Grilled beef spinach
Beef spinach or the more common pocket is a very particular cut of Italian meat found in the famous upper quarter of the beef. It is a cut widely used in Italian cuisine, located near the walnut and not always easy to find. Spinach, in addition to being more commonly called "pocket" or underfish, is used for the preparation of stuffed pocket and for other recipes for stuffed roasts, stuffed rolls or meatloaves. For the classic meat pocket recipe you will need a good cut of spinach, ham, spinach, provola and a few other ingredients to create absolute goodness.
Abroad, spinach is also called Trip Trip, Bottom Sirloin or, if we find it in the Asado accompanied by Chimichurri sauce , Colita de Cuadril. Being a fairly small and lean cut, it requires quick cooking on the grill, also preceded by a marinade to make the meat softer and even tastier. Let's move away from our local flavors and discover how to grill 100% Italian beef spinach with red oak wood. Obviously, the secret is to use cuts of meat from Italian breed cattle that you find in our online butcher's shop, but the magic lies in the Santa Maria sauce.
Ingredients for Santa Maria spinach
- 800 g of beef spinach
- 4 cloves of garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- Maldon salt and black pepper
- Origan
- sauce to taste
- accompanying vegetables to taste
For the Santa Maria sauce mop/marinade during cooking
- a spoonful of extra virgin olive oil
- a spoonful of Modena balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup orange juice and ¼ cup lemon juice
- a spoonful of white pepper
- a spoonful of grained mustard
- two tablespoons of dried rosemary
- ½ tablespoon of spicy chili pepper
Method
Let's start with the Santa Maria sauce for the marinade: in a bowl combine all the spices and condiments: extra virgin olive oil , Modena vinegar , orange and lemon juices, garlic powder, lemon pepper, mustard grains, rosemary and spicy chilli pepper. Cover with cling film and leave to rest in the refrigerator. Let's move on to the meat: make small incisions with the knife and insert the garlic cloves inside. Then brush the spinach with a light layer of extra virgin olive oil and spice it with Maldon salt , pepper, rosemary and oregano.
In the meantime, prepare the embers with a nice medium heat that releases a little smoke and put the spinach on the fire. If you have the possibility, close the lid and cook for 45-50 minutes, turning it and spreading the Santa Maria sauce every 5 minutes or so, until the meat thermometer reaches 54°C for rare cooking or leave for longer if you prefer well-cooked meat. Once ready, let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting it into thin slices following the fibers.
Some tips: before grilling the beef spinach, remember to make a v-cut to mark the direction that the fibers follow once cooked. This will be useful for cutting the meat the right way. Finally, accompany with your favorite sauce (if you love asado try the Chimichurri sauce ), toasted bread and your favorite vegetables. Accompany everything with a good red wine, such as Barbera d'Asti , with the right structure to withstand the dish.
