[Sca-cooks] Chuck vs Bottom Round

Louise Smithson helewyse at yahoo.com
Mon Apr 28 06:25:51 PDT 2008


It's so interesting to see what happens to recipes.  
For everyones information here is the original (in Italian) and translation: 
Per arrostire nello spedo la schiena di boue o di vaccina Cap VI, Primo libro, Scappi
Anchor che non sia in uso ponere nello spedo tal carne, pur io ritrovo che si possano arrostire, & maggiormente quando saranno di meza età.  Piglierasi dunque la schiena, & si compartirà in pezzi, che non passino libre quattro, & ciascheduno di loro si farà stare per quattro hore in soppressa con sal trito, finocchio over pitartamo, pepe ammaccato, un poco d'aglio battuto, ponendoli poi nello spedo senza essere rifatti, ne impoillottati di lardo, & se vi si vorranno ponere alcuni rami di rosmarino per dentro, sarà in arbitrio, & similmente alcune cipolle spaccate sotto nella ghiottela, lequali si cuoceranno con il grasso che da lor cascherà sopra, & cotte che sarranno, si serviranno cosi calde con le cipolle sopra, misticate con un sapore fatto d'aceto, mosto cotto, & spetierie communi. 

To roast on the spit the shoulder of beef or cow. 
One does not normally use this cut of beef on the spit, but I have found that it is possible to roast it, usually when the animal is young. Take the shoulderof beef and cut it into pieces, none bigger than four pounds, and each of these should be marinated for four hours in a marinade consisting of fine salt, ground fennel seed, ground black pepper and a little chopped garlic.  Put this meat on the spit without pre-cooking it or larding it with fat, if you want you can skewer it with several sticks of rosemary.  Similarly place sliced onions in the drip tray beneath so they may cook in the falling fat.  One can then serve it hot with the cooked onions mixed with a sauce made of vinegar, grape must and common spices. 
I would never have thought to use it as a pot roast recipe, as I have beef stew recipes from Scappi so tend to use those for the cheaper cuts.  When I cooked this at feast I used ribeye roast, the onions caramalize in the beef fat (and they are yummy).
Here is a stew/braise recipe from Scappi: 
Per stufare in forno over sottestare il lombo del boue, o della vaccina [1] 
Piglisi il lombo del boue, o della vaccina di quella bontà, ch'è detto di sopra, con una parte del suo grasso, & un poco del filo della schiena, & dapoi che sarà netto di quelle pellicine, sbruffisi di vino, & aceto bianco, e spolverizzisi di pepe, garofani, sal trito, cannella,  zengevero, & pitartamo, over fiore di finocchio, & lascisi stare in un vaso di terra in soppressa per quattro hore con un poco di vin greco, o di malvagia, sapa, & aceto rosato, pongasi poi al forno con quella medesima compositione in quel medesimo vaso, giungendovi un poco di lardo battuto, & fettoline di presciutto, & come sarà piu di mezo cotto, havendolo rivoltato alcune volte, vi si porranno prugne, & visciole secche, essendo il verno, ma l'estade vi si potranno porre le nuove, & cotto che sarà servasi cosi caldo con le medesime materie, & brodo sopra.  In questo medesimo modo si puo cuocere ancho sottestato. 
To stew in the oven or on the heat beef or cow loin [1] 
Take the beef loin, or that of the cow when it is good, as is described above, with a piece of it's fat and a little of the muscle of the shoulder.  After the meat is cleaned of tendons and filaments sprinkle with wine and white vinegar and powder with pepper, cloves, crushed salt, cinnamon, ginger and fennel flowers and let this rest in a stew pot of clay for four hours with a little bit of greek wine, or malmsey wine, cooked grape must (saba) and rose scented vinegar.  Put this same mixture into the oven in this same pot, adding to it a little bit of chopped lard and slices of ham.  When it is more than half cooked, having turned it several times, one should add to it dried plums and cherries, if it is the winter, but in the summer one should use new (fresh).  When it is cooked one should serve it thus hot with the same mixture and broth above.  In this same way one can cook this also in a stew pot (over the fire).  
Helewyse


Thanks Everyone!

Y'all are making me fell much better about buying the round.

>  Cubes or multi-serving, roast-like chunks?

I am cooking in 4 lb roasts (just like the recipe says). It is a beef
roast recipe translated from Scappi by Helewyse. Here is my
interpretation of the recipe:

Single Recipe, serves 12:
4 lbs    Chuck Roast
2 t    Salt
2 t    Fennel, Ground
1 t    Pepper, Ground
1 clove    Garlic, Chopped
1 stick    Rosemary
3    Onions, Sliced
3/4 C    Grape Juice
2 T    Vinegar, Red Wine

Rub roast with chopped garlic and then also with combination of salt,
pepper and fennel. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and allow to sit a
minimum of 4 hours. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice
onions thickly and place in the bottom of a roasting pan, combine
grape juice and vinegar and pour over onions. Insert stick of rosemary
into roast and place roast on onions. Cover tightly in foil and cook
for 2 ? 2 1/2 hours. Reduce sauce for service, seasoning to taste.

I made it at my parents house and it was tasty. Then I packed it up
and brought it back to my house and it sat in the fridge for several
days until my husband got home. I skimmed the congealed fat off of the
top and reheated it for an hour in a 300 degree oven, then reduced the
sauce.

It was even more delicious after sitting. When we ate it fresh out of
the oven the fennel flavor dominated everything, but after sitting all
of the flavors melded together and it was just tasty. I plan on
serving it with sops because the onion and juice sauce is really
yummy.

I plan on cooking it when we get to the site on Friday Evening and
then reheating it before service on Saturday.

Should I add more liquid to make sure that the round doesn't dry out?
After what Master A said about connective tissue I am thinking I
should keep the chuck, possibly cook it separately, but then combine
all of the juices so that the juice has a more unctuous mouth feel.

I was planning on serving it to the tables as big chunks because that
will maintain temp better, and it looks cooler. The long cooking
method should make it tender enough that carving is not a problem. Or
possibly I will have the servers carve it at the table.

With the above cooking method, is there anything I should watch out
for or that will make a big difference using round?

Thanks again, this feast is coming on really fast!

--
Serena



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