Dean Torges
R.I.P. 11/4/2016
Am trying something new. Am fixing to do a moose roast in a cast iron Dutch oven within the WSM, and have some dinner guests, some of wife Mary's friends, over for the experiment. I have the logistics figured, I think, but can use some advice or direction. Not making trial runs here. Time is short, moose is thawing. Going for the gusto.
Will first flour, salt and pepper this room temp roast (about 4 lbs), then take as much time as necessary to brown it in an iron skillet. Will use about three tbs. of bacon fat for this.
I have a larding needle, and I could lace the roast with some pork fat with a sliver of garlic in each lardoon, but have sworn to myself not to do this. Moose is even leaner and more spectacularly clean to the appearance and the palate than elk or venison. I feel guilty enough browning it in bacon drippings. Angus Cameron, who wrote the "LL Bean Game & Fish Cookbook" insists that barding is one of four inviolable principles with game roasts, but I don't want mine tasting like a cross between pork and beef, and I've done enough stews, roasts and round steaks in the crock pot to know game can be cooked slow to a tender goodness without becoming dry.
Indeed, the whole purpose of this experiment is that I want to find a way to cook large game roasts in their pristine goodness, without fat, only I want to use the WSM so I don't have to fool around reducing hardwood fires to cooking embers, or trading out charcoal briquets for 8 or so hours. Also, I want to control the temp, to keep it below boiling, and I would like to add a little smoke flavor to the stew. All of these things the WSM can deliver ? I think. At any rate, this roast is too large for any crock pot I have ever seen. Our big one is 6.5 quts. Just don't want to do it in the kitchen oven, either.
I digress. After browning roast, will deglaze with cup of something resembling pinot noir, add a little more of same and reduce somewhat.
Plan then to add the roast and the reduced wine, place a few bay leaves,some peppercorns, onions (maybe leeks instead), carrots, parsnips, etc., around the sides of the Dutch oven, cover and cook around 200 degrees for 8 hours or so.
Flour on roast should thicken gravy slightly, and the cooking will remove the flour taste.
Root crops at this temp cook at about the same rate as the meat, and the oven I will be using is large enough to swim laps around. I will be cooking below boiling point, at around 200? F for most of the cook. Dutch oven is three-legged, 12 qt, and a sufficient heat sink, I would think, that I can stand it in the water pan sans sand.
At end of cook, will remove lid, open vents of WSM to increase cooking temp and continue for another half hour or so, reducing liquid and finishing off roast in the process while introducing some wood flavor from the cherry and oak hardwood I will have laced through the charcoal for flavor, perhaps an hour prior. (May add some morels then, too, if I can find more between now and the cook.) If gravy is not thick enough, I will remove vegetables and meat to warming dish and whisk in sufficient quantity of modest butter and flour roux, which I keep prepared and refrigerated.
Will serve a little morel mushroom soup beforehand. Made some yesterday evening. Tried to follow a recipe. Actually, tried to combine the more manageable portions of several, but screwed up when some of the principles were at cross purposes. Still came out pretty good. Hard to mess something up when the ingredients are white wine, cream, onions, celery, two pounds of morels and a quarter pound of butter. Still, who knows how good it might have been? Perhaps I should serve it after dinner, in case there's a need to cover up the memory of moose.
So, whaddya think? Is this gonna work? Am I going to discover a delicious way to cook game roasts and stew meat? Do you see any pitfalls or danger signs in this plan? Do you have any advice? It is all welcome.
If this works, I may post a few digital photos. If it's a colossal flop, you will never hear from me again.
Will first flour, salt and pepper this room temp roast (about 4 lbs), then take as much time as necessary to brown it in an iron skillet. Will use about three tbs. of bacon fat for this.
I have a larding needle, and I could lace the roast with some pork fat with a sliver of garlic in each lardoon, but have sworn to myself not to do this. Moose is even leaner and more spectacularly clean to the appearance and the palate than elk or venison. I feel guilty enough browning it in bacon drippings. Angus Cameron, who wrote the "LL Bean Game & Fish Cookbook" insists that barding is one of four inviolable principles with game roasts, but I don't want mine tasting like a cross between pork and beef, and I've done enough stews, roasts and round steaks in the crock pot to know game can be cooked slow to a tender goodness without becoming dry.
Indeed, the whole purpose of this experiment is that I want to find a way to cook large game roasts in their pristine goodness, without fat, only I want to use the WSM so I don't have to fool around reducing hardwood fires to cooking embers, or trading out charcoal briquets for 8 or so hours. Also, I want to control the temp, to keep it below boiling, and I would like to add a little smoke flavor to the stew. All of these things the WSM can deliver ? I think. At any rate, this roast is too large for any crock pot I have ever seen. Our big one is 6.5 quts. Just don't want to do it in the kitchen oven, either.
I digress. After browning roast, will deglaze with cup of something resembling pinot noir, add a little more of same and reduce somewhat.
Plan then to add the roast and the reduced wine, place a few bay leaves,some peppercorns, onions (maybe leeks instead), carrots, parsnips, etc., around the sides of the Dutch oven, cover and cook around 200 degrees for 8 hours or so.
Flour on roast should thicken gravy slightly, and the cooking will remove the flour taste.
Root crops at this temp cook at about the same rate as the meat, and the oven I will be using is large enough to swim laps around. I will be cooking below boiling point, at around 200? F for most of the cook. Dutch oven is three-legged, 12 qt, and a sufficient heat sink, I would think, that I can stand it in the water pan sans sand.
At end of cook, will remove lid, open vents of WSM to increase cooking temp and continue for another half hour or so, reducing liquid and finishing off roast in the process while introducing some wood flavor from the cherry and oak hardwood I will have laced through the charcoal for flavor, perhaps an hour prior. (May add some morels then, too, if I can find more between now and the cook.) If gravy is not thick enough, I will remove vegetables and meat to warming dish and whisk in sufficient quantity of modest butter and flour roux, which I keep prepared and refrigerated.
Will serve a little morel mushroom soup beforehand. Made some yesterday evening. Tried to follow a recipe. Actually, tried to combine the more manageable portions of several, but screwed up when some of the principles were at cross purposes. Still came out pretty good. Hard to mess something up when the ingredients are white wine, cream, onions, celery, two pounds of morels and a quarter pound of butter. Still, who knows how good it might have been? Perhaps I should serve it after dinner, in case there's a need to cover up the memory of moose.
So, whaddya think? Is this gonna work? Am I going to discover a delicious way to cook game roasts and stew meat? Do you see any pitfalls or danger signs in this plan? Do you have any advice? It is all welcome.
If this works, I may post a few digital photos. If it's a colossal flop, you will never hear from me again.