Rack of Veal questions

[UnConundrum]

Restaurant Depot carries a rack of veal at a decent price so I picked two up. I made the first like I do my rib roasts (roast at about 250 till rare, let sit a couple hours in an insulated box, roast at a very high heat to color the outside before serving), but I was somewhat disappointed... wasn't the most tender. Since veal has less fat, I was wondering if I should have cooked it more traditionally, say at 350 till desired degree of doneness. Does anyone have any experience with rack of veal?

 

[VeraBlue]

My past experiences have been with something called a veal pocket. It's got little meat, but lots of bone to pack lots of flavour. The best way to handle this thing is to stuff it, and then slow roast it for 3-4 hours.

 

[Keltin]

I’ve taken a different approach with veal and rib roasts. Give them a really good rub with seasoning, then put them on a roasting rack. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees and cook for 15 or so minutes until it’s browning nicely. Then drop the temp to 300-325 and let cook until it’s a temp of 125. Pull, foil, and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes in an insulated cooler. Comes out juicy and medium rare.

Veal is fairly lean, and if you want a more traditional cooking approach (lower start temp that stays steady throughout), considering barding the veal with bacon.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[UnConundrum]

The problem with the high temp sear first is that you have the BTUs pumping into the roast and they don't stop when you turn down the temp. If you roast, rest, and then sear, the internal temp has cooled a little and your sear doesn't seem to go as deep. My son is anal about rare/med rare meat. Drives me nuts. Alas, I don't think I have much choice with the veal. Gotta start higher I'm afraid.

Vera, you're talking about a veal breast which can indeed be wonderful, but a different cut from what I'm making. BTW, I threw some veal breast into the last batch of veal stock I made.. it was wonderful

 

[Keltin]

The problem with the high temp sear first is that you have the BTUs pumping into the roast and they don't stop when you turn down the temp. If you roast, rest, and then sear, the internal temp has cooled a little and your sear doesn't seem to go as deep. My son is anal about rare/med rare meat. Drives me nuts. Alas, I don't think I have much choice with the veal. Gotta start higher I'm afraid.

Vera, you're talking about a veal breast which can indeed be wonderful, but a different cut from what I'm making. BTW, I threw some veal breast into the last batch of veal stock I made.. it was wonderful

Just a quick example which can vary per cut, but basically, start at 450 for 15, then cut to 300 for 20 (or less - however long, just watch your thermometer).

When you cut the heat, the elements or gas will go off. Residual heat in the oven takes care of the rest. The oven will be at 450, but will slowly fall down to the new temp setting. This allows cooking and juice settling at the same time. Once temp gets down to 300, the elements or flame come back on.

The idea being a very hot start, then let temp drop and residual finish with a little back-up set to 300 or so to make sure you hit 125 before pulling.

It’s like cooking a steak on the stove top in CI. Fast and very hot sear, then the whole pan goes in a 325 oven to finish.

Even though you kill the heat of a 450 oven, the temp is still hot, but it gradually falls. That is where your thermometer comes in and it is why you pull and foil at 125 and rest in a cooler. You’re basically oven searing, then partially finishing on the ramp down, then ultimately finish in the cooler on pure residual heat.

 

[Bilby]

Just happen to have a veal rack (small) in the freezer at the moment! On the back of the pack, it has cooking instructions (which I am obviously yet to try). It says to preheat oven to 160 deg C, place rack on a roasting rack in a baking dish, bake for 20-25 mins for rare, 25-30 for medium and 30-35 for well-done. Remove when cooked, cover in foil and let stand for 15 mins prior to carving.

HTH

 

[JoeV]

I'm with Vera on this one. Mom used to make veal pocket a lot because it was fairly inexpensive (she was feeding 6 boys including Dad). She would make a stuffing and pop it in the oven all afternoon to cook. Apparently there is a lot of connective tissue with this cut, and it takes a long time to break down. I always remember it being like pulled pork when it came out of the oven, kind of stringy, and us kids would devour it with smashed taters and pan gravy.

 

[buckytom]

i think were talking two different cuts, as uncon mentioned. a stuffed veal breast is different than a rack of veal, which are unseperated rib chops. you'd need to tie the rack into a crown in order to stuff it.

i agree with k, that if there isn't a good fat cap, then barder with bacon.

i like to sear in my broiler, then finish in the oven. well, that's if the meat fits in the broiler.
it's similar to keltin's "high temp to start method" since the broiler heats the entire oven as it does the initial sear, then you finish it as the temp drops to the base level.

uncon, have you tried stuffing a crown roast? they always look impressive, if not tastes good.

 

[UnConundrum]

No, I've never tried stuffing the roast. While I've made a lot of veal chops in the past, this is only my 2nd rack.

Bilby, you sure that isn't a rack of lamb? I doubt 160C (320 F) for 20 minutes would even warm the center of this roast.

I did find this recipe that sounds interesting, similar method as suggested by Keltin:

INGREDIENTS
8 garlic cloves, quartered
12 sage leaves
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
Two 6-bone 6- to 7-pound racks of veal—chine bones removed, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch and ribs frenched
Truffle oil, for serving (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a mini processor, combine the garlic, sage, thyme, rosemary and fennel seeds and grind coarsely. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and process to a paste. Rub the paste all over the racks. Set the racks in a roasting pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove the meat from the refrigerator 2 hours before roasting.

Preheat the oven to 450°. Arrange the racks back to back with the frenched bones crisscrossed and pointing upwards. Roast the racks in the lower third of the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350° and continue to roast for about 1 hour and 10 minutes longer, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat in the center of one of the racks registers 130° for medium meat. Transfer the racks to a carving board, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes; the final temperature will be 140° to 145°.

To serve, slice down between the rib bones and serve 1 chop per person. Alternatively, cut the roast off the bones as in Step 4 of the Standing Rib Roast of Beef. Sprinkle each chop with a few drops of truffle oil and serve.

 

[High Cheese]

The problem with the high temp sear first is that you have the BTUs pumping into the roast and they don't stop when you turn down the temp. If you roast, rest, and then sear, the internal temp has cooled a little and your sear doesn't seem to go as deep. My son is anal about rare/med rare meat. Drives me nuts. Alas, I don't think I have much choice with the veal. Gotta start higher I'm afraid.

Vera, you're talking about a veal breast which can indeed be wonderful, but a different cut from what I'm making. BTW, I threw some veal breast into the last batch of veal stock I made.. it was wonderful

Refrigerate the meat then sear in a pan while still cold, bard, then finish in the oven.

 

[Bilby]

Bilby, you sure that isn't a rack of lamb? I doubt 160C (320 F) for 20 minutes would even warm the center of this roast.

Absolutely positive!! Just typed what was on the back of the pack. I have never cooked a rack of anything. Always seemed like an overly expensive purchase vs amount of meat. I bought this rack of veal for my mother as she loved veal but she hadn't cooked it when she passed, so it became part of my "inheritance" so to speak!

As mentioned, this is a rack, not a roast. It only has to cook a few chops that haven't been separated. 160C should be fine for the amount of meat on a rack chop. Esp veal which suffers greatly from over cooking.

I have roasted plenty of chops, just not as a rack.