it and forget” rotisserie. The roast turned out perfect, but the house smelled like fat drippings for a week. So this year I was preparing the roast to cook in the oven per the latest directions above. The day before Christmas I prepared the rub. I make my own meat rubs which is a lot like my other recepies, mix up whatever I can find in the cupboard. My rubs have not had enough salt in them lately. So for this roast I started with my meat rub that is heavy in brown sugar and added additional season salt.
To make a rub for your rib roast, I recommend ¼ cup of brown sugar and add 1/8 cup each of season salt (I like Tony Chacherie’s Creole Seasoning or Lawry’s season salt – or both), garlic powder, onion powder and chili powder, black pepper and a tablespoon of ground cumin. This rub is typical of the rubs you see on the food channel shows. However, I use more brown sugar and chili powder. I think it makes a better crust. I also cut a bunch of fresh rosemary and oregano from the yard and chop it up to add to the roast. And I also added some red pepper flakes for a little extra kick.
On Christmas Eve, I cut the strings off the roast and separated the ribs to add some season rub under them, then retied the ribs to the roast. I put a generous amount of seasonings all over the roast and put it back in the fridge until Christmas morning. After my Christmas morning coffee, I start to prepare for the dinner roasting. I take the 8.25 Lb. roast out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature on the counter. This is also time to choose and decant the wine to go with dinner.
While the roast is sitting on the counter, I was still unsure of how to cook it this year. Betty takes a turkey bag out and says’ “just cook it in a turkey bag”. The bag has a recipe for roasting a beef rib roast. And the turkey’s always turn out really good, moist and browned. I decided to follow the directions with the turkey bag. I forgot to put the meat thermometer in so I had to rely on the cooking time on the directions. For an 8 to 10 Lb. rib roast, the cooking time is 2.5 to 2.75 hours. Our roast was 8.26 Lbs. so 2.5 hours was set on the oven timer.
I was a little worried because the oven was opened a lot during the 2.5 hours to cook the other stuff. I was probably one of the best rib roasts we have had. It was nice and glazed from the rub. And the end cuts were well done and still moist and very flavorful. The very middle was a little rare and the rest was a beautiful medium rare.
Now for the wine
The household rule is that Le Cuvier gets served to guests that are also Le Cuvier members. Other guests my not appreciate the wine. Dana is a Le Cuvier member so I decanted a bottle of the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. I still have some 2001 and 2002 Cab from Le Cuvier, but I anticipate enjoying those remarkable vintages in the future when there are fewer people to share it with. The wine decanted all morning to allow the bouquet to fully develop. The Le Cuvier Cabs are great with the full flavor of a rib roast or a good steak.
Movie review : True Grit
Betty and I saw the True Grit remake. Why does Hollywood try to remake a classic? Obviously, it’s to make money. I think people will like it if they have nothing else to compare it to, like the original. I like Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, but they both acted like retards in this movie. And that was before Matt Damon almost bit his tongue off. I’m tied, already, of Jeff Bridges acting like a tired old drunk. Maybe he plays those rolls so good because all he has to do is act naturally. Like the old Buck Owens song: “I’m going to be a big star and all I got to do is act naturally” to play a sad broken hearted guy. I mean, how could anyone expect a better Rooster Cogburn than John Wayne? And Glenn Campbell had so much more personality than Matt Damon. And the new Mattie Ross character had none of spunk and personality that the original had. It was like all the characters were beginning actors reading the lines for the first time. The bad guys were not as bad either. Ned Pepper was scary in the original.
The movie will probably get plenty of awards, but my recommendation is if you want to see True Grit, get the original from Net Flicks. I remember the original True Grit making me laugh out loud and make me cry with emotion. This new version made me mad that I wasn’t watching the original one. Sorry.
Music review: Maysa
I love sensual soul music. And I have discovered Maysa. I like going to the Barns and Noble to search for music. I can put on the headphones and scan a CD to get a sample of each song. I first found Maysa Sweet Classic Soul CD from 2006. Wishing on a Star is almost as good a Rose Royce. I most recently found her 2002 CD, “Out of the Blue”. Both CD’s are great easy to listen to soul music. I love it with this Sunday morning newspaper.
Restaurant Review: Crest RV Park, Bakersfield
My Bakersfield readers are probably familiar with the newspaper ads for the Crest RV Park Restaurant. I thought, who is going to go to a RV Park for lunch or dinner? Well, I did. It’s on Wible Road, across from Motor City GM dealers where the old Crest Drive-in Movie Theater was located. I was getting my car serviced during lunch so I thought I would walk over to the renowned Crest Diner in the RV Park. It’s a nice restaurant and bar. Everyone was very attentive and they really wanted me to enjoy my dining experience, which I did. It was lunch and I was dining alone, so I sat at the bar. I really just wanted a burger. They had a special - ½ Lb. burger on grilled wheat bread. It had avocado and jalapenos on it also. It was a good sandwich, but it cost $10.95 or so. It came with fries or a salad and I had the salad. It was nice and fresh with cucumber and some other vegetables. I only had water and the bill still came to $12+. I left $15 to cover lunch and a tip. The only thing cheaper on the menu for lunch was a regular burger and that was $10. Whatever happened to the $6 restaurant burger? I guess they’re at Carls Jr. Or, am I living in the past? I only want to spend $5 or $6 for lunch, not $15. If I wasn’t such a lazy ass, I would have walked to the Ranch Grande Mexican Carniceria and market a few blocks up the street on Wible and had some tacos. Hey, at least my oil change was free.
I think the Crest RV Diner is a great place to eat if you are RVing there or working at one of the local auto dealerships nearby. And it was a friendly and clean restaurant and the service was great. I can give it 3 stars for food, service and atmosphere based on what I ordered. I just would not say to Betty, “do you want to go out to dinner? Let’s go the the RV Park”.
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