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[Hank D Thoreau]

The bottom round roast is in the refrigerator dry brining and will go on the smoker tomorrow. Tomorrow is our day of good weather before the rain returns.

I'll have to sharpen my Global Chef knife so that I can make the thin slices. A chef that we mentor gave us the type of electric knife sharpener they use at her kitchen.

I have not tried it yet. Others in my house have and it seems to work pretty well. Easier than going to the local knife sharpener or getting out a wet stone.

[Hank D Thoreau]

The bottom round roast turned out good. I sliced it thin with my Global chef knife. I sharpened the knife with my Chef'sChoice hybrid sharpener. It is the first time I used it and it worked pretty well. It took about an hour and half at 250 F. I reversed seared on my Weber Q2200.

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[Bar-B-Lew]

Did you get a good crust on the outside from the rub?  Did you make sandwiches with some horseradish like in Baltimore?

[Hank D Thoreau]

Did you get a good crust on the outside from the rub?  Did you make sandwiches with some horseradish like in Baltimore?

I got a really good crust. Nobody in my house eats horse radish. We just went for straight roast beef sandwiches, though I think may get some Philly cheese steak.

[jdmessner]

I thought I would revive this post for easier reference.

I am helping with a Mother's Day dinner, but not until almost a week after the big day on Friday the 13th. There is a long standing tradition that the men cook for the women for Mother's Day. IF the meal measures up to their satisfaction, then the women will cook for the men for Father's Day. So there is a lot pressure and the stakes are high!! However, the real challenge is coming up with a good meal that will not break the bank! It looks like we will probably be serving around 40 people.

With the price of beef these days, a bottom round roast seems to be about the best bang for the buck (choice on sale for $3.99 a lb.). I have done top sirloin quite often and have never been disappointed; at least until today when I saw the asking price (choice $13 a lb. not on sale at a different store). From what I gather, it sounds like both cuts of meat are very similar and can be cooked the same way. As it was pointed out on the thread, I think if I go low and slow and slice it thin, it should turn out OK. Any other tips or advise would be appreciated! Thanks.

[Hank D Thoreau]

I have not had good luck with bottom round roast. It may be a bit chancy if you have not yet had success with it. I don't think I would try another unless I had a deli slicer.

But then again, you may want to step up to the challenge. It may mean that you will be cooking for Father's Day.

[jdmessner]

I have not had good luck with bottom round roast. It may be a bit chancy if you do not yet had success with it. I don't think I would try another unless I had a deli slicer.

But then again, you may want to step up to the challenge. It may mean that you will be cooking for Father's Day.

I do have a meat slicer, so that may help. If all else fails we can improvise and keep adding more gravy! The good thing is we did not publicize a menu, so we are free to change on the fly if needed. I have a little time, it might be worth it to do a dry run (probably a bad choice of words). I must admit it is hard to compete with church ladies in the kitchen!

[Bentley]

It obviously is not a flavorful meat, but that can be over come.  Something as simple as super thin sliced on a white bread with gravy is great, so thin it can be cut with only a fork.  Or the same thing over a mound of potatoes or egg noodles.

[02ebz06]

Does it have to be beef ?  How about pulled pork sandwiches instead.

[Bar-B-Lew]

Does it have to be beef ?  How about pulled pork sandwiches instead.

Or pork loin which is on sales sometimes and even when it is not is usually less expensive than beef

[jdmessner]

Well, I went out and did some price checking. I found a couple of lesser cuts of meat  that we could have made work. Peeled beef knuckle sounded interesting. However I did find choice grade  prime rib for $7.99 a lb. There was a fairly quick consensus to go with that. As one of the guys said, it's not like we're doing this every day! Ended up with two bone in roasts adding up to around 34 lbs. total. Hope that will be enough.

[02ebz06]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the general rule of thumb is 1/2 lb per person (before cooking).

[jdmessner]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the general rule of thumb is 1/2 lb per person (before cooking).

I don't think you are wrong. I meant it to be kind of tongue in cheek. With only two whole roasts available, there were not too many options. One was pushing 19 lbs. and the other around 15 lbs. However, by the time you take away the bones and the fat cap, there will be significantly less meat. Plus, I think some of those ladies may not be too shy when it comes to a beef dinner! We will be serving the dinners plated, so we can manage portion control. I think we will be just fine no matter what. These things have a way of working out.

[Bentley]

So you will serve like a roast or "Prime Rib" cut, serving an 8-10oz slice with fixens? Even a bad Rib Roast is going to be better then 75% of other cuts!

[jdmessner]

The dinner was last night. I left my phone home, so there are no pictures. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, so I think there will probably be something in the works for Father's Day. We (the men's group) served 46 people. The meat portions came out just about right. Everyone got a nice sized serving (probably around 4 or 5 oz.) There was enough left over for anyone who wanted seconds, with only a few servings to take home. The way the meat was cut, there was a lot left on the ribs. I should be able to do something creative with leftovers.

The menu was simple: Prime rib, mashed potatoes with gravy, broccoli, and a dinner roll. We also had a ton of desserts that people brought in. We plated the food and had a group of six kids take the plates to the table. I must say, they were an excellent wait staff. Since guys planned the meal we didn't mess with salad, veggie trays, or cutesy sliced fruit salad. Just the four basic food groups, meat, potatoes, veggie (optional, but need some color on the plate), and dessert!

A few years ago I discovered fresh refrigerated mashed potatoes at Gordon's. Greatest invention ever. They come in 4 lb. plastic bags. Just drop the bag in boiling water. No pealing or mashing and they taste great. That is a true life saver for time and energy.

The broccoli was frozen. I had two 4 lb. bags. I steamed them in an indoor turkey fryer. It worked out great. We were able to do 2 lb. batches at a time. Each batch took about 6 minutes. Once steamed we melted in a little butter and that was it. I've never got so many compliments on broccoli and it was almost too simple. 

However, I do have just one word of warning, be very careful of who you have in the kitchen with you. I pulled the roasts at an IT of 135 degrees. They rested in a cambro for an hour until it was time to carve them. The guy who did the carving thought it was too rare. He informed me that everyone would want it brown. I told him not to worry about it, they looked perfect. I had hot Au Jus to spoon on it once it was plated. That would have made the outside browner and kept it a nice medium rare inside. When I wasn't looking, he put the pan of meat in the oven and cranked it up. The meat ended up being medium well or in other words, over cooked. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't as good as it should have been.

All in all it was a good effort. The women were well pleased, and that bodes well for us all!