Ingredients

Method

• 4 kg beef rib roast
• sea salt and freshly ground rainbow pepper, to taste
• 3 rosemary sprigs
For the béarnaise sauce:
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 peppercorns
• 1 fresh tarragon sprig, plus 2 T chopped
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 3 free-range egg yolks
• 180 g ghee, melted
• salt, to taste

Method

Ingredients

1. Remove any excess fat from the rib roast, or ask your Woolies butcher to do this for you.

2. Place the salt, pepper and rosemary in a mortar and grind to form a coarse paste. Spread the seasoning all over the beef, then chill overnight.

3. Prepare a braai with medium-low coals. Place the roast over indirect heat, with the bone side facing down. Braai for 20–25 minutes, or until well browned, then turn over. Repeat on the other side. If you’re using a kettle braai with a lid, cover it, or loosely cover the meat with foil. Remove from the braai, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest.

4. While the meat is resting, prepare the béarnaise. Place the vinegar, bay leaf, peppercorns, tarragon and shallot in a saucepan over a medium heat and cook until the vinegar has reduced by almost half. Strain the mixture, pressing the ingredients with the back of a spoon to extract as much of the flavoured vinegar as possible. Set aside to cool slightly.

5. Place the egg yolks in a jug, add the vinegar mixture and blend briefly using a stick blender. With the blender still running, pour in the warm ghee in a steady stream. Stop halfway to clean down the sides of the jug if necessary. Season with salt and check the consistency. If you’d like it thinner, mix in 1 T water at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Stir in the chopped tarragon, place in a bowl, and place a sheet of clingwrap directly onto the surface.

6. Slice the beef and serve on a platter with the béarnaise sauce and lots of extra freshly ground rainbow pepper.

Find more beef recipes here

Productions: Abigail Donnelly
Photographer: Jan Ras
Food Assistant: Bianca Jones