Father’s Day Barbecue

As Father’s Day approaches I am sure we are all thinking about barbecue menus.  Mixed grill offers something for everyone if you include chicken, beef, hot dogs or sausages, plenty of grilled vegetables, and fresh salads.  Take advantage of the season’s bounty of tomatoes, corn, fresh onions, eggplants, and serve fresh fruit desserts.

Preparing for this post several weeks ago I still had 2 four bone prime ribs in my freezer left from the Passover holiday that I never cooked.  No time like the present to use the meat up.  With the coming of the season change I lose my taste for oven roasted meat dishes and switch over to outdoor grill and lighter fresher fair.  I had a great idea, what if I cut the prime ribs up into something else?

With a very large slicer knife and a large chef’s knife I partitioned the meat into three sections.  I carefully removed the ribs, leaving them thick enough to separate and use for barbecue beef ribs.  Next, I removed the top portion of the rib eye or the part that you slice to make Cap steaks.  I sliced that most succulent portion into Cap steaks on an angle.  Finally left with a center of a rib eye, kind of a kosher Chateau Briand, using a deft hand one was left intact to barbecue whole and then slice; while the other was cut into 2 inch thick kosher versions of a filet mignon.

I marinated the cap steaks, Chateau Briand and filet mignon in a green herbs marinade with plenty of garlic and ginger to spike up the taste.  Everyone in my household is male except me and they all loved it and devoured every bite with gusto.

Serves 6 to 8

1 large 4 bone prime rib

1/ 2 cup fresh lime juice (4 to 8 limes)

2 inches of fresh ginger root, sliced thin

6 fat cloves fresh garlic, peeled

1 large bunch of cilantro, washed and dried with stems cut off

1 large bunch of fresh mint, washed, dried, stems removed

1 fresh Jalapeno pepper, seeded and stem removed

1/3 cup olive oil

1/ 2 teaspoon Sea salt or to taste

1 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

Partition prime rib roast into three sections as described above, ribs, cap steaks, and either individual filet mignons or a solid piece of rib eye.  Place 1/ 4 cup of lime juice and other ingredients for marinade in a food processor or mini chopper and process until they are mostly pureed.  Set steaks in a large baking dish.  Pour remaining lime juice on top and then smear herb and garlic puree over all.  Refrigerate for about 4 hours to marinate.

For ribs, soak them in your favorite barbecue sauce combination in a separate medium baking dish for about 4 hours as well.

Heat barbecue grill to medium-high heat and heat oven to 400° F.  Spray steaks with natural oil cooking spray and place on hottest section of grill.  Leave meat undisturbed for two minutes and then, give a half turn.  After a minute flip steaks with a tongs.  Cook cap steaks to a little under your desired degree of doneness and then, let them sit 10 minutes before carving.   For thicker filet steaks; once they are deep caramel on the outside yet still very rare on the inside, if you prefer them more medium, transfer steak to a clean baking dish and place them in the preheated oven for about 5 to 10 minutes until they reach your desired degree of doneness.  Remove form oven and always let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

If you leave center rib eye whole, not cut into individual steaks, barbecue it until very dark on the grill and then, transfer meat to a baking dish and into oven.  Turn oven down to 350°F and leave roast in oven for about 25 minutes.  Remove roast and wrap tightly in heavy duty aluminum foil for about 20 to 30 minutes.  To serve place meat on a cutting board, remove foil and slice in thin juicy pink slices.

For ribs; roast in a baking dish covered with aluminum foil in a preheated 350°F oven for one and one half hours.  Remove ribs from oven. Using a long tong, remove ribs from baking dish and individually sear them to caramelize barbecue sauce on barbecue grill.