Christmas Lunch on the Braai, cooked on the BigGreenEgg!
Braaiing in the rain in storm force winds.
As I said last week I'm glad that I had a test run making half of the christmas lunch, thus giving me no excuses to get it wrong this week. In addition to cooking a Capon on the Braai I'm also going to braai a whole Rib Eye of Black Gold Beef which we sell in our shop and on the web site www.biltong.co.uk .
I'm sure that most of you can remember having Christmas lunch around the pool or on the beach in 80 degree sunshine, well for me, those days are long gone and now I find myself braaiing in the rain and getting blown away at the same time. I must be nuts!! But I'm holding up the flame for US BRAAI NUTTERS from SA who insist on braaing on Christmas Day no matter what and I can tell you it was well worth the effort.
Sorry if i'm repeating myself but I will be listing the recipe for the Capon again plus the cooking instructions for the rib eye. The spicing of the Beef is going to be very basic but simplicity is the best way to braai beef in my opinion. As this is being posted after Christmas Day, I hope that you all enjoyed the festive season, whatever you were doing. Needless to say the curry that I hinted at was not required as the meat part of the lunch turned out perfectly as well as the accompanying vegetables that were prepared and cooked by the rest of the family.
SERVES 4-8 - PREP: 5 MINS - COOK TIME: 1 - 2hrs
Ingredients for the Beef
- 1 x Beef Rib Eye 2.5kg
- 1 x tbsp Sea Salt
- 1-2 x tbsp Black Pepper corns
Method for cooking beef
- Preheat the Braai to 230°C (446°F)
- Take the beef out of the fridge so that it comes to room temperature before aplying the spices and cooking
- Pour the salt and pepper corns into a pestle and grind into a course mix, this is so much better than using pre ground as the aroma’s really come out.
- Rub the mix all over the beef 5 minutes before you place on the braai to cook, this is so that the salt does not take all the moisture out of the beef. You want it to season, not preserve.
- Place on a roasting rack, cover with tin foil and place in the braai for 1hr. After an hour take the foil off and allow the beef to colour for about 30 mins, this should give you medium rare beef, add 15mins to bring to medium and another 20 for well done.
- Once cooked take out of the braai and allow to rest for 20 mins before you carve.
SERVES 4-8 - PREP: 10 MINS - COOK TIME: 2 - 2.5hrs
Ingredients for the Capon and sauce
- 1 x Capon 4.6kg / large free range chicken or even your turkey
- 2 x large lemons, 1 thinly sliced and the other halved
- 150gm x salted butter
- 3 x large red onions, peeled and quartered through the root
- 1 x 30g pack fresh thyme (reserve a few sprigs and roughly chop the remaining leaves)
- 2 x cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 x teaspoon olive oil Seasoning
For the gravy
- 425ml dry white wine
- Juice of 1 lemon
Method for cooking Capon
- Preheat the Braai to 230°C (446°F)
- Take a knob of butter and slide it under the skin on the Capon along with some thyme, this will help the breast stay succulent.
- Next mix the sliced lemon with the remaining thyme and place it inside the cavity of the capon and position it in the centre of the tin.
- Add some seasoning then arrange the vegetables all around.
- Add more seasoning, then place the capon on a rack in the middle of a roasting tin, Cover the Capon with some silver foil. Then place it on the centre shelf of the braai and time it for 90 minutes without opening the lid. Then remove the foil and allow the capon skin to crisp up for 20 mins (Because Braai`s vary, test the thickest part of the chicken with a skewer – if the juices run clear it is cooked. If not give it another 10-15 minutes).
Method for making the gravy
- Now remove the vegetables to a serving dish and keep warm. Then spoon out the lemon slices into the tin, put a wooden spoon into the cavity and, using a spatula to hold the breast end up, tip the capon and let all the juices run out into the tin.
- Transfer the capon to a carving board and leave it in a warm place to rest for 20 minutes.
- Next stir the juices in the tin to release any crusty bits and transfer everything to a medium saucepan. Now add the wine, bring it up to a simmer and let it bubble and reduce by half – this will take about 8-10 minutes. Then add the lemon juice, taste and season.
- Carve the capon and serve with the vegetables on warm plates.
- Add any escaped chicken juices to the sauce then spoon it over the chicken and serve the rest in a warmed jug.
I can only say a big sorry for the fact that there are no images of this plated up but the family were not willing to wait for me to set up the shots as they were eating as I carved it. Even if I say so myself this was a great meal, simple and easy to prepare for me that is (Janet made 11 different veg and potatoes to go with the meat) man what a feast! Could not move the rest of the day LOL. Please leave your comments below as usual, always interested to hear what you think. Merry Christmas Larry