With a big, beefy top-loin roast (the same cut that New York strip steak comes from), evenly cooked meat is a must, but gray rings plagued many of our early efforts. To achieve a rosy hue throughout without searing on the stovetop, we start the roast in a low oven. When it’s almost up to temperature, we broil it for a few minutes, creating a crisp, browned exterior and well-rendered fat cap. A piquant mixture of spices and herbs flavors the roast, and letting it sit overnight with the spice rub and plenty of kosher salt ensures perfectly seasoned meat.
Serve with salsa verde.
Ingredients
- 1 (5- to 6-pound) boneless top loin roast - fat trimmed to ¼ inch
- 2 tablespoons peppercorn
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions
STEP 1 Pat roast dry with paper towels. Using sharp knife, cut ½-inch crosshatch pattern through fat cap, ¼ inch deep. Tie kitchen twine around roast at 2-inch intervals. Grind peppercorns, coriander seeds, and mustard seeds to texture of coarse sand in spice grinder. Combine spice mixture, oil, salt, rosemary, and pepper flakes in bowl until thick paste forms. Rub paste all over roast and into crosshatch. Wrap roast with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours. STEP 2 Set wire rack inside rimmed baking sheet. One hour before cooking, unwrap meat and place on prepared rack, fat side up. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Transfer roast to oven and cook until meat registers 115 degrees, about 90 minutes, rotating sheet half- way through cooking. Remove roast from oven and heat broiler. STEP 3 Return roast to oven and broil on middle oven rack until fat cap is deep brown and interior of roast registers 125 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. Remove twine and carve into thin slices. Serve. STEP 4 TEST KITCHEN Tip The Right Grind: as part of the rub for the roast, we grind peppercorns with mustard seeds and coriander seeds to the texture of coarse sand. since these ingredients are irregularly sized and of varying densities, the texture won’t be uniform, which is ok.