Fire It Up - Andrew Schloss [53]
As with all animals, the calf’s muscles that get the most exercise have the most flavor, but they are also the toughest. Veal breast and other roasts from the chuck tend to be thick and tough, requiring indirect grilling and mopping or other forms of moisture to dissolve tough connective tissue and become fork-tender. Veal chops, top round cutlets, and other small cuts from the rack and upper leg are thinner and have more tender, fine-grained meat. These cuts can be grilled directly over medium or high heat.
The one thing to keep in mind whenever you grill veal is this: avoid overcooking. The youth of the animal ensures tenderness but also means a minimum of intramuscular marbling. Particularly in milk-fed veal, the lack of iron in the diet limits the development of saturated fat. Veal is much leaner than beef, containing about 50 percent less fat and 25 percent fewer calories on average. That means veal can easily dry out on the grill. We like to cook veal chops and most roasts to medium-rare or medium doneness (135 to 145°F). For added moisture, we serve tender cuts like chops and leg cutlets with rich sauces. When slow-grilling tough cuts like veal shank, shoulder, and breast, we use brines and mops for extra juiciness.
T-BONE/LOIN
T-Bone of Veal au Poivre
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
T-bone veal chops are cut from the loin. Unlike veal rib chops, they include some tenderloin on one side of the bone. We marinate the T-bone in white wine and fresh herbs, grill it quickly in a crust of cracked peppercorns, then finish it with brandy cream sauce on the plate.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons Fresh Herb Rub
4 veal T-bone chops, about 1½ inches thick, fat trimmed to ¼ inch
1 teaspoon coarse salt
3 tablespoons mixed peppercorns (black, green, red, and white), cracked (see Note)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large shallot, minced
½ cup Cognac
½ cup heavy cream
DIRECTIONS:
Combine the wine, olive oil, and herb rub in 1-gallon zipper-lock plastic bags. Drop in the veal chops, press out the air, seal, and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
Remove the chops from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. It’s okay if some of the herbs and garlic cling to the meat. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and the cracked pepper and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
Light a grill for bilevel high/medium-low heat, about 375°F ambient temperature. Brush the grill grate and coat with oil. Grill the chops directly over high heat until darkly crusted, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium-low on a gas grill or move the chops to the medium-low-heat area on a charcoal or wood grill and cook to an internal temperature of 135 to 145°F for medium-rare to medium-done, about 5 minutes more per side. Remove to a platter and let rest for 5 minutes.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the Cognac and increase the heat to high. Boil until reduced by about half. Stir in the cream and any accumulated juices from the veal platter. Return to a boil and boil until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and serve with the veal.
Note: Crush the peppercorns coarsely under a heavy frying pan, or buy cracked peppercorns.
RIB CHOPS/RACK
Veal Rib Chops with Coriander Rub
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Ground coriander does magical things to veal. It walks the line between savory and sweet, deepening veal’s mild flavor without overpowering its tender texture. Rubbed with coriander and grilled in about 10 minutes, these rib chops need only a dollop of preserved lime (or preserved lemon) yogurt for a tart and briny counterpoint. Grilled onions and sweet potatoes would make good dinner companions here. When buying the veal, keep in mind that chops cut from