Spicey Thai Metambre

For those of you who are wondering what the heck this is I will break it down for you. A metambre is a South American dish grilled on a bbq and is basically a stuffed roast beef. The name metambre translates into "hunger Killer". Traditionally it is stuffed with carrots, onion, celery and things like that. Going for Thai flavors I forgot about the carrots and celery and added my own twist.

Here is what you will need...

2-3 lb Roast beef (suitable for cutting into a roll)
2 large tomatoes
2 large sprigs of Thai basil
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon minced lemon grass
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1/4 liquid smoke
juice from 1/2 lime
12 cremini mushrooms
2 green onions

First thing is to cut the roast, beef tenderloin may work very well for this. The roast is cut like a jelly roll and the ideal thickness is a half inch. Take some aluminum foil and grease one side with the olive oil so the roast won't stick to it while cooking. Now you can place your unrolled roast on the foil.

In medium non-reactive mixing bowl add the olive oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, minced lemon grass, fish sauce, liquid smoke and the lime juice. Dice the tomato, chop the basil and add them to the bowl. With a large spoon or a potato masher crush all the ingredients together. This should leave you with a rather fragrant tomato sauce.

Slice the mushrooms and place them on top of the meat and place strips of green onion about every inch. Now scoop the sauce onto the beef and spread evenly. Now roll up you meat like a jelly roll and wrap it in tin foil. Take butcher's twine and tie the wrapped roll every two or three inches. It is also a good idea to soak your twine in water for at least five to ten minutes before wrapping to prevent it from burning.

Place your metambre on the bqq, you want your grill set to medium heat and you can cook it indirectly. Every twenty minutes roll the meat a quarter turn. It should take an hour or two to cook, depending on the size of meat you are dealing with. The internal temperature should reach 170ºF when it is done. You should check it with an instant read thermometer just to be sure. Remove it from the grill and let it set for ten minutes before cutting and serving.

In the last twenty minutes of cooking you can crank up the heat and directly grill it to give the outside of the roast a more crispy texture. Also you can stuff this thing with what ever you want to change the taste to your liking.

Have fun and enjoy!