Ribeye Roast with Harissa

Once a year or so I get up the courage to make roast beef. Or roast beast, as we call it.

I don’t know why I feel a little intimidated by it. Perhaps it’s the time commitment, the uncertainty of how I am going to prepare it, and whether I’ll be able to do justice to a large, expensive cut of meat. What if I wreck it?

That’s a lot of pressure on a home cook!

So I jumped at the chance when the folks from Certified Angus Beef® brand said they not only had a solution to my anxiety, but wanted me to experiment with their new app, called Roast Perfect. I was to take advantage of the season coming up, have a chance to slow down and make a roast to enjoy during a leisurely meal. I was IN!

That beauty, right there above, is what I made, but let’s not get ahead of the story. Back to the beginning.

With assignment in hand, I shot over to Gelson’s market in Pacific Palisades, Calif., where I know they carry Certified Angus Beef® brand. This high-end beef has a lot going for it…

• generous marbling, which we know means fantastic flavor. Marbling is the word for the tiny white lines of fat that striate the cut of beef, naturally basting it as it cooks. Fat = flavor, and the right amount of fat can make a huge difference in a cut of beef.
• stringent quality standards, including rules on maturity, size, tenderness and appearance.
• the ultimate grade. USDA inspectors grade beef as Select, Choice and Prime, with Prime topping the grading scale. These same inspectors evaluate the top of the scale — the best Prime — and using the 10 quality standards, apply the Certified Angus Beef® brand to only those that surpass the USDA’s strict Prime standards in addition to meeting the 10 quality specs. Less than 1.5% of beef that can achieve this pinnacle.

I chatted up the butcher. What cut would be impressive? What kind of roast would be easy? How much would I need? He knew the answers, and I invested in a majestic, super high quality Certified Angus Beef® brand prime ribeye roast, with the bone in. For my family of 4, he suggested a 5-pounder. I did the rest of my shopping while he got busy cutting my roast.

Since we’re in Southern California, the urge to put some spice on nearly everything is ever-present. I grabbed a jar of slightly spicy Harissa paste, thinking I would rub it on the roast, but my son asked me to make the roast plain, and then each person could add Harissa at serving time to his own portion. Fair enough.

Roast Perfect app

I downloaded the app from the iTunes app store (it’s free), and fired it up. I noticed right away it had several helpful features. You could click on…

• select a roast
• recipes and tips
• store locator
• favorite recipes
• why our beef is better
• roast timer

… and each of those categories gives you extremely helpful advice. I browsed through them quickly, got the lay of the land, and already felt better about what was about to transpire in the oven. I learned that I should season the outside with salt and pepper, put it on a rack in a roasting pan, fat side up, and proceed with the plan.

The roast timer feature allows you to select your type of roast (I put in bone-in ribeye roast), then the weight (5 pound for mine), and then choose your desired degree of doneness (medium rare for us, thank you very much). I set the oven to 450F degrees, and fired up the roast timer in the app. It showed me I needed to leave it in for 15 minutes at 450F, and once that was done, turn the oven down to 325F degrees for a 2-hour roast (for medium rare), followed by a 15-minutes rest once it was out of the oven. Of course, when you use the app, your mileage will vary, depending on the cut and size of your own beast. Set your oven timer to remind you of when each period is done.

When it was time to take the roast out, I used an instant-read thermometer to check the temp…

…which should be 5-10 degrees below the target, and then let the roast rest undisturbed, so the juices could settle back into the meat. (If you cut it immediately upon taking it out of the oven, you’ll lose the lovely juice and make it dry.)

Side Dishes

The app even has a few suggestions of side dishes that would go with your roast. I might try their suggested Dutch Oven Bread when I make this roast again, or my own Garlic and Herb Potato Gratin. I might start the meal with a blue cheesy endive appetizer, offer my family’s Italian Orange Salad, and maybe some Sweet and Savory Green Beans.

Just thinking about a holiday family meal, with all of us gathered, is making me sentimental. And my mouth is watering!

What cut of beef do YOU want to perfect for YOUR holiday dinner?

This week our Sunday Supper tastemakers are cooking low and slow, celebrating roast beef, and showing you lots of different ways to prepare it, sponsored by Certified Angus Beef® brand. For more beefy goodness and tons of inspiring ideas, see our 20 delicious recipes below, and follow our Certified Angus Beef® brand Roast Perfect Pinterest Board. I enjoy being at the top of the food chain, don’t you?  🙂

Now’s the time to get the Roast Perfect app on your phone, browse around to find beef cuts for roasting, and make friends with your butcher. Let’s fire up the oven, because the holiday meal will be here before you know it!

This week’s Sunday Supper recipes:

Holiday Roasts

• Apple Cider Dijon Marinated Tip Roast by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Beef Pot Roast by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Beef Roast and Cabbage by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Boliche (Cuban Stuffed Roast) by Magnolia Days
• Boneless Rib Roast with Roasted Garlic and Herbs by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Sirloin Roast with Red Wine Onion Gravy by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Coffee Rubbed Roast Beef by Eat Picks
• Fennel and Herb Crusted Beef Tenderloin by Casa de Crews
• Garlic and Herb Crusted Ribeye Roast with Red Wine Sauce by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Herb & Garlic Crusted Roast by The Melrose Family
• Garlic Roast Beef by Life Tastes Good
• Herbed Rotisserie Rib Roast with Portobello Mushroom Gravy by The Educators’ Spin On It
• Holiday Ribeye Roast by Family Foodie
• Miso Glazed Standing Rib Roast au Jus by kimchi MOM
• Mustard Crusted Roast Beef by Curious Cuisiniere
• Peppercorn Crusted Standing Rib Roast with Red Wine Au Jus by Food Done Light
• Petite Sirloin Roast Chasseur (Hunter’s Style) by Palatable Pastime
• Pomegranate Balsamic Glazed Prime Rib by I’m Not the Nanny
• Ribeye Roast with Harissa by Shockingly Delicious
• Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Fresh Herb Crust and Horseradish Cream by Midlife Road Trip

Join us around the family table for #SundaySupper

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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Certified Angus Beef® brand in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own. Join me in following Certified Angus Beef® brand on social media: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube | Periscope.

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