Beef roasted over charcoal and wood

Sunday, I was enjoying the cool summer day. My first order of business was to mow two front lawns. It wasn’t even 70º yet, and that made for nice mowing weather. After that, I was in relax mode. Around noon, I lit the grill.  I had a four pound beef roast and I wanted to do that nice and slow on the grill. I set my chair out by the grill, and grabbed my Kindle. It made for a nice afternoon.

I served the beef, slice thin, with lots of gravy, which had a great smokey flavor. Here’s how I got it ready to serve.

Four pound beef roast

Cajun seasoning

Wondra gravy flour

Quarter teaspoon of oregano

Half teaspoon of smoked paprika

Adobo seasoning

Water

Preparation

Pick out a beef roast with a nice layer of fat on it. Place that in a oven proof pan, fat side up. Season it on all sides with a generous amount of cajun seasoning. Let that sit at room temperature for about an hour.

Prepare the grill by placing a large pile of charcoal on one side. Light the charcoal with a propane torch in a couple of places. Give that some time for the charcoal to get hot. While that is heating up, gather some hardwood branches. There is a dead apple tree just down the river from me, and I broke off a branch to supply flavor.

When the coals are hot, place the pan with the roast on the opposite side of the grill from the coals. Add a couple of hardwood sticks, and close the lid. My roast took about three hours to reach medium rare perfection. Cooking time will vary, as much by the shape of the roast, as it will by the heat of the fire. As it roasts, occasionally turn it. Every twenty minutes or so, add more hardwood sticks, to keep the smoke up, and if necessary, more charcoal. When an instant read thermometer just hits 120, bring the roast in.

Set the beef on a plate, in a warm place. Place the pan with the drippings on the stove over medium heat. Sprinkle on enough flour to almost absorb the fat. Add the oregano and smoked paprika. Stir that for a few minutes to cook the flour. Add water, a little at a time, to thin out the gravy. When you think you have the right thickness let it simmer a minute to see if it needs more water. Taste and adjust for salt with the adobo seasoning, and you are ready to serve.

Serving

Slice the beef nice and thin, and then pile several slices on a dinner plate. Add any juices from the cutting board over the sliced beef. I didn’t have potatoes, but I did bake some leftover pizza dough from Saturday, into a small loaf of bread. I put several slices of bread next to the beef, and covered them with gravy. I also had a salad and some grilled yellow crookneck squash to round out the meal. The wine was a nice Zinfandel.