We don’t eat a lot of beef, but, every once in a while, a big old slab of grilled red meat really hits the spot. Over the years, I’ve concocted lots of spice rubs and marinades, and some have been interesting, but none have really stuck in my repertoire, because, I think, most of them end up distracting from the luxurious flavor of good beef more than enhancing it. Not this one. It’s simple, but a little unorthodox, consisting of lemon zest, rosemary, salt and fresh chiles — something that at first glance seems better suited to lamb or even chicken. But it’s delicious. The bright lemon and strong herbal, almost astringent flavor of the rosemary perfectly complement the richness of the beef, while the chiles give the dish a gentle heat. It’s shown above with an eye-of-round roast, but it’s also great with tri-tip or a rib-eye steak. In fact, I think it would work well with any cut of beef suitable for the grill, making it easy to give your meat a twist.
Recipe (inspired Suzanne Goin’s recipe for Bistecca California in her wonderful cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques)
Ingredients
(for about three pounds of meat)
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1-2 teaspoons thinly sliced chile de arbol (I have successfully substituted serrano chiles.)
2 lemons, zested
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons fleur de sel (Kosher salt would be a fine substitute.)
about 2 tablespoons best quality olive oil
Instructions
Combine the rosemary, chiles, lemon zest, pepper and salt in a small bowl. Rub evenly over the meat, cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least four hours.
Remove the meat from the refrigerator 30-40 minutes before you plan to cook it to allow it to come to room temperature, drizzle it with the oil and cook on the grill as you ordinarily would for the cut of meat you’re using. (For a roast such as this, I cook it over medium low heat on an uncovered grill, turning once or twice, until the I’ve got a nice brown crust and the internal temperature reaches about 125F, which takes about 20-25 minutes. I then let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing. For me, a good instant-read thermometer is essential for successful grilling.)
To finish the dish, just before you serve, drizzle the meat with a little more olive oil and give each plate a generous squeeze of lemon juice.
