by Bob Strong

It's time to think about Beef for the holidays.

There's good news and bad news.

The good news is that we can change. The bad news it that we seldom, if ever, do.

If we want people to change from turkey to beef we can't start too early. The turkey just happened to be here when the pilgrims arrived, beef was a later arrival. That's probably why we have turkey at Thanksgiving and Christmas instead of beef.

If the pilgrims had sat down to a rib eye, strip steak or roast beef things might be different.

As it is, there is a big job ahead to get turkey out of the 'traditional' position.

A news release from the Texas Beef Council is an excellent example of promoting beef for the holidays. The release is dated December 4, 2002. It was too late for this magazine to use when we received it. I realize pushing beef for the holidays now is an early start for 2003, but it may allow time for a change in thinking.

If you're stuck for meal ideas in the 34 days between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, look no farther than the beef case.

That's the essence of the message from Texas beef producers to the state's consumers during the beef checkoff's holiday promotion campaign. From Amarillo to the Rio Grande Valley and El Paso to Houston, the campaign tells Texans that beef offers elegance, time savings and convenience.

"Not including breakfast, there are at least 68 meal occasions during the annual holiday season, Says Beaumont, Texas, beef producer Dick Sherron, M.D., chairman of the Texas Beef Council's communications committee. "Beef is one food that really gets the family home for the holidays because everyone wants to be there for mom's or dad's special roast."

TBC's campaign provides Texans with ample ways to enjoy beef for the holidays.

There was also a list of events, brochures how to get additional information and recipes. Here is one that will work just fine:

Standing Rib Road or Prime Rib Roast au Jus

7-pound beef rib roast, bone in
Salt, as needed
Pepper, as needed
1 large onion, cut into large dices
1 carrot, cut into large dices
1 celery stalk, cut into large dices
3 cups low-sodium beef broth

There are two other ingredients that will really make roast beef special, they are oregano and thyme.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Trim the roast if the fat layer is thick leaving about 1/4 inch to baste the meat as it roasts. Season the roast generously with salt, pepper, oregano and thyme. Place the roast with the bones facing down on a rack in a roasting pan that comfortably holds the roast.

Add the diced onion, carrot and celery to the bottom of the roasting pan after the roast has been in the oven for 1 hour.

Roast until the beef has reached the appropriate internal temperature: 125 F for rare, 135 F for medium rare, 150 F for medium (about 2 to 3 hours). Check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Baste the roast periodically with drippings. Here is where the oregano and thyme work their magic, in the basting.

Remove the roast from the oven and place it, along with the rack, on a sheet pan in a warm location to rest and for carry-over-cooking time (about 30 min). The roast will finish cooking to desired doneness while it rests. Final resting temperatures after carry-over cooking are: 135 F for rare. 145 F for medium rare, and 160 F for medium.

Place the roasting pan containing the juices over low heat on the stove-top, and cook, stirring frequently, until the fat is clear, the drippings are reduced, and the vegetable are a deep golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Pour or spoon off fat. Deglaze the roasting pan by adding the beef broth. Bring to simmer over low heat, stirring and scraping to dissolve the reduced drippings into the jus. Continue to simmer until the jus has a pleasant flavor and consistency, skimming the surface to remove any remaining fat.

Taste the jus and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Strain the jus through a fine mesh strainer to remove the vegetables.

Carve the beef into slices and serve with the jus.

Makes 15 servings - Nutrition information per serving: 510 cal., 32g pro., 40g fat, 115mg chol., 270 mg sodium, 3g carbo. ©