Photo by: Photo: Maren Caruso; Styling: Robyn Valarik
The chuck-eye roast, aka the chuck-eye roll, is from the beef shoulder, facing the rib-eye roast. It has many layers of fat and sinew that need to be broken down slowly with heat. Tracy Smaciarz, a second-generation butcher who owns and runs Heritage Meats in Rochester, Washington, cold-smokes this cut, then grills it over indirect heat for hours. You can achieve a similar effect by braising the roast in a covered pan with wood chips and onions, allowing it to bathe in a steam bath of onion and smoke until it's juicy. Make sure your wood chips are fresh--they fade with age.
Sunset DECEMBER 2011
1. Mix coriander, 3 tbsp. oil, 2 tsp. paprika, the salt, and pepper in a bowl. Rub roast all over with mixture and chill, uncovered, at least 24 hours and up to 4 days.
2. Preheat oven to 250°. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown roast on all sides. Rub onions with a little oil and the paprika; set aside.
3. Drain wood chips and transfer to a roasting pan just big enough to fit roast. Spread chips evenly in pan and set a metal rack over chips. Set roast on rack, spoon onions around it, and cover with heavy-duty foil, sealing tightly.
4. Roast meat until it registers 110° on an instant-read thermometer, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Increase oven temperature to 475°, uncover, and roast until meat registers 130°, about 20 minutes. (If wood chips look dry, sprinkle with a few tbsp. water.) Transfer roast and onions to a carving board and let rest, uncovered, 20 minutes.
5. Mix sour cream and horseradish together in a serving bowl. Slice roast thinly and serve with horseradish cream and onions.
Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.
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Oven-Smoked Chuck-Eye with Horseradish Cream recipe
