Q&A: Grilling a #5 or #6

Thank you for the informative piece about meat cuts. You suggested grilling for a number of cuts. Does this mean that the meat has to be pre cut into slices? I buy frozen pieces of no. 5 & 6 of over 1kg each, so how would I approach grilling?

Also, how does one quick roast?

Great questions, and just in time for grilling season! You’re referring to my Meat Cuts by the Numbers chart. When using frozen meat, make sure everything is defrosted first. If it sits a day in the fridge so the extra water can drain out, that couldn’t hurt, either.

What you do next depends on the cut of meat.

Grilling a #5 Tzli Katef

The muscle that a #5 comes from is mostly responsible for the out-and-back motion of the forelegs. Since the cows legs usually go back-and-forth, this is an underused muscle which means it’s tender enough to grill.

You have three options for grilling a #5. The first is to cut it crosswise into individual minute steaks, about 2 1/2 cm. thick. You might want to remove the thick piece of connective tissue in the middle, which will make the pieces a little Pac-Man shaped. Then season the steaks and grill as you would normally, four to six minutes per side, flipping every two minutes, depending on how hot your grill is.

The second option is to cut what are called flatiron steaks. Depending on your butchering skills, you might want to wait until I can make a complete post about it, with pictures and video. Essentially you strip the top and bottom pieces of meat lengthwise off the central connective tissue, like filleting a fish. You can then cut those two pieces into four, six or eight portions for grilling.

The third option is to grill it whole. I wouldn’t try this without a meat thermometer, but you simply season and grill the entire cut, turning every four minutes, until the internal temperature is 55°C (125°F) or more, depending on your taste. It should take around 20-25 minutes. Because there might be a thicker end and thinner end of the roast, make sure that the thinner end is over a lower flame, so it doesn’t overcook. Let the roast rest for ten minutes before slicing. There will be a thick piece of connective tissue to cut through, so make sure you have a sharp knife.

Grilling a #6 Fillet Medumeh

A petite tender is a great cut of meat, and one of my favorites. I think it’s better than tenderloin. It’s an odd-shaped piece,  roughly conical, so you should definitely cut it into medallions before grilling. Each medallion should be no less than 4cm thick, however, that’s after preparation. Again, this is going to be an entire post for some time in the future.

You want each piece to be roughly the same height and diameter. [Wow, this is really hard to describe!] Take a piece of  butcher’s twine and measure 12 centimeters. Wrap it around the meat at the point where the ends cross each other by two centimeters (so the circumference should be 8cm). Tie it off. Cut 2cm from the string towards the thin end. With another piece of twine, tie it 4cm away from the first string, and pull tight until the circumference matches the first string. Continue to tie off the meat until the entire piece is roughly the same diameter. Now cut through the meat halfway between the strings. Season and grill, starting on the edge and rolling 1/4 turn every 4 minutes, then on the flats for another 5-8 minutes per side.

You’ll have to adjust the length of the first string depending on the size of the cut, if it’s not as big as the one I described.

Quick Roasting

Quick roasting, as opposed to slow roasting, is to set your oven to a very high temperature and cook a tender piece of meat for a short amount of time. You can try a #4 at 230°C (450°F) for 45 minutes, which should give you a classic roast beef. London Broil is another method of quick roasting. I’m preparing a post on that for after Pesach.

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