Right, so it really doesn’t get much better than this!!! Before you start reading this post, realise that this recipe will go down as one of the best we’ve ever, ever, ever done on the Big Green Asian Egg! This past Sunday we had our great friends Aya, Nico, Sakura and Misaki over for a bite to eat (we also had an impromptu Easter egg hunt as well…) On the menu that night was a new recipe that had never been tried here in Singapore (well, at least not to my knowledge.)
You start with a 2.6 kg (5.8 pound) rack of veal – thats eight ribs across of yummy “baby moo…” Take a little bit of olive oil and rub the entire rack then season generously with Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. I put the rack back in the fridge for about 5 hours to effectively dry brine the meat. You really don’t lose any moisture at all and well, with enough butter, this rack couldn’t possibly go dry.
What you’ll need in addition to the veal are the following ingredients:
a good handful of fresh rosemary
a good handful of fresh thyme
a good handful of fresh oregano
a good handful of fresh sage….all of these “hard herbs” were sourced from our garden
130 grams of soft butter
10 rashers of streaky bacon (the thicker, the better)
butchers twine
a v-rack
a drip pan lined with aluminium foil
6 red/yellow onions peeled but left whole
10 cloves of garlic
1.5 cups warm water
1.5 cups of beef stock
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Set up your grill initially for direct heat and stabilise the temperature around 500F (260C) – you need to sear the veal rack first. Once your grill is up to temperature, take the veal rack and plonk it on the grid, occasionally turning it to ensure a sear on all sides of the rack, including the ends. This process will take a few minutes so take your time here to ensure a solid crust starts to form. Once you’re happy with the sear, pull the rack off and let it rest on a cutting board while you go get the rest of your ingredients.
Once the rack is ready to touch (that is, it doesn’t burn your fingers) take a handful of the room temperature butter and start to smear the rack on all sides. Don’t skimp here, give it a solid coating. Next, rinse your herbs and remove any stems or stalks. Dry them with a paper towel and now coat the meaty side of the rack with as much of the herb mix as possible. Add a pinch or two of salt and some ground pepper now. Next, lay a strip of streaky bacon between each of the ribs, covering the rack as you go across. Once done, take some butcher’s twine and tie the back to the rack. This ensures even cooking and it presents beautifully once done.
Now, go to your grill and set it up for indirect heat (buy putting in a platesetter if you’ve got an Egg) and stabilise the temperature down to 325F (162C.)
Place the warm water, stock, onions and garlic into the drip pan and then your v-rack. On top of the v-rack, add your rack of veal. At this point, it’ll look incredible and you just know it’s going to be a knock out of a meal.
Make sure you’ve got your trusty probe thermometer inserted into the middle of the rack. You’ll shoot for an internal temperature of no more than 135F (57C) for a perfect medium rare. The timing should be about 2 – 2.5 hours in total. Don’t open the dome to peak unless you need to dissipate some heat to keep it at 325F.
When your probe hits 135F, remove the v-rack and tent the veal rack loosely with aluminium foil. Let it rest for a solid 15 minutes before you place it on a cutting board and cut the rib rack into individual chops. Of course, please remember to snip off the butcher’s twine before you slice the veal.
To accompany the veal I took the drippings from the pan and added some of my homemade KC barbecue sauce making a sort of glaze. You’ll pour that over the rack once you’ve cut it up into individual chops. Along with that, we arranged the onions and garlic from the drip pan on a platter then made simple roasted new potatoes with a wild mushroom and parsley gravy. All in all, this was an incredibly delicious meal that we highly recommend you try. It sounds like way more work than it’s worth but trust me when I say, you’ll not have veal like this anywhere!
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Overall Heather Rating: 10/10
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