Roast - When You Want It Extra Special

Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 3 -5 lbs rump roast
• 2 -4 garlic cloves (peeled)
• pepper
• salt
• granulated garlic
• 1 onion
• 1 celery rib

Recipe

• 1 let meat stand at room temp for about an hour (if possible).
• 2 from the fat side of the roast (rump’s usually have a layer of fat on one side - also known as the top side), cut a slit about halfway through the meat, and insert one clove garlic. repeat for remaining cloves, spreading out over the roast. for a 2-3 pound roast use 2 cloves garlic, for 3-4 pounds use 3 cloves, etc.
• 3 generously cover all sides of the roast with pepper, salt, and granulated garlic. by the way, when i say generous, i mean really really cover it, almost l like a crust of spice. hint: fresh ground cracked pepper is best, but any black pepper will work. peel onion and cut in half. place onion and celery in bottom of a roasting pan (do not add any liquid - pan and veggies should be dry). cover with rack.
• 4 place roast on rack, fat side up. bake at 325 degrees for a half hour per pound. this will bring the meat to medium-rare to medium. if you want it more done, just 5 minutes per pound.
• 5 move meat to a platter and let stand for at least 5 minutes before carving. you can cover it with foil to keep it warm, but that can result in the meat continuing to “cookâ€? a bit, making it a tad more done. it’s important to let it stand, as this helps the juices redistribute.
• 6 gravy.
• 7 place roasting pan on top of stove and add about 2 cups water. leave the onions and celery in while it heats. stir a bit, the bits on the bottom of the pan will start to loosen up (this is called deglazing). you can add more water if you need more gravy, just do it a bit at a time, then taste after each addition, making sure it still has a good flavor. also you’ll probably need to salt it a bit.
• 8 if you want thickened gravy, put one tablespoon cornstarch in a small glass and add about ¼ cup water and stir till mixed, then add to the roasting pan. stir continuously until thickened over medium heat. you’ll notice after first adding cornstarch that the color will lighten - just stir, and continue heating, the gravy will return to a dark color once the cornstarch is fully heated. it takes about five minutes to thicken - most cooks say that any thickening agent (flour, corn starch etc) has not fully thickened until it reaches boiling. i don’t know that i always bring this to a boil, but probably close.