Mastering the Grill_ The Owner's Manual for Outdoor Cooking - Andrew Schloss [169]
6. Remove the roasting pan from the grill and transfer to a large trivet for serving. Or transfer the ingredients to a large serving platter. Discard the seaweed, parsley, and any clams or mussels that have not opened. Pour any juices from the bottom of the pan over the clambake. Sprinkle with a bit more crab boil seasoning. Cut the cooked lobsters in half lengthwise and arrange on top. Serve with the melted butter for drizzling or dipping, and lemon wedges for squeezing.
Chile-Rubbed Strip Roast Larded with Sausages
A strip roast is the whole loin of beef, also known as sirloin strip roast, shell roast, or top loin roast. This is the piece of meat that individual strip steaks are cut from. We’re talking about 8 to 10 pounds of flavorful boneless beef. Look for this large roast sold whole in discount chain stores such as Costco. Or ask your butcher for one (it’s a good idea to order ahead of time). The beauty of the whole top loin is that it can be cut into smaller roasts or steaks. If you want a smaller roast, cut some strip steaks as thick as you like and roast the rest. The cooking time won’t vary much because the thickness of the roast remains the same. The flavor here is akin to prime rib and the meat is expensive, so serve this roast for a special occasion with a crowd. We burrow a few tunnels in the roast and stuff them with various sausages—pure indulgence. This whole roast can be cooked on your average-size kettle grill or gas grill. If your grill is on the small side, see “Working with a Smaller Grill” at left.
TIMING
Prep: 20 minutes (plus 5 minutes for rub and chimichurri)
Rest before grilling: 1 hour
Grill: About 1¼ hours
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GRILL TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
• Kitchen twine
• Spray bottle filled with water
• Heat-resistant gloves or 2 large spatulas for lifting the roast
WORKING WITH A SMALLER GRILL
If your grill won’t accommodate the entire roast in the center of the grill completely away from the heat, push all the coals to one side instead of banking them on either side of your charcoal grill. If you have a gas grill, heat the burners on only one side of the grill instead of heating the outside burners. This positions the meat opposite a single heated area rather than between two heated areas. Either way, there should be no heat directly beneath the roast.
DIFFERENT LINKS
Any cured or fully cooked sausages can be used in this recipe. We like long, skinny types such as chorizo because they are slender and long enough to stuff the whole length of the roast. You could replace the chorizo with lap cheong, a smoked Chinese sausage made with pork, soy sauce, and paprika. Or try another other long, skinny sausage. Any type will do. If you’re using a smaller roast, shorter sausages work well too. Try slender cervelat (smoked German sausage made with pork and beef) or tender salami such as Hungarian salami or salami Genovese. The less firm the better, since the sausages won’t soften much in the center of the roast.
THE GRILL
Gas:
Indirect heat, medium (325° to 350°F)
3- or 4-burner grill-middle burner(s) off
2-burner grill—1 side off
Clean, oiled grate
Charcoal:
Indirect heat, medium ash
Split charcoal bed (about 2 dozen coals per side)
20 replacement coals
Heavy-duty drip pan set between banks of charcoal
Clean, oiled grate on medium setting
INGREDIENTS (MAKES 10 TO 12 SERVINGS)
1 whole boneless beef strip roast, about 10 pounds, surface fat trimmed to ¼ to ½ inch
12 ounces long, skinny cured or cooked sausages, such as Spanish chorizo or Portuguese linguiça
½ cup Mild Chile Rub (a variation of Fragrant Chile Rub, page 372)
Oil for coating grill grate
2 cups Red Pepper Chimichurri (page 397)
DIRECTIONS
1. Make 3 tunnels in the center of the roast that you can stuff. To make each hole, push a sharpening steel through the meat on one side, then repeat