Carne asada en la olla de los misioneros - Roast meat in the missionaries' pot, a Pinedo recipe

After having tried the Adobo seco recipe last month, I wanted to try another meat recipe from Pinedo's book.  Click here to see the previous recipe.

This time I had a two-pound beef roast.  What I found was a recipe on pages 52-53 titled Carne asada en la olla de los misioneros.  It looked easy, but I learned from the last recipe that getting the spicing/herbs just right is the challenge.  Challenge accepted!

Her Recipe

 

My Translation

My Redaction

2 pound beef roast
12 costeño chiles
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  

Thinly slice the garlic.  

Cut slits in the meat deep and wide enough for the garlic slices to fit. (I skipped the lardons.  See my note below.)

Insert garlic into slits in the meat.

Pour oil into the bottom of a heavy Dutch oven and spread it around.

Put the meat in the Dutch oven, cover with the lid, then put into the oven for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the seeds and cores of the chiles.  Toast the chiles in a hot, dry pan until browned with maybe a few black patches, stirring or turning them often to toast them evenly.

Remove chiles to a bowl and cover with hot water.  Allow them to soak until soft.  

If you haven't already, finely chop the oregano.

Once the chiles are ready, put them and some (or all) of the soaking water into a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Add the oregano and blend a few seconds more to mix.

When the 30 minutes is up on the meat, pour the sauce over the top of it.  Turn the meat and spoon the sauce over the top if needed.  Put the lid back on the Dutch oven and bake for another 20 minutes.

When done, let the meat rest for a few minutes.  Slice thinly and serve with a few spoonfuls of sauce over the slices.  The rest of the sauce can go in a small pitcher that goes on the table with the meat. 

 My Notes

Lardons are thin strips of fat that are inserted into the meat so that they melt into it while cooking.  They are a great way to keep the meat moist.  I didn't have any, although if I had thought about it enough, I probably could have used raw bacon fat.  That would add salt to the flavor.

My garlic clove was big, so after slicing it, I cut each slice in half.  That made it easy to put into the slits and not have them sticking out.  I used less than the whole clove.  I would guess my slits were 1 to 2 inches apart on all sides of the roast.

Tuck that garlic in!

 My chile sauce measured 1 1/2 cups when done.  I hoped it was "scant" enough.  

When the meat came out after 30 minutes of cooking, the center was at about 100 degrees F.  After the second round of cooking, it was 145 degrees F.  I considered that done.

That much fresh oregano. (I liked the picture!)

After the Round 1 cooking time.

Rolled that chunk o'meat in the sauce, and spooned on more.

After Round 2 of cooking.

I think that is perfect!

Ready for the table.

The Verdict

I served it with some roasted potatoes dressed with a little shredded asiago cheese;  steamed zucchini tossed with garlic powder, pepper, and salt; and wine.  Don't forget the wine!

The meat was a little more chewy than I had expected.  My guest taster agreed but did not see it as a negative.  To me, beef tends to be chewy and that usually disappoints me, so I have a hard time judging it.

The sauce was pleasantly spicy-hot, not too much for my guest taster who typically does not like spicy.  I got a little tingle on my tongue from each bite, which I enjoyed.  It did not set my mouth on fire.  (Whew!  The costeños are hotter than what I am used to, so I usually mix them with less fiery chiles.  But I am learning that cooking can reduce the fire a bit. )

The garlic and oregano were not dominant.  I believe the sauce was close to being balanced, but I think I would add more oregano next time.  I could barely taste them; I wasn't even sure I was tasting them.  My guest taster said he could get the herbal notes of the oregano.   

Also, I think I could have used less sauce for the second round of cooking.  Maybe 1 cup? It could have been more robust in flavor, which makes me think "watered down" implies "too much liquid."

If I had cooked the meat at a lower temperature, say 300 degrees F, that might have made the meat less chewy.  It would just take longer. 

We enjoyed the meal, so I call it a success!  We both poured on more sauce as we were eating the beef. Again, that added flavor and chile-heat but not too much.

I shared some of the leftovers with another favored guest taster who really likes hot and spicy chiles.  He has a discerning palate and has different food preferences than I have, so I really appreciate his take on things. He thought the meat was cooked just right.  However, he could not discern much taste from the sauce.  At all.  Not from the chiles or from the oregano.  So the sauce was a bust for him.  If you have guests who are similar, bump up the oregano quite a bit and reduce the amount of water used to make the sauce.  Maybe even reduce the sauce somewhat before serving, just to concentrate the flavor.  At least, that is my best guess.