Is rib of beef the ultimate fireside feast?

"You're going to spend £50 on a piece of beef and then burn it?" 


The butcher was clearly dubious about our plans. But no matter, after a number of phone calls, over 2 kilos of prime beef rib on the bone was ours. We bought from Hennessy's on the Northcote Road - they know their meat and they are great people to chat to (even if they are sceptical about cooking on an open fire). Four ribs worth of beautiful marbled loveliness.


Saturday dawned, and as the day progressed so too did the debate about the best way to cook this frankly unwieldy object. In the end it was agreed that two, 2 rib pieces would be the best formation for an open fire.


Next up - the marinade. So many people simply take a piece of beef from the fridge and put it straight in the pan or on the grill. 


Heresy. 


Your beef (or any other kind of meat for that matter) needs to be at room, or tent, temperature. So even if you don't marinade - take your meat out of the coolbox at least an hour before cooking. We marinated as well. It's hard to be precise, camp cooking is all about using what's available. We had half a bottle of red wine, some onions, garlic and Worcester sauce. The only thing big enough to hold them was the washing up bowl. Fair enough

So after a couple of hours, the meat was up to tent temperature (quite cold really) and we had what my friend Brett calls a 'good ember base'. The only bad news was that we also had steady rain. 

So aided by a comedy ladybird umbrella manfully three of us put the ribs on the griddle and let it grill for some 30 minutes, turning regularly. We also basted it with butter - probably not great for your cholesterol levels - and created a few flare-ups

Never stick a knife into food to test its readiness - press it with your finger. If it resists, it's probably well-done; if there is some give but it bounces back then you're looking at rare-ish. 

Finally, let it rest. Wrap in foil and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. That's what makes it tender and juicy. The result? I'm afraid I have no photographic evidence - but not a scrap was left.  And given we we feeding 15, the price of £50 didn't seem so steep. We were also lucky in that the campsite had a large barn with tables and benches we could set table under cover.

Cooking in the rain is one thing. Eating in the rain is entirely another.

But what's your favourite dish? 

Leave me a comment and I'll cook it.