No chining

Following the purchase of beef noticed at reference 1, unchined for once in a while, it was time for an outing for the separator, although not really necessary on this occasion as we had time for the fat to rise to the top and set overnight, in the old-fashioned way.

Boiled up the bones, ribs from someone else's joint, on the Friday, with such vegetables as were to hand, using the separator to take most of the fat off the hot stock. So while the stock left did develop a a thin skin, most of the fat had indeed remained in the jug right. So the thing would do the business in the case that one wanted to boil up the stock on the day that the gravy was wanted.

The bones had looked quite meaty, but the boiled meat did not amount to much, even when it had gone cold. Boiled for an hour maybe, but not three.

The meat tied up for 11:00. Two good ribs, weighing in at 2.85kg or 5lbs 11oz.

First thoughts were 20 minutes to the pound plus twenty equals 2 hours 15 minutes at 190°C. So in at 10:45 for 13:00.

The other side, from which it can be seen that the joint was entire; it had not been chined, no cut across the back Looks much better cooked, to my mind, with chining all too easily resulting in the joint losing shape. In the event, in at 11:15 for 13:30.

To be served with mashed potato, mashed swede and Moroccan beans, as subsequently noticed at reference 2.

Plus a spot of red from Waitrose, a 2021 Valpolicella. Plus a spot of tomato juice from Waitrose by way of an apéritif. Without Worcester Sauce, which Waitrose can manage.

Wine probably from the people at reference 3, with the bottle at reference 4 reworked to fit in with the Waitrose scheme of things.

A winter scene from reference 3. Image download inhibited, but the Snipping Tool got through. There is no doubt a geeky story to be told about why it is hard to block this last.

A geeky story which Gemini is well up for telling me. One could give his effort marks out of ten, but I dare say the gist of it is right enough. That is to say, unless it is worth the website's while to go to a lot of bother, once the screen image has been written by your web browser, there is nothing much that browser can do to stop you capturing it with an operating system tool. It does not have, must not have access to that layer of things. Stopping various right-click activities within that image is another matter.

But for people like Netflix this is a big deal and it is worth it to them. With the result that all the Snipping Tool captures is a black screen, something that I have noticed from time to time. Implemented with something called Digital Rights Management technology.

Nearly there, with this snap being taken ten minutes before the target time.

On this occasion, I had enough fat to roux from the stock pot operation, so I did not need the fat from the joint. But I did wash the roasting tin and trivet out with the stock, before adding this last to the roux.

For once in a while, both BH and I indulged in a bit of gravy dipping over the stove, with brown bread on this occasion. Very good it was too.

On the plate, ten minutes late by the time we had fiddled around with the gravy and the vegetables. The mashed potato was a bit on the damp side, but I had not added any fat and with the gravy, the mash was fine. I forgot all about the tomato juice.

Gravy which had turned out reasonably thin, the way that BH likes it, not like custard as she put it. It does quite often turn out quite thick, which is not a problem for me as I do not use very much of it - but I think she does have a point. Maybe I should take to measuring the fat and the flour - although measuring the fat from the stock might be a bit hit and miss, with what I imagine to be its very variable water content.

I was pleased with the outturn. Beef done just how we like it.

More or less the end of the first shift. Complete with the marks left by the carving knife - actually our all purpose kitchen knife, rather than a proper, shaped carving knife. And carving fork with a guard against the knife slipping up it. Not that I hardly bother with a fork for carving at all, although we do put one out. Probably a bit more finger work than my mother would have considered proper - or would do in a restaurant for that matter.

And stewed apples did very well for dessert. Plus the odd clove, from where I associate today to the Spice Island, visible in old Portsmouth from the Isle of Wight ferries, once no doubt a serious boozer, now no doubt a foodie place, serving tourists and the inhabitants of all the flats which have sprung up in what used to be a serious naval base, in the days when we were a great power with a serious navy. Now owned by Greene King of all people and to be found at reference 7.

Search failed to find a heritage picture of the place, indeed not all that many of Old Portsmouth at all, perhaps because it was so badly damaged during the war. I forget now whether the street where FIL grew up still exists. But I dare say, back in the day, the Spice Island had rooms upstairs which they would let to sailors on R&R with their ladies. Lower left in the snap above.

In any event, the apples nicely complemented the rather heavy main course.

Interesting patterns in the cooling fat from the roast. Something for a reader of tea leaves to get stuck into?

The cooling stock which did not make it to the gravy. Destined for broth.

The second outing. We are finding that we like the beef almost as much cold as hot - and it goes a good deal further. No wonder that guest houses and such places of old used to cut their roasts cold and heat them up again under a wash of gravy.

The broth. Mainly pearl barley, coloured up with a some last minute chou pointu.

The third outing. For the avoidance of doubt, I discard the fat. But its presence augurs well for the lean.

At that point it falls off the radar, but there was a fourth outing, followed by some modest snacking and chewing of bones. Which last would not be possible if you let the butcher take all but a bit of token bone out - as some will if you let them. We also believe that some of the best meat comes off the bone: very savoury.

At some point, the last of the gravy was warmed up with some left-over rice and taken on brown bread.

So all in all we did very well. A good piece of beef and not as dear as the initial outlay might have suggested. But you have to have a taste for cold meat and left-overs - perhaps reflecting that we both came from families, fresh from war time shortages, who were careful in such matters.

PS 1: Ben the Butcher was very much in business today, while the butcher in Manor Green Road was not open and various dry goods were piled up on what should have been the shop window, the display. Not good on a Saturday - not that I can complain, as I had more or less deserted them for Ben's.

PS 2: Gemini continues to remind me about the granite business which came up just about a year ago, for example at reference 6. What is going on here? How do I tell him nicely that it is time to move on - don't want to hurt his feelings after all.

I should say that while I am not there yet, I can see that it would be very easy to start interacting with the likes of Gemini in very much the way one would with real people. Maybe the Japanese have a point when they provide their old folks with cuddly robots. Is it any different from housewives confusing their favourite soap with the real world?

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/11/a-second-outing.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/11/more-lentils.html.

Reference 3: https://www.recchiavini.it/.

Reference 4: https://www.recchiavini.it/i-vini/recchia/valpolicella-ripasso-d-o-c-classico-superiore.

Reference 5: https://bensbutchery.co.uk/. Ben the butcher.

Reference 6: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/12/festive-pudding.html.

Reference 7: https://www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/hampshire/spice-island.