How to Make Deli-Style Roast Beef From a Whole Beef Leg 

April 29, 2020 Admin 0 Comments

The Meat Hook butchers make the deli classic from scratch

Previously on Prime Time, Meat Hook butchers Ben Turley and Brent Young have tried their hand at deli-style ham, classic bologna, and even the New Jersey specialty Taylor Ham. Now they’re attempting another sliced deli classic: roast beef.

The duo hang a beef leg from a rail, and follow the meat’s natural seams to separate the bottom round from the rest of the leg.

“I think the only reason to talk about the bottom round is for making roast beef,” says Brent. “The bottom round is not a steak, it’s a roast, hence roast beef. It has much thicker muscle grain, so it needs to be cooked at a lower temperature for a longer period of time in order for it to actually be somewhat tender.”

The two then heavily season the roast with salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary, and cure it for two days. They give it a blast of heat at the beginning to give the meat a nice crust, then cook it low and slow at 275 to 300 degrees for about three hours to keep it rare in the middle.

Once the roast beef is done, there’s only one thing left to do according to Ben: “This isn’t going on a charcuterie platter, let’s make some sandwiches.”