I recently got back from a “Beef Trip” to Certified Angus Beef® brand test kitchens in Wooster, Ohio. I was thrilled to learn about so many different cuts of beef from their meat scientist (never even know there was such a thing!) Diana. We learned about short ribs, flanken-style short ribs, Denver steaks, chuck roll, inside round roasts, ribeye, strip loin – oh my!
I couldn’t wait to come home and start grilling some beef! One of my favorite cuts of beef is called a Boston Beef Roast. It’s usually about a 3 pound roast – perfect for a small family with leftovers to boot, and my local grocery store usually sells it for about $3.99 a pound.
This is a slow cook, so I suggest you save this for the weekend. My 3 pound roast took about 1.5 hours – having a meat thermometer is the perfect way to grill meat. Because of this type of cut that is from the shoulder, I cooked it to 190 degrees before letting it rest. It’s fork tender, but holds together. If you prefer a shredded beef, cook the beef to 205 before resting, then shred with two forks.
Beef Marinade
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Marinate the beef for at least an hour, but preferably overnight. Bring to room temperature before grilling. Cook the beef for about 5 minutes a side over the hot coals, then move to the “cold” side of the grill. I finished cooking this beef on indirect heat, meaning my coals are on one side and the other side is “cold.” I kept my grill temperature around 225-250 and grilled the meat to an internal temperature of 190, then let it rest 30 minutes before slicing.
While the beef was cooking, I decided to make a pesto – not just any pesto, but a carrot top pesto! I love buying carrots with the carrot tops still intact – they have so much more flavor than baby carrots.
Carrot Top Pesto
- 1 cup carrot top greens, blanched
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon nuts (I used almonds)
- 2 garlic cloves
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- Zest from one lemon
- Healthy pinch of salt
1. Bring a small pot of water to boil and drop in the carrot tops and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add to the drained carrot greens to your food processor and add remaining ingredients.
3. Add additional salt if necessary.
For the last 30 minutes of cooking, I put my beef in a cast iron skillet, added the whole carrots (that I used to chop off the carrot tops) and cooked them together.
I happened to have leftover potatoes, so for plating, I just heated up the potatoes, sliced them thin and placed them in between each slice of beef, then topped with the carrot top pesto.
The leftovers make amazing Italian beef sandwiches for a quick dinner on a weeknight.
Haven't mastered grilling with direct and indirect heat yet? Check out The Chopping Block's upcoming grilling classes at Lincoln Square to become a pro!
- Italian Surf and Turf Al Fresco Friday, July 19, 6:30pm to 9pm
- Grilling Boot Camp Saturday, July 20, 10am to 4:30pm
If you’d rather stay indoors, check out these classes at our Merchandise Mart location:
Tell me what your favorite thing is to grill – I’d love to hear in the comments!
