Cooking for Pleasure: Top sirloin roast beef

The Coulotte cut

Ready to eat top sirloin roast beef. (Photo by Patty Schied)

By Patty Schied

I am a great fan of a good prime rib roast. But the price of a five pound rib roast, the smallest size necessary for it to stand up in the oven, is daunting. Lucky for me, a few years ago I discovered a completely different cut of meat that satisfies my craving for deep flavored and tender rare roast beef. This is called the coulotte cut. 

It is a 3 ½ pound top sirloin roast that has a thick fat top. Few people know about it, according to the butcher at Super Bear, who said he would be delighted to take orders for it and that he loved it too. It cost me $9.99 per pound. 

The raw sirloin roast. (Photo by Patty Schied)

This roast is about three inches thick. To prepare it, remove the wrappings the morning of your dinner. Pat it dry, score the fat with a sharp knife and heavily season it with salt and pepper (or your favorite seasonings), then store it in the refrigerator uncovered until you are ready to cook. An hour before you plan to roast the meat, remove it from the refrigerator and let it get to room temperature. 

The total cooking time is about an hour. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part. Because the meat tapers on the ends, by the time it reaches 125 degrees internally (the perfect rareness in my estimation), the ends will be medium to well done. Perfect for guests who dislike very rare beef. 

Roast the meat for 15 minutes at 450. By first cooking the roast at this high temperature, the thick fat cap will turn brown and release a lot of the oil into the roasting pan. Lower the heat to 325. When the meat reaches the desired internal temperature, remove it from the oven, place on a serving platter and cover with foil for at least 10 minutes. This gives the roast time to absorb its juices. If you immediately slice the roast, the juices will spill onto the platter. And anyway, this gives you time to prepare any last minute vegetable dishes, such as asparagus in lemon butter, toss your salad and mashed potatoes if you wish.  Roasted potatoes or a rice pilaf go great with this meal too. 

The roast right out of the oven. (Photo by Patty Schied)

Gravy is optional, but you will have lots of lovely drippings in the pan if you want to make it, especially if you are serving mashed potatoes. Just pour off the fat in the roasting pan into a measuring cup and pour enough beef stock (canned is fine) onto the brown stuff (the fond) remaining at the bottom of your roasting pan, stirring vigorously to incorporate those lovely brown bits. Meanwhile, take one fourth cup of the fat in your measuring cup, pour into a small saucepan and set your burner at medium. Add one fourth cup of flour and stir, cooking until the roux turns medium brown. Add the pan juices you’ve made and whisk until thickened.   

This roast served four of us with second helpings along with tidbits for my sister’s Jack Russell terrier who demanded her share from under the table. Enough was left over to give some to my guests for sandwiches the next day. 

• Patty Schied is a longtime Juneau resident who studied at the Cordon Bleu in London and has written a cookbook. Cooking For Pleasure appears every other week in the Juneau Independent's features. She welcomes recipe ideas and questions about her column at patschied@yahoo.com.